A Korean janitor who found seven gold bars worth $325,000 in the trash could be allowed to keep them
The unidentified male cleaner found the thrown away gold bars at Incheon International Airport on Thursday, according to local media reports.
The owner of the bullion is a Korean man, according to Yonhap News Agency, and two other men ditched the bars out of fear of being searched at customs.
Ryan Browne | @Ryan_Browne_
Published 6:39 AM ET Thu, 3 May 2018 Updated 10:46 PM ET Thu, 3 May 2018
CNBC.com
Gold bars on display in Tokyo on September 27, 2010.
Yoshikazu Tsuno | AFP | Getty Images
Gold bars on display in Tokyo on September 27, 2010.
A janitor in South Korea who discovered seven gold bars in a garbage bin could keep them if no-one else claims ownership.
The unidentified male cleaner found the discarded gold bars, that each weighed 1 kilogram and were wrapped in newspaper, at Seoul's Incheon International Airport on Thursday, according to local media reports. Altogether, the bars are worth 350 million won ($325,000).
The owner of the bullion is a Korean man, according to Seoul-based Yonhap News Agency, and two other men ditched the bars at the request of the owner out of fear of being searched at customs.
According to Yonhap, police said that the men were traveling from Hong Kong to Japan, and went through South Korea in the belief that it would be easier to bypass customs searches.
Whether the owner makes a claim for the discarded gold or not, the janitor will still be able to keep 5 to 20 percent of its market price, amounting to between 17.5 million won ($16,250) and 70 million won ($65,000), in accordance with South Korean law, The Korea Times reported. But he could also lose it all if the items are found to be tainted or linked to criminal activity.
Correction: This report has been updated to reflect a proper conversion of 350 million won into U.S. dollars.
Saturday, June 30, 2018
Canada 'will not back down' over US metals tariffs - BBC News
Canada 'will not back down' over US metals tariffs
29 June 2018
Canada will "not back down" in the face of new US tariffs on steel and aluminium, according to the country's foreign minister.
Chrystia Freeland spoke as officials unveiled a C$2bn (US$1.5bn; £1.15bn) package to support the country's steel and aluminium industries.
Retaliatory tariffs on C$16.6bn worth of US products are due to come into effect on 1 July.
Ms Freeland said US tariffs left Canada "no choice" but to respond.
Canada's tariffs target US steel and aluminium products.
It also includes items such as yoghurt, ketchup and orange juice, which are made in key political battlegrounds such as Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Florida.
Where does Trump's 'America First' leave Canada?
G7 summit: Trump's Trudeau jibes bring Canadians and Americans together
The list of products is intended to match "dollar for dollar" the US tariffs, which came into effect on 1 June, Ms Freeland said.
"Our approach is we will not escalate but equally we will not back down," she said.
'Too much at stake'
The US and Canada are among each other's top trade partners, exchanging nearly US$700bn in goods and services last year.
But trade relations between the two countries have grown tense, amid disputes over issues such as lumber, dairy and wine.
Dairy wars: Why is Trump threatening Canada over milk?
The two countries, with Mexico, are also locked in negotiations over the North American Free Trade Agreement.
In May, when the US said it would not extend exemptions from the tariffs to Canada and Mexico, it said those talks were moving too slowly.
Ms Freeland said the discussions continue and will heat up again after the Mexican election on Sunday. She said she is confident that "common sense" will prevail.
"There's too much at stake," she said.
'A good first step'
The US is the top foreign market for Canada's steel and aluminium, while Canada is the destination for more than half of US steel exports.
In Canada, the steel and aluminium industries employ more than 33,500 people, according to the government.
About 6,000 jobs in Canada are at risk due to the US tariffs, the CD Howe Institute has estimated.
President Donald Trump has complained about Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Twitter
Ken Neumann, director in Canada for the United Steelworkers union, said the aid package, which includes loan assistance, should help companies, but the support for workers is more "modest".
The package "a good first step that will need to be expanded if the trade dispute continues beyond the short-term", he said.
The US is also exposed to thousands of potential job losses, as higher costs for steel and aluminium hurt US firms and trigger retaliation from Canada and elsewhere.
In addition to Canada, the European Union and Mexico are among those that have announced tariffs on US goods in response.
US tariffs: Allies retaliate with levies on jam, lamps and sleeping bags
Who is losing out from Trump's tariffs?
The Trump administration has said the tariffs are necessary to protect the steel and aluminium industries, arguing that their success is vital to America's national security.
Several countries, including Canada, are challenging that rationale with complaints against the US to the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
29 June 2018
Canada will "not back down" in the face of new US tariffs on steel and aluminium, according to the country's foreign minister.
Chrystia Freeland spoke as officials unveiled a C$2bn (US$1.5bn; £1.15bn) package to support the country's steel and aluminium industries.
Retaliatory tariffs on C$16.6bn worth of US products are due to come into effect on 1 July.
Ms Freeland said US tariffs left Canada "no choice" but to respond.
Canada's tariffs target US steel and aluminium products.
It also includes items such as yoghurt, ketchup and orange juice, which are made in key political battlegrounds such as Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Florida.
Where does Trump's 'America First' leave Canada?
G7 summit: Trump's Trudeau jibes bring Canadians and Americans together
The list of products is intended to match "dollar for dollar" the US tariffs, which came into effect on 1 June, Ms Freeland said.
"Our approach is we will not escalate but equally we will not back down," she said.
'Too much at stake'
The US and Canada are among each other's top trade partners, exchanging nearly US$700bn in goods and services last year.
But trade relations between the two countries have grown tense, amid disputes over issues such as lumber, dairy and wine.
Dairy wars: Why is Trump threatening Canada over milk?
The two countries, with Mexico, are also locked in negotiations over the North American Free Trade Agreement.
In May, when the US said it would not extend exemptions from the tariffs to Canada and Mexico, it said those talks were moving too slowly.
Ms Freeland said the discussions continue and will heat up again after the Mexican election on Sunday. She said she is confident that "common sense" will prevail.
"There's too much at stake," she said.
'A good first step'
The US is the top foreign market for Canada's steel and aluminium, while Canada is the destination for more than half of US steel exports.
In Canada, the steel and aluminium industries employ more than 33,500 people, according to the government.
About 6,000 jobs in Canada are at risk due to the US tariffs, the CD Howe Institute has estimated.
President Donald Trump has complained about Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Twitter
Ken Neumann, director in Canada for the United Steelworkers union, said the aid package, which includes loan assistance, should help companies, but the support for workers is more "modest".
The package "a good first step that will need to be expanded if the trade dispute continues beyond the short-term", he said.
The US is also exposed to thousands of potential job losses, as higher costs for steel and aluminium hurt US firms and trigger retaliation from Canada and elsewhere.
In addition to Canada, the European Union and Mexico are among those that have announced tariffs on US goods in response.
US tariffs: Allies retaliate with levies on jam, lamps and sleeping bags
Who is losing out from Trump's tariffs?
The Trump administration has said the tariffs are necessary to protect the steel and aluminium industries, arguing that their success is vital to America's national security.
Several countries, including Canada, are challenging that rationale with complaints against the US to the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
Donald Trump gets prank call on Air Force One - BBC News
June 30, 2018
Donald Trump gets prank call on Air Force One
President Trump spoke to a prank comedian while on board Air Force One
US President Donald Trump was fooled by a comedian into taking a prank call while on board Air Force One.
Comedian John Melendez posed as Senator Bob Menendez. He says he spoke to the president's son-in-law Jared Kushner and received a call back from Mr Trump.
Mr Melendez said he claimed to be Senator Menendez and a fake assistant.
"Sometimes the [President's] channels are open too widely and mistakes like this happen," a White House official told CNN.
Senator Menendez is a Democratic senator from New Jersey and a long-time campaigner for immigration reform.
The US government has come under fire in recent weeks over its policy of separating migrant children from their parents at the border with Mexico.
Mr Melendez, who goes by the stage name Stuttering John, recorded his conversations with the US president and uploaded on his podcast.
On the recording, the voice that is purportedly Mr Trump congratulates Mr Menendez for his 2017 acquittal in a bribery case.
He was accused of accepting gifts from a Florida eye doctor in exchange for political influence.
The two voices on Mr Melendez's podcast recording also talked about the Supreme Court vacancy following Anthony Kennedy's decision to step down next month.
The voice said to be Mr Trump says he will nominate a new judge to the Supreme Court in "10 to 14 days".
Trump narrows down Supreme Court candidates
Why is the US Supreme Court so important?
When the White House made inquiries with Mr Menendez's office about the conversation Mr Trump thought he had with him on Thursday, the senator's staff were befuddled, US media report.
The prank caller said that his plan could have easily gone wrong.
"All they had to ask me is what party affiliation is Senator Menendez, or what state is he a senator of, and I would not have known. But they didn't ask me any of this," Mr Melendez told CNN.
Donald Trump gets prank call on Air Force One
President Trump spoke to a prank comedian while on board Air Force One
US President Donald Trump was fooled by a comedian into taking a prank call while on board Air Force One.
Comedian John Melendez posed as Senator Bob Menendez. He says he spoke to the president's son-in-law Jared Kushner and received a call back from Mr Trump.
Mr Melendez said he claimed to be Senator Menendez and a fake assistant.
"Sometimes the [President's] channels are open too widely and mistakes like this happen," a White House official told CNN.
Senator Menendez is a Democratic senator from New Jersey and a long-time campaigner for immigration reform.
The US government has come under fire in recent weeks over its policy of separating migrant children from their parents at the border with Mexico.
Mr Melendez, who goes by the stage name Stuttering John, recorded his conversations with the US president and uploaded on his podcast.
On the recording, the voice that is purportedly Mr Trump congratulates Mr Menendez for his 2017 acquittal in a bribery case.
He was accused of accepting gifts from a Florida eye doctor in exchange for political influence.
The two voices on Mr Melendez's podcast recording also talked about the Supreme Court vacancy following Anthony Kennedy's decision to step down next month.
The voice said to be Mr Trump says he will nominate a new judge to the Supreme Court in "10 to 14 days".
Trump narrows down Supreme Court candidates
Why is the US Supreme Court so important?
When the White House made inquiries with Mr Menendez's office about the conversation Mr Trump thought he had with him on Thursday, the senator's staff were befuddled, US media report.
The prank caller said that his plan could have easily gone wrong.
"All they had to ask me is what party affiliation is Senator Menendez, or what state is he a senator of, and I would not have known. But they didn't ask me any of this," Mr Melendez told CNN.
US ambassador to Estonia resigns 'over Trump comments' - BBC News
June 30, 2018
US ambassador to Estonia resigns 'over Trump comments'
James D Melville is a career diplomat who has held senior posts in several European countries
The US ambassador to Estonia is resigning, reportedly in frustration at remarks made by President Donald Trump about America's European allies.
James D Melville revealed in a Facebook post that Mr Trump's comments had brought forward his decision to retire, Foreign Policy magazine reported.
The US president has imposed trade tariffs on some EU industries and strongly criticised Nato allies.
Other US diplomats have also left their posts early in recent months.
In January, US ambassador to Panama John Feeley resigned saying he was no longer able to serve under President Trump.
A month earlier, Elizabeth Shackelford resigned from her post in Nairobi where she worked for the US mission to Somalia.
In her letter of resignation to then Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, she said she was quitting because the US had abandoned human rights as a priority, Foreign Policy reported.
US tariffs a dangerous game, says EU
Trump lashes out at key US allies
In the private Facebook post seen by Foreign Policy, Mr Melville reportedly told friends: "For the president to say the EU was 'set up to take advantage of the United States, to attack our piggy bank', or that 'Nato is as bad as Nafta [the North American Free Trade Agreement]' is not only factually wrong, but proves to me that it's time to go."
Mr Melville is a career diplomat and took up his position as ambassador in Estonia in 2015 after being nominated by then President Barack Obama.
He had previously held senior diplomatic posts in several European countries and speaks Russian, German and French, according to his biography on the US State Department website.
A State Department spokesperson confirmed Mr Melville's departure on Friday, saying: "Earlier today, the United States' Ambassador to Estonia, Jim Melville, announced his intent to retire from the Foreign Service effective July 29 after 33 years of public service."
President Trump reiterated his criticism of fellow Nato members on Friday while on a flight from Washington to his private golf club in New Jersey.
He told reporters on board Air Force One that countries including Germany, Spain and France had to increase their financial contributions to the bloc.
"It's not fair what they've done to the United States," he said. "The United States is paying much more disproportionately to anyone else."
His remarks come less than two weeks before a Nato summit in Brussels.
US ambassador to Estonia resigns 'over Trump comments'
James D Melville is a career diplomat who has held senior posts in several European countries
The US ambassador to Estonia is resigning, reportedly in frustration at remarks made by President Donald Trump about America's European allies.
James D Melville revealed in a Facebook post that Mr Trump's comments had brought forward his decision to retire, Foreign Policy magazine reported.
The US president has imposed trade tariffs on some EU industries and strongly criticised Nato allies.
Other US diplomats have also left their posts early in recent months.
In January, US ambassador to Panama John Feeley resigned saying he was no longer able to serve under President Trump.
A month earlier, Elizabeth Shackelford resigned from her post in Nairobi where she worked for the US mission to Somalia.
In her letter of resignation to then Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, she said she was quitting because the US had abandoned human rights as a priority, Foreign Policy reported.
US tariffs a dangerous game, says EU
Trump lashes out at key US allies
In the private Facebook post seen by Foreign Policy, Mr Melville reportedly told friends: "For the president to say the EU was 'set up to take advantage of the United States, to attack our piggy bank', or that 'Nato is as bad as Nafta [the North American Free Trade Agreement]' is not only factually wrong, but proves to me that it's time to go."
Mr Melville is a career diplomat and took up his position as ambassador in Estonia in 2015 after being nominated by then President Barack Obama.
He had previously held senior diplomatic posts in several European countries and speaks Russian, German and French, according to his biography on the US State Department website.
A State Department spokesperson confirmed Mr Melville's departure on Friday, saying: "Earlier today, the United States' Ambassador to Estonia, Jim Melville, announced his intent to retire from the Foreign Service effective July 29 after 33 years of public service."
President Trump reiterated his criticism of fellow Nato members on Friday while on a flight from Washington to his private golf club in New Jersey.
He told reporters on board Air Force One that countries including Germany, Spain and France had to increase their financial contributions to the bloc.
"It's not fair what they've done to the United States," he said. "The United States is paying much more disproportionately to anyone else."
His remarks come less than two weeks before a Nato summit in Brussels.
Political War Over Replacing Kennedy on Supreme Court Is Underway - New York Times
Political War Over Replacing Kennedy on Supreme Court Is Underway
The Supreme Court building in Washington. A battle for the future of the court is underway after Justice Anthony M. Kennedy’s announcement on Wednesday that he will retire.CreditErin Schaff for The New York Times
By Michael D. Shear and Thomas Kaplan
June 28, 2018
WASHINGTON — A political war over replacing Justice Anthony M. Kennedy roared to life on Thursday in Washington, the start of an election-season clash over a Supreme Court retirement that will reshape the country’s judicial future.
Hours after Justice Kennedy’s announcement on Wednesday that he will step down July 31, conservative organizations were mobilizing to support the Republican-controlled Senate in a quick confirmation of a justice who would be expected to vote against the court’s liberal precedents. One group, the Judicial Crisis Network, has already started a $1 million ad campaign urging people to support the president’s choice.
Democrats and liberal advocacy organizations face enormous challenges if they hope to prevent President Trump and the Republicans from installing a conservative justice who would shift the ideological balance of the court for generations. Mr. Trump has promised to pick from a list of highly conservative jurists, and Republicans control the Senate, which can confirm the president’s choice by a simple majority.
Mr. Trump began wooing senators late Thursday night, meeting at the White House separately with three Republicans and with the three Democrats — Joe Donnelly of Indiana, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota and Joe Manchin III of West Virginia — who broke party ranks last year and voted to confirm Judge Neil M. Gorsuch, the president’s first Supreme Court pick.
After the meeting, Ms. Heitkamp said in a statement that she urged the president to appoint someone who is “pragmatic, fair, compassionate, committed to justice, and above politics.”
But the effect of Justice Kennedy’s departure has already ignited opposition from many Democratic lawmakers, party strategists and liberal activists, who vowed a fierce battle to try to preserve decades of liberal court precedents on abortion, civil rights, gay rights, affirmative action and the death penalty.
“I think it has sunk in very quickly that this is the biggest fight of them all,” said Brian Fallon, a veteran Democratic operative whose organization, Demand Justice, is leading the charge against Mr. Trump’s pick. “If we don’t succeed in this fight, Trumpism will be here for 40 years, not just four years.”
Democratic strategists say the party needs to model its resistance to the successful fight Democratic senators waged in 1987 against Judge Robert H. Bork, President Ronald Reagan’s pick for the Supreme Court. After they defeated Judge Bork, Mr. Reagan eventually settled on Justice Kennedy, who was seen as a more moderate choice.
If they can mobilize Democrats and liberals, lawmakers say they hope to demand a more moderate justice from the current president, as well.
“There are people who have had to withdraw over the years because you get information out and you question them and the public is focused on it and galvanized by it,” said Senator Amy Klobuchar, Democrat of Minnesota and a member of the Judiciary Committee.
Demand Justice has begun running online ads against three of Mr. Trump’s possible picks and expects to spend more than $1 million on television ads once the president selects a nominee.
One ad targets Judge Amy Coney Barrett, who is on the president’s list of possible justices, for saying that the Affordable Care Act should have been held unconstitutional. Another ad is aimed at Judge Brett Kavanaugh, another possible pick, for saying that a president should be able to “decide whether and when he can be investigated.”
Democrats say they will focus on two main issues, abortion and health care. Mr. Fallon, who worked for President Barack Obama and was a top spokesman for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, said the challenge will be convincing people that a Trump justice poses a threat to both issues.
“We have to do the work and spend the money to communicate the consequences of what a 5-4 court with a newly installed justice looks like,” Mr. Fallon said.
Democratic lawmakers gathered on the steps of the Supreme Court Thursday morning, flanked by members of progressive groups, to declare their opposition to all of the potential candidates on Mr. Trump’s public list of 25 possible jurists.
Video
Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, both moderate Republicans who favor abortion rights, are facing pressure from liberal activists to defend Roe v. Wade in the impending confirmation battle over President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee.Published OnJune 28, 2018CreditImage by Tom Brenner/The New York Times
At the Capitol, Representative Nancy Pelosi of California, the House Democratic leader, warned of the high stakes in filling the vacancy.
“Make no mistake: Republicans now have the opportunity to erase a generation of progress for women’s rights, L.G.B.T.Q. rights, civil rights, workers’ rights and health care,” Ms. Pelosi declared.
Strategists say Democrats must demand that Mr. Trump’s pick for the court affirmatively say whether he or she would uphold Roe v. Wade, the landmark case establishing a right to abortion. Saying that it is “settled law,” as some conservatives concede, is not enough, the strategists say.
Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the majority leader, has vowed to move swiftly once Mr. Trump announces his choice, but Democratic lawmakers are demanding that a replacement for Justice Kennedy not be confirmed until after the midterm elections in the fall. They argue that voters should be given the opportunity to select the members of Congress they want to vote on the vital selection.
Democrats have angrily pointed out that Republicans, led by Mr. McConnell, used exactly that argument in 2016, before the presidential election, as they blocked Judge Merrick B. Garland, President Barack Obama’s pick to fill the seat left vacant after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia.
With Kennedy’s Retirement, the Supreme Court Loses Its Center
The swing vote in many decisions, Justice Anthony M. Kennedy shifted toward more conservative opinions in the final months of his 30-year justice tenure.
June 27, 2018
On Thursday Mr. McConnell defended his decision to move forward with filling the vacancy this year.
“This is not 2016,” he said on the Senate floor. “There aren’t the final months of a second-term constitutionally lame-duck presidency with a presidential election fast approaching. We’re right in the middle of this president’s very first term.”
Mr. McConnell pointed to the Supreme Court confirmations of Justices Elena Kagan in 2010, Stephen G. Breyer in 1994 and David H. Souter in 1990 — all midterm election years in a president’s first term.
“To my knowledge, nobody on either side has ever suggested before yesterday that the Senate should only process Supreme Court nominations in odd-numbered years,” Mr. McConnell said.
Chad Griffin, the president of the Human Rights Campaign, said that “the 2018 midterm elections just became the most consequential election of our lifetime.”
“We must keep organizing, mobilizing and holding lawmakers to account every single day — and then we need turn out like never before this November,” he said.
Conservatives in Charge, the Supreme Court Moved Right
Justice Anthony M. Kennedy’s last Supreme Court term contained hints of his retirement and foreshadowed a lasting rightward shift.
June 28, 2018
Senator Tim Kaine, Democrat of Virginia, echoed that message in an email to his supporters seeking signatures on a petition.
“We should not vote on a new Supreme Court Justice before the American people vote in November,” Mr. Kaine wrote. “Sign my petition if you agree: No Supreme Court vote until the American people vote.”
There is little chance of that happening, given that Mr. Trump and his allies in Congress want to make sure to act on the court vacancy before the fall elections, when Democrats could regain control of the Senate.
To that end, conservative organizations are planning campaigns to support a speedy confirmation.
“Concerned Women for America is gearing up for our biggest and perhaps most important confirmation battle in our almost 40-year history,” said Penny Nance, the group’s president. “We plan to devote considerable resources to this effort, and we expect to win. Our happy warrior/activist ladies relish the fight and shine in these historic moments.”
Carrie Severino, the chief counsel and policy director of the Judicial Crisis Network, said her organization is already running ads targeting Democratic senators in states where Mr. Trump won during the presidential election.
One ad says: “Like they did before, extremists will lie and attack the nominee. But don’t be fooled. President Trump’s list includes the best of the best.”
Ms. Severino said that she expects liberals to aggressively criticize the president’s pick for the court, no matter who that person is.
“It’s the war on women. Or this person hates the little guy,” she said. “Without even knowing the nominee, we know the directions they will go. Some of these scaremongering tactics have been used since Reagan’s appointees. We are expecting that and we are absolutely prepared.”
Carl Hulse and Sheryl Gay Stolberg contributed reporting.
The Supreme Court building in Washington. A battle for the future of the court is underway after Justice Anthony M. Kennedy’s announcement on Wednesday that he will retire.CreditErin Schaff for The New York Times
By Michael D. Shear and Thomas Kaplan
June 28, 2018
WASHINGTON — A political war over replacing Justice Anthony M. Kennedy roared to life on Thursday in Washington, the start of an election-season clash over a Supreme Court retirement that will reshape the country’s judicial future.
Hours after Justice Kennedy’s announcement on Wednesday that he will step down July 31, conservative organizations were mobilizing to support the Republican-controlled Senate in a quick confirmation of a justice who would be expected to vote against the court’s liberal precedents. One group, the Judicial Crisis Network, has already started a $1 million ad campaign urging people to support the president’s choice.
Democrats and liberal advocacy organizations face enormous challenges if they hope to prevent President Trump and the Republicans from installing a conservative justice who would shift the ideological balance of the court for generations. Mr. Trump has promised to pick from a list of highly conservative jurists, and Republicans control the Senate, which can confirm the president’s choice by a simple majority.
Mr. Trump began wooing senators late Thursday night, meeting at the White House separately with three Republicans and with the three Democrats — Joe Donnelly of Indiana, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota and Joe Manchin III of West Virginia — who broke party ranks last year and voted to confirm Judge Neil M. Gorsuch, the president’s first Supreme Court pick.
After the meeting, Ms. Heitkamp said in a statement that she urged the president to appoint someone who is “pragmatic, fair, compassionate, committed to justice, and above politics.”
But the effect of Justice Kennedy’s departure has already ignited opposition from many Democratic lawmakers, party strategists and liberal activists, who vowed a fierce battle to try to preserve decades of liberal court precedents on abortion, civil rights, gay rights, affirmative action and the death penalty.
“I think it has sunk in very quickly that this is the biggest fight of them all,” said Brian Fallon, a veteran Democratic operative whose organization, Demand Justice, is leading the charge against Mr. Trump’s pick. “If we don’t succeed in this fight, Trumpism will be here for 40 years, not just four years.”
Democratic strategists say the party needs to model its resistance to the successful fight Democratic senators waged in 1987 against Judge Robert H. Bork, President Ronald Reagan’s pick for the Supreme Court. After they defeated Judge Bork, Mr. Reagan eventually settled on Justice Kennedy, who was seen as a more moderate choice.
If they can mobilize Democrats and liberals, lawmakers say they hope to demand a more moderate justice from the current president, as well.
“There are people who have had to withdraw over the years because you get information out and you question them and the public is focused on it and galvanized by it,” said Senator Amy Klobuchar, Democrat of Minnesota and a member of the Judiciary Committee.
Demand Justice has begun running online ads against three of Mr. Trump’s possible picks and expects to spend more than $1 million on television ads once the president selects a nominee.
One ad targets Judge Amy Coney Barrett, who is on the president’s list of possible justices, for saying that the Affordable Care Act should have been held unconstitutional. Another ad is aimed at Judge Brett Kavanaugh, another possible pick, for saying that a president should be able to “decide whether and when he can be investigated.”
Democrats say they will focus on two main issues, abortion and health care. Mr. Fallon, who worked for President Barack Obama and was a top spokesman for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, said the challenge will be convincing people that a Trump justice poses a threat to both issues.
“We have to do the work and spend the money to communicate the consequences of what a 5-4 court with a newly installed justice looks like,” Mr. Fallon said.
Democratic lawmakers gathered on the steps of the Supreme Court Thursday morning, flanked by members of progressive groups, to declare their opposition to all of the potential candidates on Mr. Trump’s public list of 25 possible jurists.
Video
Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, both moderate Republicans who favor abortion rights, are facing pressure from liberal activists to defend Roe v. Wade in the impending confirmation battle over President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee.Published OnJune 28, 2018CreditImage by Tom Brenner/The New York Times
At the Capitol, Representative Nancy Pelosi of California, the House Democratic leader, warned of the high stakes in filling the vacancy.
“Make no mistake: Republicans now have the opportunity to erase a generation of progress for women’s rights, L.G.B.T.Q. rights, civil rights, workers’ rights and health care,” Ms. Pelosi declared.
Strategists say Democrats must demand that Mr. Trump’s pick for the court affirmatively say whether he or she would uphold Roe v. Wade, the landmark case establishing a right to abortion. Saying that it is “settled law,” as some conservatives concede, is not enough, the strategists say.
Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the majority leader, has vowed to move swiftly once Mr. Trump announces his choice, but Democratic lawmakers are demanding that a replacement for Justice Kennedy not be confirmed until after the midterm elections in the fall. They argue that voters should be given the opportunity to select the members of Congress they want to vote on the vital selection.
Democrats have angrily pointed out that Republicans, led by Mr. McConnell, used exactly that argument in 2016, before the presidential election, as they blocked Judge Merrick B. Garland, President Barack Obama’s pick to fill the seat left vacant after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia.
With Kennedy’s Retirement, the Supreme Court Loses Its Center
The swing vote in many decisions, Justice Anthony M. Kennedy shifted toward more conservative opinions in the final months of his 30-year justice tenure.
June 27, 2018
On Thursday Mr. McConnell defended his decision to move forward with filling the vacancy this year.
“This is not 2016,” he said on the Senate floor. “There aren’t the final months of a second-term constitutionally lame-duck presidency with a presidential election fast approaching. We’re right in the middle of this president’s very first term.”
Mr. McConnell pointed to the Supreme Court confirmations of Justices Elena Kagan in 2010, Stephen G. Breyer in 1994 and David H. Souter in 1990 — all midterm election years in a president’s first term.
“To my knowledge, nobody on either side has ever suggested before yesterday that the Senate should only process Supreme Court nominations in odd-numbered years,” Mr. McConnell said.
Chad Griffin, the president of the Human Rights Campaign, said that “the 2018 midterm elections just became the most consequential election of our lifetime.”
“We must keep organizing, mobilizing and holding lawmakers to account every single day — and then we need turn out like never before this November,” he said.
Conservatives in Charge, the Supreme Court Moved Right
Justice Anthony M. Kennedy’s last Supreme Court term contained hints of his retirement and foreshadowed a lasting rightward shift.
June 28, 2018
Senator Tim Kaine, Democrat of Virginia, echoed that message in an email to his supporters seeking signatures on a petition.
“We should not vote on a new Supreme Court Justice before the American people vote in November,” Mr. Kaine wrote. “Sign my petition if you agree: No Supreme Court vote until the American people vote.”
There is little chance of that happening, given that Mr. Trump and his allies in Congress want to make sure to act on the court vacancy before the fall elections, when Democrats could regain control of the Senate.
To that end, conservative organizations are planning campaigns to support a speedy confirmation.
“Concerned Women for America is gearing up for our biggest and perhaps most important confirmation battle in our almost 40-year history,” said Penny Nance, the group’s president. “We plan to devote considerable resources to this effort, and we expect to win. Our happy warrior/activist ladies relish the fight and shine in these historic moments.”
Carrie Severino, the chief counsel and policy director of the Judicial Crisis Network, said her organization is already running ads targeting Democratic senators in states where Mr. Trump won during the presidential election.
One ad says: “Like they did before, extremists will lie and attack the nominee. But don’t be fooled. President Trump’s list includes the best of the best.”
Ms. Severino said that she expects liberals to aggressively criticize the president’s pick for the court, no matter who that person is.
“It’s the war on women. Or this person hates the little guy,” she said. “Without even knowing the nominee, we know the directions they will go. Some of these scaremongering tactics have been used since Reagan’s appointees. We are expecting that and we are absolutely prepared.”
Carl Hulse and Sheryl Gay Stolberg contributed reporting.
Supreme Court: Trump to name nominee on 9 July - BBC News
June 30, 2018
Supreme Court: Trump to name nominee on 9 July
President Trump spoke to journalists during a flight to his private golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey
US President Donald Trump says he plans to announce his nominee for a new Supreme Court judge on 9 July.
He told reporters on board the presidential aircraft Air Force One he had narrowed the choice down to "about five" candidates, including two women.
The vacancy arose when Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement earlier this week.
It gives President Trump the opportunity to solidify a conservative majority on the top court.
His nominee will need to be confirmed by the Senate where the president's Republican Party holds a narrow majority.
In other comments to reporters on Friday, Mr Trump:
Said he would discuss allegations of election tampering when he met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki next month
Called on Germany and other European nations to spend more on Nato, adding: "The United States is paying much more, disproportionately to anyone else"
Said the World Trade Organization (WTO) had treated the US "very badly" but insisted he was "not talking about pulling out"
'I like them all'
Speaking on a flight from Washington to New Jersey on Friday, President Trump said he would not ask Supreme Court candidates about their position on the landmark 1973 Roe v Wade decision which legalised abortion across the US.
During his campaign, Mr Trump promised to deliver "pro-life" judges to the Supreme Court - a prospect that has alarmed women's rights groups.
Women fear abortion rights under threat
Analysis: Why a fight over US abortion law looms
Why is the US Supreme Court so important?
"I've got it narrowed to about five [candidates]," he told reporters, adding: "I like them all."
Mr Trump said he planned to interview one or two of the candidates over the weekend while staying at his golf club in Bedminster.
Justice Kennedy, 81, is the second-oldest justice on the nine-member US Supreme Court.
The court plays a key role in US society and is often the final word on highly contentious laws, disputes between states and the federal government, and final appeals to stay executions.
In recent years it has expanded gay marriage to all 50 states, stopped President Barack Obama's immigration orders and delayed a US plan to cut carbon emissions while appeals went forward.
Justice Anthony Kennedy will retire on 31 July
Although a conservative, Justice Kennedy has sided with liberals on previous decisions, including the 5-4 rulings that decided same-sex marriage and upheld abortion rights.
US media have reported several front runners who could replace him:
Brett Kavanaugh, who is at the top of most lists, is an appeals court judge in Washington DC and was a former clerk to Justice Kennedy
Amul Thapar, a Kentucky judge handpicked by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, and Amy Comey Barrett, a former professor at Catholic university Notre Dame, are both likely nominees
Raymond Kethledge, a judge on the 6th US Circuit Court of Appeals and also a former clerk to Justice Kennedy, is another possible contender.
Meet the Supremes - the nine judges on US top court
Putin summit agenda
In other remarks to reporters, President Trump said he would raise the issue of alleged Russian election meddling when he met President Putin in Finland on 16 July.
"We'll be talking about elections... we don't want anybody tampering with elections," he said.
US intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia tried to sway the 2016 US election in Mr Trump's favour, a claim the Kremlin has consistently denied.
US punishes Russians over vote meddling
All you need to know about Trump Russia story
Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, which led to US and EU sanctions, and the war in Syria, would also be discussed, Mr Trump confirmed.
A short guide to the Syrian civil war
He refused to rule out accepting the annexation when he met Mr Putin, saying: "We're going to have to see."
When asked whether US sanctions on Russia might be lifted, he said: "We'll see what Russia does."
Supreme Court: Trump to name nominee on 9 July
President Trump spoke to journalists during a flight to his private golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey
US President Donald Trump says he plans to announce his nominee for a new Supreme Court judge on 9 July.
He told reporters on board the presidential aircraft Air Force One he had narrowed the choice down to "about five" candidates, including two women.
The vacancy arose when Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement earlier this week.
It gives President Trump the opportunity to solidify a conservative majority on the top court.
His nominee will need to be confirmed by the Senate where the president's Republican Party holds a narrow majority.
In other comments to reporters on Friday, Mr Trump:
Said he would discuss allegations of election tampering when he met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki next month
Called on Germany and other European nations to spend more on Nato, adding: "The United States is paying much more, disproportionately to anyone else"
Said the World Trade Organization (WTO) had treated the US "very badly" but insisted he was "not talking about pulling out"
'I like them all'
Speaking on a flight from Washington to New Jersey on Friday, President Trump said he would not ask Supreme Court candidates about their position on the landmark 1973 Roe v Wade decision which legalised abortion across the US.
During his campaign, Mr Trump promised to deliver "pro-life" judges to the Supreme Court - a prospect that has alarmed women's rights groups.
Women fear abortion rights under threat
Analysis: Why a fight over US abortion law looms
Why is the US Supreme Court so important?
"I've got it narrowed to about five [candidates]," he told reporters, adding: "I like them all."
Mr Trump said he planned to interview one or two of the candidates over the weekend while staying at his golf club in Bedminster.
Justice Kennedy, 81, is the second-oldest justice on the nine-member US Supreme Court.
The court plays a key role in US society and is often the final word on highly contentious laws, disputes between states and the federal government, and final appeals to stay executions.
In recent years it has expanded gay marriage to all 50 states, stopped President Barack Obama's immigration orders and delayed a US plan to cut carbon emissions while appeals went forward.
Justice Anthony Kennedy will retire on 31 July
Although a conservative, Justice Kennedy has sided with liberals on previous decisions, including the 5-4 rulings that decided same-sex marriage and upheld abortion rights.
US media have reported several front runners who could replace him:
Brett Kavanaugh, who is at the top of most lists, is an appeals court judge in Washington DC and was a former clerk to Justice Kennedy
Amul Thapar, a Kentucky judge handpicked by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, and Amy Comey Barrett, a former professor at Catholic university Notre Dame, are both likely nominees
Raymond Kethledge, a judge on the 6th US Circuit Court of Appeals and also a former clerk to Justice Kennedy, is another possible contender.
Meet the Supremes - the nine judges on US top court
Putin summit agenda
In other remarks to reporters, President Trump said he would raise the issue of alleged Russian election meddling when he met President Putin in Finland on 16 July.
"We'll be talking about elections... we don't want anybody tampering with elections," he said.
US intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia tried to sway the 2016 US election in Mr Trump's favour, a claim the Kremlin has consistently denied.
US punishes Russians over vote meddling
All you need to know about Trump Russia story
Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, which led to US and EU sanctions, and the war in Syria, would also be discussed, Mr Trump confirmed.
A short guide to the Syrian civil war
He refused to rule out accepting the annexation when he met Mr Putin, saying: "We're going to have to see."
When asked whether US sanctions on Russia might be lifted, he said: "We'll see what Russia does."
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