July 29, 2018
Cambodia election: Polls close in vote with no main opposition
Hun Sen has said he wants to rule Cambodia for at least a decade longer
Polling has now ended in Cambodia in a general election that lacked any serious challengers to Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has been in power since 1985.
Critics had called the vote a sham as the Cambodia National Rescue Party, which narrowly lost the last election, has been dissolved.
The US and EU were among those who had questioned the credibility of the vote.
But the ruling Cambodian People's Party said 19 other parties had stood.
The National Election Commission has reported an updated turnout of 82.71%, according to Reuters news agency.
Analysts had said the turnout figure would be a key test for Hun Sen's legitimacy. During the campaign, opposition activists calling for a voter boycott had been accused of incitement.
On Friday, the government ordered internet service providers in the country to block a number of independent news websites, including Radio Free Asia, Voice of America and Voice of Democracy.
It also singled out a post on the German version of the image-sharing site Pinterest, which had specifically referenced the Cambodia National Rescue Party.
English newspaper outlets were among other sites blocked.
Hun Sen: Cambodia's strongman prime minister
When the UN ran a country
US cuts Cambodia aid over democracy concerns
As part of a large UN peacekeeping mission, Cambodia held its first multi-party elections in decades in 1993 after years of bloodshed and war. Some two million people are estimated to have died between 1975 and 1979 when the country was ruled by the radical communists of the Khmer Rouge.
Hun Sen, a former soldier in the Khmer Rouge who later opposed them, has presided over a sustained period of rapid economic growth.
He has long been accused of using the courts and security forces to crush dissent and intimidate critics, but has for years allowed some measure of political opposition to his CPP party.
This election however marks the "death" of democracy in Cambodia, senior opposition figure Mu Sochua told the BBC.
The election has been criticised by the UN as fundamentally flawed
Voters dipped their finger in indelible ink at polling stations, making it easy for local authorities to see who has voted, and who has not.
A voter in the southern province of Kampot told BBC Thai that he would vote "just to have ink" on his finger.
"I'm afraid there could be problems and I will be arrested," the 39-year-old man, who did not want be named due to fear of retribution, said.
In 2013, the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) led a mass protest movement after rejecting the election results, posing the biggest threat to Hun Sen's rule in more than a decade.
It was allowed to contest local elections last year, and won around 44% of the popular vote.
CNRP leader Kem Sokha was charged with treason and has been jailed in a remote prison
Since then, its leader has been jailed for alleged treason, and much of its senior leadership has fled abroad, trying to drum up support for international sanctions. Independent media outlets have closed or left the country and journalists have been arrested.
The party itself was dissolved in November by the Supreme Court, based on a complaint from the government that it was conspiring with the US to overthrow it. All its elected politicians lost their positions, including 55 seats in the 123-seat National Assembly.
On Friday, during the last day of campaigning, Hun Sen told thousands of supporters that his party had eliminated "traitors who attempted to topple the government" .
"If we didn't eliminate them with an iron fist, maybe by now Cambodia would be in a situation of war," he said.
The US and the EU, which both lavished aid on Cambodia after its first UN-administered election in 1993, have cut off electoral assistance for this poll.
But China, which recently gave more than $130m in military aid to Cambodia, is sending observers for the first time.
Sunday, July 29, 2018
Sanders' wing of the party terrifies moderate Dems. Here's how they plan to stop it - NBC News
Sanders' wing of the party terrifies moderate Dems. Here's how they plan to stop it.
Party members and fundraisers gathered for an invitation-only event to figure out how to counteract the rising progressive movement.
by Alex Seitz-Wald / Jul.22.2018
Ocasio-Cortez joins Sanders to rally for Kansas Democrat, progressive values
JUL.21.201801:19
COLUMBUS, Ohio — If Sen. Bernie Sanders is leading a leftist political revolt, then a summit here of moderate Democrats might be the start of a counterrevolution.
While the energy and momentum is with progressives these days — the victory of rising star Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in New York, buzz about Democratic Socialism and the spread of the "Abolish ICE!" movement are a few recent examples — moderates are warning that ignoring them will lead the party to disaster in the midterm elections and the 2020 presidential contest.
That anxiety has largely been kept to a whisper among the party's moderates and big donors, with some of the major fundraisers pressing operatives on what can be done to stop Sanders, I-Vt., if he runs for the White House again.
But the first-ever "Opportunity 2020" convention, organized here last week by Third Way, a moderate Democratic think tank, gave middle-of-the-road party members a safe space to come together and voice their concerns.
"The only narrative that has been articulated in the Democratic Party over the past two years is the one from the left," former Delaware Gov. Jack Markell told NBC News.
"I think we need a debate within the party," he added. "Frankly, it would have been better to start the conversation earlier."
Pragmatism may be a tougher sell in the Donald Trump era, but with the 2020 presidential race just around the corner, moderate Democrats know they are running out of time to reassert themselves.
The gathering here was just that — an effort to offer an attractive alternative to the rising Sanders-style populist left in the upcoming presidential race. Where progressives see a rare opportunity to capitalize on an energized Democratic base, moderates see a better chance to win over Republicans turned off by Trump.
The fact that a billionaire real estate developer, Winston Fisher, co-cohosted the event and addressed attendees twice underscored that this group is not interested in the class warfare vilifying the "millionaires and billionaires" found in Sanders' stump speech.
"You're not going to make me hate somebody just because they're rich. I want to be rich!" Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, a potential presidential candidate, said Friday to laughs.
Image: Tim RyanRep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, arrives for a House Democratic Caucus meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington on Nov. 30, 2016.Susan Walsh / AP file
The invitation-only gathering brought together about 250 Democratic insiders from key swing states. Third Way unveiled the results of focus groups and polling that it says shows Americans are more receptive to an economic message built on "opportunity" rather than the left's message about inequality.
"Once again, the time has come to mend, but not end, capitalism for a new era," said Third Way President Jon Cowan.
For the left, Third Way represents the Wall Street-wing of the party and everything wrong with the donor-driven wet blanketism they've been trying exorcise since 2016. Thom Hartmann, a liberal talk radio host and Sanders friend, once called the group's warning about Sanders "probably the most stupid thing I've ever heard," before ticking through all the investment bankers on Third Way's board.
But some elected officials in relatively conservative areas say progressives are clueless about what their agenda would mean for Democrats outside major cities and the coasts.
"We will be a permanent minority party in this country," said Iowa state Sen. Jeff Danielson, a firefighter who represents an area that saw one of the biggest swings from Barack Obama to Trump during the 2016 election.
Single-payer, government-run health care may be a popular party plank in New York City, where Ocascio-Cortez, a Democratic Socialist, recently won a high-profile primary, Danielson said, but added, "it does not work in the rest of America ... and I’m tired of losing."
Moderates said they feel they're being drowned out by louder voices on the left.
Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-Ill., a member of the House Democratic leadership who represents a district Trump won, invoked Richard Nixon's "silent majority."
"If you look throughout the heartland, there's a silent majority who just wants normalcy. Who wants to see that people are going out to Washington to fight for them in a civil way and get something done," she told reporters.
"There's a lot of people that just don't really like protests and don't like yelling and screaming," she added.
And they worry the angry left will cost Democrats a rare chance to win over those kind of voters, including Republicans who no longer want to be part of Trump's GOP.
"Republicans have chosen the far right, which means that they have ceded a good portion of the middle of the road," said former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, who is considering a presidential run. "The Democrats, in my opinion, would make a big mistake if they decide to run a base election and just say, ‘Our base is bigger than your base.'"
Image: Mitch LandrieuNew Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu speaks in Washington on race in America and his decision to take down Confederate monuments in his city on June 16, 2017.Jacquelyn Martin / AP file
With much of the recent policy innovation on the Democratic side happening on the left, the "Opportunity Agenda" unveiled here tries to equip moderates with their own big ideas.
Some of the key initiatives are a massive apprenticeship program to train workers, a privatized employer-funded universal pension that would supplement Social Security and an overhaul of unemployment insurance to include skills training. Other proposals included a "small business bill of rights" and the creation of a "BoomerCorps" — like the volunteer AmericaCorps for seniors.
Meanwhile, they say the progressive agenda is out of date. They dismiss, for instance, a federal jobs guarantee as a rehash of the New Deal.
"Our ideas must be bold, but they must also fit the age we are in," Cowan said. "Big isn't enough. If it's bold and old — it’s simply old."
Matt Bennett, Third Way's senior vice president for public affairs, acknowledges that Sanders "had a big head start."
Many of the party's biggest stars, including Sens. Kamala Harris of California, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Cory Booker of New Jersey, have already signed on to Sanders-backed policies like single-payer health care. But Bennett said he thinks they'll reconsider when they examine the details. "I think they were a little hasty," he said.
Notably, the proposed moderate agenda does not take issue with the party's broad consensus in favor of abortion rights, LGBT equality, stricter gun control and support for immigrants and a path to citizenship for the undocumented.
In a twist, the agenda is based largely on geography, rather than class or race, which are more popular on the left. It focuses on trying to address the fact that cities are thriving as rural areas fall behind.
Clinton was pilloried earlier this year for bragging that she "won the places that are optimistic, diverse, dynamic, moving forward," but Democratic losses in the rest of America have been politically disastrous for the party.
The difficulty will be selling this approach in the Democratic presidential primary to a base that has seemed to move in the opposite direction.
Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., the chair of the New Democrat Coalition, said members of his side are not "naturally arbiters of emotion and anger."
"How we tell our story and put forward our polices in a way that makes people want to mount the barricades is one of the biggest challenges we have," said Himes, a former Goldman Sachs banker who represents Fairfield, Connecticut.
He pointed to calls to "Abolish ICE," for instance, which he characterized as emotionally understandable but politically illogical.
"It hurts us in areas where we need to win," Himes warned of "Abolish ICE" in the midterms. "You have now made life harder for the 60 or 70 Democrats fighting in districts where we need to win if we ever want to be in the majority."
"We're going to figure it out, though," he added, looking down at his tie printed with little blue waves. "We're going to figure it out."
Party members and fundraisers gathered for an invitation-only event to figure out how to counteract the rising progressive movement.
by Alex Seitz-Wald / Jul.22.2018
Ocasio-Cortez joins Sanders to rally for Kansas Democrat, progressive values
JUL.21.201801:19
COLUMBUS, Ohio — If Sen. Bernie Sanders is leading a leftist political revolt, then a summit here of moderate Democrats might be the start of a counterrevolution.
While the energy and momentum is with progressives these days — the victory of rising star Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in New York, buzz about Democratic Socialism and the spread of the "Abolish ICE!" movement are a few recent examples — moderates are warning that ignoring them will lead the party to disaster in the midterm elections and the 2020 presidential contest.
That anxiety has largely been kept to a whisper among the party's moderates and big donors, with some of the major fundraisers pressing operatives on what can be done to stop Sanders, I-Vt., if he runs for the White House again.
But the first-ever "Opportunity 2020" convention, organized here last week by Third Way, a moderate Democratic think tank, gave middle-of-the-road party members a safe space to come together and voice their concerns.
"The only narrative that has been articulated in the Democratic Party over the past two years is the one from the left," former Delaware Gov. Jack Markell told NBC News.
"I think we need a debate within the party," he added. "Frankly, it would have been better to start the conversation earlier."
Pragmatism may be a tougher sell in the Donald Trump era, but with the 2020 presidential race just around the corner, moderate Democrats know they are running out of time to reassert themselves.
The gathering here was just that — an effort to offer an attractive alternative to the rising Sanders-style populist left in the upcoming presidential race. Where progressives see a rare opportunity to capitalize on an energized Democratic base, moderates see a better chance to win over Republicans turned off by Trump.
The fact that a billionaire real estate developer, Winston Fisher, co-cohosted the event and addressed attendees twice underscored that this group is not interested in the class warfare vilifying the "millionaires and billionaires" found in Sanders' stump speech.
"You're not going to make me hate somebody just because they're rich. I want to be rich!" Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, a potential presidential candidate, said Friday to laughs.
Image: Tim RyanRep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, arrives for a House Democratic Caucus meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington on Nov. 30, 2016.Susan Walsh / AP file
The invitation-only gathering brought together about 250 Democratic insiders from key swing states. Third Way unveiled the results of focus groups and polling that it says shows Americans are more receptive to an economic message built on "opportunity" rather than the left's message about inequality.
"Once again, the time has come to mend, but not end, capitalism for a new era," said Third Way President Jon Cowan.
For the left, Third Way represents the Wall Street-wing of the party and everything wrong with the donor-driven wet blanketism they've been trying exorcise since 2016. Thom Hartmann, a liberal talk radio host and Sanders friend, once called the group's warning about Sanders "probably the most stupid thing I've ever heard," before ticking through all the investment bankers on Third Way's board.
But some elected officials in relatively conservative areas say progressives are clueless about what their agenda would mean for Democrats outside major cities and the coasts.
"We will be a permanent minority party in this country," said Iowa state Sen. Jeff Danielson, a firefighter who represents an area that saw one of the biggest swings from Barack Obama to Trump during the 2016 election.
Single-payer, government-run health care may be a popular party plank in New York City, where Ocascio-Cortez, a Democratic Socialist, recently won a high-profile primary, Danielson said, but added, "it does not work in the rest of America ... and I’m tired of losing."
Moderates said they feel they're being drowned out by louder voices on the left.
Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-Ill., a member of the House Democratic leadership who represents a district Trump won, invoked Richard Nixon's "silent majority."
"If you look throughout the heartland, there's a silent majority who just wants normalcy. Who wants to see that people are going out to Washington to fight for them in a civil way and get something done," she told reporters.
"There's a lot of people that just don't really like protests and don't like yelling and screaming," she added.
And they worry the angry left will cost Democrats a rare chance to win over those kind of voters, including Republicans who no longer want to be part of Trump's GOP.
"Republicans have chosen the far right, which means that they have ceded a good portion of the middle of the road," said former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, who is considering a presidential run. "The Democrats, in my opinion, would make a big mistake if they decide to run a base election and just say, ‘Our base is bigger than your base.'"
Image: Mitch LandrieuNew Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu speaks in Washington on race in America and his decision to take down Confederate monuments in his city on June 16, 2017.Jacquelyn Martin / AP file
With much of the recent policy innovation on the Democratic side happening on the left, the "Opportunity Agenda" unveiled here tries to equip moderates with their own big ideas.
Some of the key initiatives are a massive apprenticeship program to train workers, a privatized employer-funded universal pension that would supplement Social Security and an overhaul of unemployment insurance to include skills training. Other proposals included a "small business bill of rights" and the creation of a "BoomerCorps" — like the volunteer AmericaCorps for seniors.
Meanwhile, they say the progressive agenda is out of date. They dismiss, for instance, a federal jobs guarantee as a rehash of the New Deal.
"Our ideas must be bold, but they must also fit the age we are in," Cowan said. "Big isn't enough. If it's bold and old — it’s simply old."
Matt Bennett, Third Way's senior vice president for public affairs, acknowledges that Sanders "had a big head start."
Many of the party's biggest stars, including Sens. Kamala Harris of California, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Cory Booker of New Jersey, have already signed on to Sanders-backed policies like single-payer health care. But Bennett said he thinks they'll reconsider when they examine the details. "I think they were a little hasty," he said.
Notably, the proposed moderate agenda does not take issue with the party's broad consensus in favor of abortion rights, LGBT equality, stricter gun control and support for immigrants and a path to citizenship for the undocumented.
In a twist, the agenda is based largely on geography, rather than class or race, which are more popular on the left. It focuses on trying to address the fact that cities are thriving as rural areas fall behind.
Clinton was pilloried earlier this year for bragging that she "won the places that are optimistic, diverse, dynamic, moving forward," but Democratic losses in the rest of America have been politically disastrous for the party.
The difficulty will be selling this approach in the Democratic presidential primary to a base that has seemed to move in the opposite direction.
Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., the chair of the New Democrat Coalition, said members of his side are not "naturally arbiters of emotion and anger."
"How we tell our story and put forward our polices in a way that makes people want to mount the barricades is one of the biggest challenges we have," said Himes, a former Goldman Sachs banker who represents Fairfield, Connecticut.
He pointed to calls to "Abolish ICE," for instance, which he characterized as emotionally understandable but politically illogical.
"It hurts us in areas where we need to win," Himes warned of "Abolish ICE" in the midterms. "You have now made life harder for the 60 or 70 Democrats fighting in districts where we need to win if we ever want to be in the majority."
"We're going to figure it out, though," he added, looking down at his tie printed with little blue waves. "We're going to figure it out."
Charles Koch blasts protectionism in video to be shown at three-day gathering in Colorado Springs - Wall Street Journal
Koch Network Criticizes Trump Trade Policy at Donor Meeting
Charles Koch blasts protectionism in video to be shown at three-day gathering in Colorado Springs
By Jennifer Levitz
July 29, 2018 8:25 a.m. ET
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.—Billionaire Charles Koch warns against protectionism in a video donors were expected to watch Sunday at the biannual meeting of the conservative network founded by the Koch brothers.
“The urge to protect ourselves from change has doomed many countries throughout history,” the 82-year-old industrialist says in the video, which reporters viewed Saturday. “This protectionist mind-set has destroyed countless businesses.”
Mr. Koch is attending the three-day retreat at a luxury resort here, where Koch officials stepped up criticism of the White House on such areas as immigration and trade policy.
The video doesn’t mention President Donald Trump, but when asked if it was a subtle message about his trade policies, Brian Hooks, a top aide to Mr. Koch, responded: “Was it subtle?”
“The divisiveness of this White House is causing long-term damage,” Mr. Hooks said later in the press briefing. “When in order to win on an issue, somebody else has to lose, it makes it very difficult to unite people to solve the problems of this country.”
He continued: “You see it on trade. In order to get to a good place on trade, you have to convince the public that trade is bad. You see it on immigration…you’ve got to convince people immigrants are bad.”
A White House spokesman didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Koch network officials also praised Mr. Trump on areas of agreement, from tax reform to his first Supreme Court nominee, Neil Gorsuch, to his move in June to commute the life sentence of Alice Marie Johnson, who served nearly 22 years in federal prison after being convicted on nonviolent drug charges.
The more-than 500 donors attending the meeting are expected to contribute at least $100,000 annually to the Koch network, which includes organizations working on politics, public policy and at the community level on education, recidivism and other issues. David Koch stepped down from the company and its network in June. The brothers made their fortune in the energy sector, running the closely held Koch Industries.
Organizers allowed reporters to attend the closed gathering on condition they not identify the donors present without their consent.
Elected officials expected to attend include Sen. John Cornyn (R., Texas), who is among the Senate leadership. Republicans Florida Gov. Rick Scott, Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin and Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina are among others expected.
Donors, many libertarian leaning, mingled at a lakeside cocktail reception where lights adorned a white tent. In welcoming remarks, Charles Koch assured them he was still going strong, saying, “I am not getting weak in the knees.”
The network has already said it plans to spend $300 million to $400 million to back policies it favors and support candidates in the midterm congressional elections in November.
The Koch brothers publicly criticized Mr. Trump during the 2016 presidential election, and their donor network largely sat out the general election race between Mr. Trump and his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.
Koch-financed organizations launched a multimillion-dollar campaign against Mr. Trump’s tariffs on imports in June.
The Trump administration has tried to ease GOP worries about its trade fights, and on Thursday pointed to its truce with Europe.
But in the briefing with reporters, Mr. Davis called the Trump administration’s recent announcement that it would extend $12 billion in emergency aid to farmers harmed by recent trade disputes a “bailout of bad policy.”
“You just can’t make this up,” he said.
Mr. Davis said the Koch network was extremely opposed to the Trump administration’s migrant family separation policy and plans to “drive the administration to change policy” around immigration.
Write to Jennifer Levitz at jennifer.levitz@wsj.com
Charles Koch blasts protectionism in video to be shown at three-day gathering in Colorado Springs
By Jennifer Levitz
July 29, 2018 8:25 a.m. ET
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.—Billionaire Charles Koch warns against protectionism in a video donors were expected to watch Sunday at the biannual meeting of the conservative network founded by the Koch brothers.
“The urge to protect ourselves from change has doomed many countries throughout history,” the 82-year-old industrialist says in the video, which reporters viewed Saturday. “This protectionist mind-set has destroyed countless businesses.”
Mr. Koch is attending the three-day retreat at a luxury resort here, where Koch officials stepped up criticism of the White House on such areas as immigration and trade policy.
The video doesn’t mention President Donald Trump, but when asked if it was a subtle message about his trade policies, Brian Hooks, a top aide to Mr. Koch, responded: “Was it subtle?”
“The divisiveness of this White House is causing long-term damage,” Mr. Hooks said later in the press briefing. “When in order to win on an issue, somebody else has to lose, it makes it very difficult to unite people to solve the problems of this country.”
He continued: “You see it on trade. In order to get to a good place on trade, you have to convince the public that trade is bad. You see it on immigration…you’ve got to convince people immigrants are bad.”
A White House spokesman didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Koch network officials also praised Mr. Trump on areas of agreement, from tax reform to his first Supreme Court nominee, Neil Gorsuch, to his move in June to commute the life sentence of Alice Marie Johnson, who served nearly 22 years in federal prison after being convicted on nonviolent drug charges.
The more-than 500 donors attending the meeting are expected to contribute at least $100,000 annually to the Koch network, which includes organizations working on politics, public policy and at the community level on education, recidivism and other issues. David Koch stepped down from the company and its network in June. The brothers made their fortune in the energy sector, running the closely held Koch Industries.
Organizers allowed reporters to attend the closed gathering on condition they not identify the donors present without their consent.
Elected officials expected to attend include Sen. John Cornyn (R., Texas), who is among the Senate leadership. Republicans Florida Gov. Rick Scott, Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin and Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina are among others expected.
Donors, many libertarian leaning, mingled at a lakeside cocktail reception where lights adorned a white tent. In welcoming remarks, Charles Koch assured them he was still going strong, saying, “I am not getting weak in the knees.”
The network has already said it plans to spend $300 million to $400 million to back policies it favors and support candidates in the midterm congressional elections in November.
The Koch brothers publicly criticized Mr. Trump during the 2016 presidential election, and their donor network largely sat out the general election race between Mr. Trump and his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.
Koch-financed organizations launched a multimillion-dollar campaign against Mr. Trump’s tariffs on imports in June.
The Trump administration has tried to ease GOP worries about its trade fights, and on Thursday pointed to its truce with Europe.
But in the briefing with reporters, Mr. Davis called the Trump administration’s recent announcement that it would extend $12 billion in emergency aid to farmers harmed by recent trade disputes a “bailout of bad policy.”
“You just can’t make this up,” he said.
Mr. Davis said the Koch network was extremely opposed to the Trump administration’s migrant family separation policy and plans to “drive the administration to change policy” around immigration.
Write to Jennifer Levitz at jennifer.levitz@wsj.com
Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner 'ready' to play bigger role within the Trump White House Allies of couple dispute claim they considered stepping back from frontline politics - Independent ( source : New York Times )
July 29, 2018
Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner 'ready' to play bigger role within the Trump White House
Allies of couple dispute claim they considered stepping back from frontline politics
Maggie Haberman and Katie Rogers
The Independent US
Experts have warned that the couple's income flow could create potential conflicts of interests
Experts have warned that the couple's income flow could create potential conflicts of interests ( Getty )
Jared Kushner and his wife Ivanka Trump are ready to reassert their public profile, White House insiders have predicted.
As scrutiny of the couple often referred to as "Javanka" became increasingly intense during the president’s first year, Mr Kushner and Ms Trump seemed to retreat from public view.
After several of their allies in the White House departed, there was a near-constant stream of questions about whether they would follow.
Ivanka Trump’s tweet about a 'Chinese proverb' causes confusion
Samantha Bee apologises for calling Ivanka Trump a 'feckless c***'
Ivanka Trump and husband 'blessed' by rabbi who was accused of racism
Amid a whirlwind of fallouts and firings, Mr Trump has retreated into the familiarity of his family – his daughter, above all, and eventually, her husband. In May, Mr Kushner had his security clearance restored.
It points to a conscious effort on the part of Mr Kushner and Ms Trump to ramp up their profiles, ready again for a more public stage to pursue their projects.
“I think they felt in some ways when things escalated that they thought it was best to keep a lower profile and hone in on their specific policy areas,” said Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary.
Ms Trump has announced she would shut down her New York-based fashion brand - a move seen as a symbolic recommitment to her life and her husband’s in Washington.
“Any suggestion that they were going to leave the White House was just ridiculous,” said Steven Mnuchin, the Treasury secretary, who was one of several allies the couple asked to speak on their behalf for this article.
“They both have been dependable, valuable and effective partners for me and other members of the president’s cabinet,” added secretary Mnuchin.
However, both Mr Kushner and Ms Trump have been criticised for their quiescence in some of the president's more controversial policies.
“I never counted on it, but they themselves promoted the idea that they would save us,” said Hilary Rosen, a Democratic strategist who has been a vocal critic of the administration.
As for separating immigrant families, she added, “How do they sleep at night?”
In response to critics like Ms Rosen, the couple have argued that they can temper Mr Trump only if he is willing to listen. Sometimes he has been. Ms Trump pushed for the expanded child tax credit in the tax cut bill that passed in 2017, and Mr Kushner has convinced the president that criminal justice reform is worthwhile, even as his attorney general remains a vocal opponent.
Mr Kushner has shown an adeptness at using the president’s impulses to steer him towards his own priorities.
Jared Kushner on Israel: 'The pursuit of peace is the noblest pursuit of humankind'
When Mr Kushner ushered Kim Kardashian West into the Oval Office to speak about commuting the life sentence of an African-American woman named Alice Marie Johnson, Mr Trump ignored the concerns of his advisers and freed Ms Johnson, dazzled by his power to grant clemency and Ms Kardashian’s celebrity.
Mr Kushner appears to see himself as the custodian of Mr Trump’s political brand, offering his father-in-law “options”, and has spoken about clearing out the Republican Party of lingering resistance.
He has privately said that he has been taking action against “incompetence” and that any tensions are a result of fighting for his father-in-law’s best interests.
“I have greatly enjoyed working collaboratively with so many extraordinarily devoted and competent people,” Mr Kushner said through a spokesman a few hours before this article was published, “but those who have tried to undermine the president have found me to be an obstacle.”
The couple’s allies insist that the expectations of their friends were way too high from the beginning, and that the admonitions to publicly denounce Mr Trump were never realistic or fair.
Although they rarely talk on the record to reporters, Ms Trump and Mr Kushner's focus on media coverage is suggestive of their desire to take centre-stage in the president's court once more.
The New York Times
Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner 'ready' to play bigger role within the Trump White House
Allies of couple dispute claim they considered stepping back from frontline politics
Maggie Haberman and Katie Rogers
The Independent US
Experts have warned that the couple's income flow could create potential conflicts of interests
Experts have warned that the couple's income flow could create potential conflicts of interests ( Getty )
Jared Kushner and his wife Ivanka Trump are ready to reassert their public profile, White House insiders have predicted.
As scrutiny of the couple often referred to as "Javanka" became increasingly intense during the president’s first year, Mr Kushner and Ms Trump seemed to retreat from public view.
After several of their allies in the White House departed, there was a near-constant stream of questions about whether they would follow.
Ivanka Trump’s tweet about a 'Chinese proverb' causes confusion
Samantha Bee apologises for calling Ivanka Trump a 'feckless c***'
Ivanka Trump and husband 'blessed' by rabbi who was accused of racism
Amid a whirlwind of fallouts and firings, Mr Trump has retreated into the familiarity of his family – his daughter, above all, and eventually, her husband. In May, Mr Kushner had his security clearance restored.
It points to a conscious effort on the part of Mr Kushner and Ms Trump to ramp up their profiles, ready again for a more public stage to pursue their projects.
“I think they felt in some ways when things escalated that they thought it was best to keep a lower profile and hone in on their specific policy areas,” said Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary.
Ms Trump has announced she would shut down her New York-based fashion brand - a move seen as a symbolic recommitment to her life and her husband’s in Washington.
“Any suggestion that they were going to leave the White House was just ridiculous,” said Steven Mnuchin, the Treasury secretary, who was one of several allies the couple asked to speak on their behalf for this article.
“They both have been dependable, valuable and effective partners for me and other members of the president’s cabinet,” added secretary Mnuchin.
However, both Mr Kushner and Ms Trump have been criticised for their quiescence in some of the president's more controversial policies.
“I never counted on it, but they themselves promoted the idea that they would save us,” said Hilary Rosen, a Democratic strategist who has been a vocal critic of the administration.
As for separating immigrant families, she added, “How do they sleep at night?”
In response to critics like Ms Rosen, the couple have argued that they can temper Mr Trump only if he is willing to listen. Sometimes he has been. Ms Trump pushed for the expanded child tax credit in the tax cut bill that passed in 2017, and Mr Kushner has convinced the president that criminal justice reform is worthwhile, even as his attorney general remains a vocal opponent.
Mr Kushner has shown an adeptness at using the president’s impulses to steer him towards his own priorities.
Jared Kushner on Israel: 'The pursuit of peace is the noblest pursuit of humankind'
When Mr Kushner ushered Kim Kardashian West into the Oval Office to speak about commuting the life sentence of an African-American woman named Alice Marie Johnson, Mr Trump ignored the concerns of his advisers and freed Ms Johnson, dazzled by his power to grant clemency and Ms Kardashian’s celebrity.
Mr Kushner appears to see himself as the custodian of Mr Trump’s political brand, offering his father-in-law “options”, and has spoken about clearing out the Republican Party of lingering resistance.
He has privately said that he has been taking action against “incompetence” and that any tensions are a result of fighting for his father-in-law’s best interests.
“I have greatly enjoyed working collaboratively with so many extraordinarily devoted and competent people,” Mr Kushner said through a spokesman a few hours before this article was published, “but those who have tried to undermine the president have found me to be an obstacle.”
The couple’s allies insist that the expectations of their friends were way too high from the beginning, and that the admonitions to publicly denounce Mr Trump were never realistic or fair.
Although they rarely talk on the record to reporters, Ms Trump and Mr Kushner's focus on media coverage is suggestive of their desire to take centre-stage in the president's court once more.
The New York Times
Slobodan Milosevic: Ex-Serbia leader's war crimes lawyer shot dead - BBC News
Slobodan Milosevic: Ex-Serbia leader's war crimes lawyer shot dead
29 July 2018
Dragoslav Ognjanovic served on the legal team for Mr Milosevic during his trial at The Hague
A prominent lawyer who helped defend the former Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic at his war crimes trial has been shot dead.
Dragoslav Ognjanovic, 57, was killed on Saturday evening outside his apartment building in the capital, Belgrade.
His 26-year-old son was also wounded in the shooting, the interior ministry said in a statement.
Mr Ognjanovic served on the legal team for Mr Milosevic during his trial at The Hague in the early 2000s.
The former president of Serbia was arrested in 2001 and held at the UN war crimes tribunal for genocide and other war crimes.
But he was found dead in his cell in 2006 before his trial could be completed.
Notorious leader Milosevic revived in show
One man's hunt for his brothers' killers
Serbia country profile
He was facing three indictments relating to atrocities carried out in Kosovo, another for crimes in Croatia, and the third alleging genocide in Bosnia between 1992 and 1995.
In a statement, the head of the Bar Association in Belgrade said the shooting of Mr Ognjanovic was an attack on all lawyers.
"[We will] exert maximum pressure on the competent state authorities in order to find the perpetrators of this crime," Viktor Gostiljac said.
Milosevic was found dead in his cell before his trial for genocide had been completed
Mr Ognjanovic also served as a defence lawyer in several high-profile mafia cases in Serbia and Montenegro.
A number of prominent members of Serbian and Montenegrin organised crime networks have been killed in Belgrade in recent years.
Police say the killings are part of a gang war over the illegal drugs market.
29 July 2018
Dragoslav Ognjanovic served on the legal team for Mr Milosevic during his trial at The Hague
A prominent lawyer who helped defend the former Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic at his war crimes trial has been shot dead.
Dragoslav Ognjanovic, 57, was killed on Saturday evening outside his apartment building in the capital, Belgrade.
His 26-year-old son was also wounded in the shooting, the interior ministry said in a statement.
Mr Ognjanovic served on the legal team for Mr Milosevic during his trial at The Hague in the early 2000s.
The former president of Serbia was arrested in 2001 and held at the UN war crimes tribunal for genocide and other war crimes.
But he was found dead in his cell in 2006 before his trial could be completed.
Notorious leader Milosevic revived in show
One man's hunt for his brothers' killers
Serbia country profile
He was facing three indictments relating to atrocities carried out in Kosovo, another for crimes in Croatia, and the third alleging genocide in Bosnia between 1992 and 1995.
In a statement, the head of the Bar Association in Belgrade said the shooting of Mr Ognjanovic was an attack on all lawyers.
"[We will] exert maximum pressure on the competent state authorities in order to find the perpetrators of this crime," Viktor Gostiljac said.
Milosevic was found dead in his cell before his trial for genocide had been completed
Mr Ognjanovic also served as a defence lawyer in several high-profile mafia cases in Serbia and Montenegro.
A number of prominent members of Serbian and Montenegrin organised crime networks have been killed in Belgrade in recent years.
Police say the killings are part of a gang war over the illegal drugs market.
Indonesia earthquake: 14 dead on tourist island of Lombok - BBC News
July 29, 2018.
Indonesia earthquake: 14 dead on tourist island of Lombok
Media captionIndonesia earthquake: 'Massive damage' in Lombok village
A powerful earthquake has struck a popular tourist destination in Indonesia, killing at least 14 people.
The 6.4 magnitude quake hit the central island of Lombok just before 07:00 local time (00:00 GMT) on Sunday.
The island attracts tourists from around the world due to its beaches and hiking trails, and is located about 40km (25 miles) east of Bali.
More than 160 people are injured and thousands of homes are damaged, officials say.
A Malaysian tourist who was on a hiking trip to Mount Rinjani is among those killed.
The US Geological Survey said the epicentre of the earthquake was 50km (31 miles) north-east of the city of Mataram, in northern Lombok.
It was followed by more than 60 smaller earthquakes, with the largest recorded at a magnitude of 5.7.
The main quake was followed by dozens of aftershocks
Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman for the country's disaster agency, said that most casualties occurred when victims were hit by debris and falling blocks of concrete.
"The main focus now is evacuation and rescue. Some of the injured are still being treated at clinics," he said.
He also posted images showing collapsed buildings and streets littered with rubble.
Skip Twitter post by @Sutopo_PN
View image on TwitterView image on TwitterView image on TwitterView image on Twitter
Sutopo Purwo Nugroho
@Sutopo_PN
Dampak gempa 6.4 SR di 28 km barat laut Lombok Timur kedalaman 10 km pada 29/7/2018 pukul 05.47 WIB, beberapa bangunan dan rumah mengalami kerusakan di Sambelia Lombok Timur. BPBD masih melakukan pendataan.
9:59 AM - Jul 29, 2018
"The quake felt so strong... tourists were panicked and frightened and escaped from hotels," Lalu Muhammad Iqbal, a citizen protection director at the foreign ministry, told BBC Indonesian.
BBC Marathi journalist Vinayak Gaikwad was on Gili Trawangan island, about 7km from Lombok, at the time of the earthquake.
"The tremors were strong - I noticed waves in the hotel pool," he said. "A group of us ran out of the hotel.
"Thirty minutes later there was the first strong aftershock. The locals were worried because many of their structures are made from wood and bamboo, but the tourists were the most scared."
Some homes have completely collapsed
UK tourists Katherine and Alexis Bouvier, who are on honeymoon in Lombok, told the BBC: "We were woken by the earthquake at approximately 06:45 - it was pretty terrifying."
Landslides had cut off the water supply and electricity for some houses, they said.
"We passed multiple water trucks as we were travelling south. A lot of hikers were stranded. They told us about cement falling from ceilings and cracks in the buildings."
History of deadly earthquakes
Are earthquake warnings effective?
Gravity signals show true size of quakes
Mount Rinjani National Park, a popular destination for trekkers, has been closed due to landslides.
Climber Khairul Azi told the New Straits Times he and a group of hikers were "unable to get out of the area because many roads have been cut off".
"The situation here is hectic and we're still trying to make contact with the other Malaysian climbers," he added.
Indonesia is prone to earthquakes because it lies on the Ring of Fire - the line of frequent quakes and volcanic eruptions that circles virtually the entire Pacific rim.
More than half of the world's active volcanoes above sea level are part of the ring.
A magnitude 6.5 quake struck off the north-east coast of Sumatra island in 2016, killing dozens of people and displacing more than 40,000.
Indonesia earthquake: 14 dead on tourist island of Lombok
Media captionIndonesia earthquake: 'Massive damage' in Lombok village
A powerful earthquake has struck a popular tourist destination in Indonesia, killing at least 14 people.
The 6.4 magnitude quake hit the central island of Lombok just before 07:00 local time (00:00 GMT) on Sunday.
The island attracts tourists from around the world due to its beaches and hiking trails, and is located about 40km (25 miles) east of Bali.
More than 160 people are injured and thousands of homes are damaged, officials say.
A Malaysian tourist who was on a hiking trip to Mount Rinjani is among those killed.
The US Geological Survey said the epicentre of the earthquake was 50km (31 miles) north-east of the city of Mataram, in northern Lombok.
It was followed by more than 60 smaller earthquakes, with the largest recorded at a magnitude of 5.7.
The main quake was followed by dozens of aftershocks
Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman for the country's disaster agency, said that most casualties occurred when victims were hit by debris and falling blocks of concrete.
"The main focus now is evacuation and rescue. Some of the injured are still being treated at clinics," he said.
He also posted images showing collapsed buildings and streets littered with rubble.
Skip Twitter post by @Sutopo_PN
View image on TwitterView image on TwitterView image on TwitterView image on Twitter
Sutopo Purwo Nugroho
@Sutopo_PN
Dampak gempa 6.4 SR di 28 km barat laut Lombok Timur kedalaman 10 km pada 29/7/2018 pukul 05.47 WIB, beberapa bangunan dan rumah mengalami kerusakan di Sambelia Lombok Timur. BPBD masih melakukan pendataan.
9:59 AM - Jul 29, 2018
"The quake felt so strong... tourists were panicked and frightened and escaped from hotels," Lalu Muhammad Iqbal, a citizen protection director at the foreign ministry, told BBC Indonesian.
BBC Marathi journalist Vinayak Gaikwad was on Gili Trawangan island, about 7km from Lombok, at the time of the earthquake.
"The tremors were strong - I noticed waves in the hotel pool," he said. "A group of us ran out of the hotel.
"Thirty minutes later there was the first strong aftershock. The locals were worried because many of their structures are made from wood and bamboo, but the tourists were the most scared."
Some homes have completely collapsed
UK tourists Katherine and Alexis Bouvier, who are on honeymoon in Lombok, told the BBC: "We were woken by the earthquake at approximately 06:45 - it was pretty terrifying."
Landslides had cut off the water supply and electricity for some houses, they said.
"We passed multiple water trucks as we were travelling south. A lot of hikers were stranded. They told us about cement falling from ceilings and cracks in the buildings."
History of deadly earthquakes
Are earthquake warnings effective?
Gravity signals show true size of quakes
Mount Rinjani National Park, a popular destination for trekkers, has been closed due to landslides.
Climber Khairul Azi told the New Straits Times he and a group of hikers were "unable to get out of the area because many roads have been cut off".
"The situation here is hectic and we're still trying to make contact with the other Malaysian climbers," he added.
Indonesia is prone to earthquakes because it lies on the Ring of Fire - the line of frequent quakes and volcanic eruptions that circles virtually the entire Pacific rim.
More than half of the world's active volcanoes above sea level are part of the ring.
A magnitude 6.5 quake struck off the north-east coast of Sumatra island in 2016, killing dozens of people and displacing more than 40,000.
Parasite in cat poop could be reducing our fear of failure, study finds - NBC News
Parasite in cat poop could be reducing our fear of failure, study finds
Toxoplasma, found in cat feces, makes mice unafraid of cats, and it could give people the courage to start their own businesses.
by Maggie Fox / Jul.25, 2018.
A new study links the parasite Toxoplasma gondii, found in cat feces, to entrepreneurship.Justin Sullivan / Getty Images file
A mind-controlling parasite found in cat feces may give people the courage they need to become entrepreneurs, researchers reported Tuesday.
They found that people who have been infected with the Toxoplasma gondii parasite are more likely to major in business and to have started their own businesses than non-infected people.
The parasite, which makes rodents unafraid of cats, may be reducing the fear of failure in people, Stefanie Johnson of the University of Colorado and colleagues said.
They haven’t actually shown that. But toxoplasma does get into the brain, and it’s been linked to a variety of mental effects in mice and people alike. And fear of failure could be a good thing, Johnson said.
Toxoplasmosis has been linked to a greater risk of "car accidents, mental illness, neuroticism, drug abuse and suicide,” Johnson and her colleagues wrote in their paper, published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
It might be affecting message-carrying chemicals in the brain called neurotransmitters, or hormones such as testosterone, they wrote.
In particular, scientists have studied whether the parasite might increase risk-taking behavior.
Johnson is an associate professor of management at the University of Colorado and often told her students about the odd effects of the parasite, which travels to the brains of rodents and causes them to lose their innate fear of the smell of cat urine.
"What if that fear was a good thing? We want to know.”
That benefits the organism, which reproduces in the bodies of cats. Cats are more likely to eat the unafraid infected mice, thus helping the parasite in its life cycle.
People can catch it from handling droppings from cats that are newly infected, but most people catch the parasite when eating poorly cooked meat, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.
Pregnant women are warned to stay away from cat feces in litter boxes and raw meat because the parasite can cause miscarriages and birth defects.
No, your cat isn't making you crazy
It can make people with weakened immune systems very ill but most people do not even know that they have been infected, the CDC says. “More than 30 million men, women, and children in the U.S. carry the toxoplasma parasite, but very few have symptoms because the immune system usually keeps the parasite from causing illness,” it says on its website.
Johnson said she liked to tell her students about the links between toxoplasma and neurotic behavior.
“There’s this crazy finding that if you get infected with this parasite, you could get neurotic and nobody wants to get more neurotic,” she told NBC News.
“I always talk about this, and one day I was talking to my husband about the study and he said, ‘I lecture on that same exact study all the time.' ”
Is anti-anxiety medication the next U.S. drug crisis?
Johnson’s husband, Pieter Johnson, teaches biology at the university.
“So we thought we should form a collaboration because how often do biologists and business professors get a chance to work together?” Stefanie Johnson said.
“We thought if all these things are true, maybe it predicts this behavior that is kind of risky, which is entrepreneurship,” Johnson said.
“It’s never a good idea to become an entrepreneur because the risks outweigh the rewards. Very few succeed.”
They gave a saliva test for antibodies to toxoplasma to nearly 1,500 students and to nearly 200 people attending seminars on how to start your own business.
Overall, 22 percent of the people they tested had antibodies to T. gondii, meaning that they had been infected at some point.
The students who were infected were 1.4 times more likely to be business majors and 1.7 percent more likely to have an emphasis in "management and entrepreneurship," the team found.
Among people going to entrepreneurship seminars, infected people were 1.8 times as likely to have started their own businesses.
She’d also like to test whether successful entrepreneurs are more or less likely to have been infected. “So what if all the businesses started by toxoplasma-positive people fail? What if that fear was a good thing? We want to know.”
Johnson says she is not infected, even though she has two cats. “I had, like, four cats growing up. I felt sure I would have it,” she said. But it makes sense, she added.
“Being a professor is literally the most risk-averse job you can do,” she said.
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