Donald Trump says that even if he did collude with Russia, it is 'not a crime' - Independent

29/12/2017

Donald Trump says that even if he did collude with Russia, it is 'not a crime'

The President said 16 times no evidence of collusion had been uncovered

Andrew Buncombe New York

Both Mr Trump and Vladimir Putin have denied that Russia interfered in the 2016 election

Donald Trump has insisted there was no collusion between his campaign and Russia’s alleged election interference but claimed even if there had it would not have been “a crime”.

Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller has so far charged four people associated with the Trump campaign as part his probe into possible collusion with Moscow. The President has reportedly told friends he expects to be cleared “in writing”.

Now, Mr Trump has claimed even if there had been collusion between his team and Russia, it would not have amounted to something defined as a crime. He said he had come to the conclusion after watching the high-profile lawyer Alan Dershowitz speaking on television.

@BillKristol

Donald Trump repeated 16 times in his NYT interview that there was no collusion.

The president doth protest too much, methinks.

11:41 PM - Dec 29, 2017

“I watched Alan Dershowitz the other day, he said, No. 1, there is no collusion, No. 2, collusion is not a crime, but even if it was a crime, there was no collusion,” Mr Trump told the New York Times in a 30-minute interview.

“He said there was no collusion. And he has studied this thing very closely. I’ve seen him a number of times. There is no collusion, and even if there was, it’s not a crime. But there’s no collusion.”

The President’s interview with the newspaper he frequently condemns as “failing”, took place as he spends the Christmas holiday at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. He spoke to its reporters in the Grill Room at Trump International Golf Club at West Palm Beach, after eating lunch with his golf playing partners, including his son Eric, and professional golfer Jim Herman.

During the interview he repeated 16 times that there has been “no collusion” discovered by the inquiry. He also said he believed that Mr Mueller would treat him fairly.

Howard Dean says corruption of Trump administration is extraordinary

“It makes the country look very bad, and it puts the country in a very bad position,” Mr Trump said of the investigation. “So the sooner it’s worked out, the better it is for the country.”

Asked if he would order the Justice Department to reopen the investigation into Hillary Clinton alleged misuse of a private email server, Mr Trump said he had the right to do so if he wanted.

“I have absolute right to do what I want to do with the Justice Department,” he said. “But for purposes of hopefully thinking I’m going to be treated fairly, I’ve stayed uninvolved with this particular matter.”

Mr Trump also claimed the media will cover him in a more favourable light in 2018 - the President frequently tweets and speaks about what he calls “fake news” - because they are profiting from the interest generated by his occupancy of the White House.

“Another reason that I’m going to win another four years is because newspapers, television, all forms of media will tank if I’m not there because without me, their ratings are going down the tubes,” he said.

“Without me, the New York Times will indeed be not the failing New York Times, but the failed New York Times.”

Trump says he believes the Russia investigation will treat him fairly

Facebook and Twitter 'must be punished' if they hinder fake news probe

North Korea 'will not be accepted as nuclear power' by US or Russia

Mr Mueller has charged four people connected to Mr Trump’s campaign - former campaign manager Paul Manafort, his associate Rick Gates, former foreign policy advisor George Papadopoulos and his fired national security adviser Michael Flynn.

Mr Flynn and Mr Papadopoulos have pleaded guilty to charges of lying to the FBI and are cooperating with the investigation while the two other men have pleaded not guilty to charges that include money laundering.

Gold and Platinum Exist Thanks to Neutron Stars Colliding 200 Million Years Ago - Forbes

Gold and Platinum Exist Thanks to Neutron Stars Colliding 200 Million Years Ago

By VALENTINA ZARYA October 16, 2017

Chances are you own something made of gold: a wedding band, a necklace, or a keepsake handed down from your great-great-grandmother. Maybe you’re even wearing it right now. But did you ever stop to think about where it came from?

Scientists have been pondering that question for decades—and now we know the fascinating answer: From the collision of two neutron stars 200 million years ago.

The collision sent a ripple through space that was observed early Sunday morning by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO), the scientific collective whose founders won the Nobel Prize in Physics earlier this month. The group announced that event has revealed the origin of some of the heaviest elements on the periodic table. Included in that list: gold, platinum, and iodine—which is essential for human life.

But the truly exciting thing about the discovery, explains Duncan Brown, a LIGO member and a Syracuse University physicist at the heart of this discovery, is that it provides clues about the origin of the universe and the structure of matter. “This is a major advancement in human knowledge,” he tells Fortune.

Brown believes the neutron star collision may also help shed light on the prevailing theory of the formation of the universe—colloquially known as the “Big Bang” theory: That all matter was once collected into a single incredibly dense point and that that point “exploded” about 13,600 million years ago, creating the universe as we know it.

One of the key ways in which scientists have been trying to learn more about the Big Bang is by observing other explosions and collisions of celestial objects. Until now, LIGO had observed only four such collisions (which cause gravitational “ripples” in space making them ripe for detection); all of them have involved black holes.

But the problem with black holes is that, well, they’re black—and don’t really leave much to observe, Brown explains. The collision that scientists observed Sunday morning, however, “created a pretty spectacular display,” giving scientists insight into the formation of those heavy elements (gold and platinum included) and plenty of fodder to keep working towards the ultimate goal: Figuring out how we all got here.

US president warns of trade action after Beijing ‘caught red handed’ allowing shipments - Financial Times

28/12/2017

Donald Trump berates China over oil flows to North Korea

US president warns of trade action after Beijing ‘caught red handed’ allowing shipments

US rhetoric on N Korea runs into logistical reality

Donald Trump suggested his patience was wearing thin with Beijing © AP

Charles Clover in Beijing

Donald Trump has renewed threats of trade action against China, which he rebuked for being “caught red handed” allowing oil supplies to reach North Korea.

The US president’s comments followed reports this week of sanctions-busting ship-to-ship transfers of oil products at sea that had been documented by US reconnaissance satellites.

“Caught RED HANDED”, he tweeted. “Very disappointed that China is allowing oil to go into North Korea. There will never be a friendly solution to the North Korea problem if this continues to happen!”

Mr Trump later said he had been “soft” on China’s trade practices in return for Beijing’s co-operation in dealing with Pyongyang, but suggested his patience was wearing thin.

“If they don’t help us with North Korea, then I do what I’ve always said I want to do,” he told the New York Times, in an apparent threat to take trade measures against China. “They have to help us much more,” he said “We have a nuclear menace out there, which is no good for China.”

On Friday, hours after Mr Trump’s comments, South Korea said it had seized a vessel that it has accused of transferring oil to North Korea.

The Lighthouse Winmore flies a Hong Kong flag but its owner and manager is based in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou, according to maritime intelligence company Equasis. A marine tracking website gave its last known position off the northern coast of Taiwan, en route to the South Korean port of Yeosu.

The US administration has led efforts to escalate sanctions against North Korea to force it to give up nuclear weapons. Mr Trump has also pushed China to use its sway with Pyongyang — but China insists it has no leverage. 

published by the US Treasury show an alleged October attempt by a North Korean ship to conduct a ship-to-ship transfer to evade sanctions

Beijing has supported UN sanctions against Pyongyang but has also often tried to soften them, saying they are counterproductive and may provoke a humanitarian catastrophe on its border. 

Oil exports to North Korea were severely capped by a UN Security Council Resolution in September, following Pyongyang’s latest nuclear test. 

But since then, US reconnaissance satellites have documented 30 cases of Chinese and North Korean ships linking up at sea, apparently transferring oil or oil products, according to a report on Tuesday in the leading South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo, citing South Korean government officials. 

Diplomats from an Asian country earlier this week confirmed that such ship-to-ship trading persisted.

Beijing on Friday reiterated criticism of the South Korean reports as it responded to Mr Trump’s comments.

“The recent series of reports on this situation do not conform with the facts”, said Hua Chunying, foreign ministry spokeswoman, adding that Beijing did not allow its “citizens or companies to engage in any activities that violate” UN resolutions.

Ship-to-ship trading of goods targeted for sanctions was specifically banned in September’s UN resolution, which also capped the amount of oil products North Korea is allowed to import at 500,000 barrels for the last three months of 2017, and at 2m a year thereafter.

New sanctions this month slashed the limit on oil product imports next year even further, to 500,000 barrels — 90 per cent lower than normal levels — following a ballistic missile test last month by Pyongyang.

Additional reporting by Song Jung-a in Seoul and Don Weinland in Hong Kong

Airbus confirms $50 billion jet order, one of the biggest aviation deals in history - CNBC News

29/12/2017

Airbus confirms $50 billion jet order, one of the biggest aviation deals in history

Airbus has confirmed a mammoth order of 430 jets worth a total $49.5 billion

Veteran airline investor Bill Franke of Indigo Partners inked the deal, comprising of 274 A320neos and 156A321neos

The European plane maker has also announced a $5.42 billion deal to sell 50 A320 neos to China Aircraft Leasing

David Reid

CNBC.com

Bill Franke, Managing Partner of Indigo Partners (L) and John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer Customers, Airbus Commercial Aircraft (R) at the Dubai air show in November.

CNBC's David Reid

Bill Franke, Managing Partner of Indigo Partners (L) and John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer Customers, Airbus Commercial Aircraft (R) at the Dubai air show in November.

Airbus has said it has now confirmed its mammoth $49.5 billion order to supply 430 aircraft with U.S. private equity fund Indigo Partners.

Veteran airline investor Bill Franke of Indigo Partners signed the preliminary order at the Dubai Airshow in November which will trigger delivery of 274 A320neos and 156 A321neos.

The deal is Airbus's largest ever single order and provides aircraft for Wizz Air, Frontier Airlines, Jetsmart and Mexico's Volaris. Indigo has stakes in all ‎four airlines.

Bill Franke, managing partner of Indigo Partners, said in a statement Thursday that the deal would help give customers of the ultra-low cost carriers "even more value".

The list price of the aircraft is $49.5 billion but Airbus has previously confirmed that the private equity firm would not pay that price with the final cost not being revealed.

Franke, who secured financing to conduct the deal on a sale and lease-back basis, said engine selections will be made at a later date.

In a separate deal announced Friday, Airbus has revealed that China Aircraft Leasing (CALC) has signed up to buy 50 A320neos in a deal worth $5.42 billion at list prices.

The European plane maker said the latest order brings CALC's total order book with Airbus up to around 200 single aisle aircraft.

CALC is currently the largest aircraft operating lessor in China and is listed on the Main Board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

Chinese companies have placed huge aircraft orders in the past year. During a visit by President Xi Jinping to Germany in July, Airbus announced a $22 billion order to supply 140 planes.

Rise in populism threatens European democracy, warns Tony Blair think tank - Independent

29/12/2017

Rise in populism threatens European democracy, warns Tony Blair think tank

Insitute for Global Change condemns 'inflammatory' attacks on independent institutions such as media or judiciary

Gavin Gordon

Tony Blair's think tank Institute for Global Change notes an increase in support for populist parties Getty

Europe has seen a surge in support for "populist" political parties which threatens to destabilise democracy across the continent, a report by Tony Blair's think tank has warned.

The survey by the former prime minister's Institute for Global Change found the share of the vote taken by populist parties from both right and left has almost trebled since 2000 - rising from 8.5% to 24.1%.

Over the same period, it said the number of European countries with populist parties participating in government has doubled from seven to 14 - creating an unprecedented "populist belt" from the Baltic to the Aegean.

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It warned that the trend looked set to continue unless mainstream political parties were able to find a way to counter the populists' appeal.

The report defines as populist those parties and politicians which "claim to represent the true will of a unified people against domestic elites, foreign migrants, or ethnic, religious or sexual minorities".

It said they are often characterised by "inflammatory" attacks on independent institutions such as the media or the judiciary and support for highly restrictive immigration controls and protectionist economic policies.

They are strongest in Eastern Europe, currently holding power in seven countries - Bosnia, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Serbia and Slovakia - while populist parties are the junior coalition partners in two others and the main opposition in three more.

"Parties like Poland's Law and Justice party and Hungary's Fidesz tend to emphasise a nationalism based on soil, blood or culture; take a hard line against immigration; and have, especially in Poland and Hungary, quickly started to dismantle key democratic institutions like the free media and an independent judiciary," the report said.

"Working largely within the letter of the law, and drawing on widespread popular support, they have destroyed many of the institutions that are needed to safeguard democratic institutions over the long-run."

In contrast to Eastern Europe, where most populist parties are on the right, those in Southern Europe are predominantly on the left, such as Syriza in Greece and Podemos in Spain.

However, the report said left-wing parties from other parts of the continent - including Labour in Britain - had embraced elements of populism, underlining the impact populist politics was having on the mainstream.

The report's co-author, Yascha Mounk, said: "2016 was the year that populism went prime time, but as our data makes clear: this rise started well before 2016.

"The huge transformation we are seeing in European politics is long term, driven by issues such as economic insecurity; a rebellion against immigration and the notion of a multi-ethnic society; and the ease with which extreme voices can make themselves heard in an age of social media.

"This populist wave has not crested and unless politicians managed to identify and counteract the structural drivers, populism will keep garnering strength in the years to come."

What We Learned From Trump’s Rambling New York Times Interview - Intelligencer ( New York Magazine )

28/12/2017

What We Learned From Trump’s Rambling New York Times Interview

By

Margaret Hartmann

President Trump has had a busy week of pretending he wasn’t golfing, but on Thursday he took a break to pontificate in the presence of a New York Times reporter. During lunch at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, Trump agreed to an impromptu 30-minute interview with journalist Michael S. Schmidt. The Times report and accompanying interview excerpts sparked a debate over whether the paper should periodically allow Americans experience Trump unfiltered, or force him to go to Fox News when he wants to spew dubious claims with no pushback.

Journalistic quandaries aside, Trump did make some news during the chat. Here are some of his most notable revelations.

Trump doesn’t sound like he’s on the verge of firing Mueller.

Many predicted that Trump was gearing up to fire Special Counsel Robert Mueller over the holidays, but he didn’t play into the right-wing campaign to discredit the Russia probe (while insisting 16 times that there was “no collusion”).

SCHMIDT: What’s your expectation on Mueller? When do you —

TRUMP: I have no expectation. I can only tell you that there is absolutely no collusion. Everybody knows it. And you know who knows it better than anybody? The Democrats. They walk around blinking at each other.

SCHMIDT: But when do you think he’ll be done in regards to you —

TRUMP: I don’t know.

SCHMIDT: But does that bother you?

TRUMP: No, it doesn’t bother me because I hope that he’s going to be fair. I think that he’s going to be fair. And based on that [inaudible]. There’s been no collusion. But I think he’s going to be fair. And if he’s fair — because everybody knows the answer already, Michael. I want you to treat me fairly. O.K.?

As Business Insider notes, Trump may feel comfortable taking a neutral stance on Mueller for now because he’s confident that his allies are working hard to discredit the investigation.

TRUMP: Yeah. Virtually every Democrat has said there is no collusion. There is no collusion. And even these committees that have been set up. If you look at what’s going on — and in fact, what it’s done is, it’s really angered the base and made the base stronger. My base is stronger than it’s ever been. Great congressmen, in particular, some of the congressmen have been unbelievable in pointing out what a witch hunt the whole thing is. So, I think it’s been proven that there is no collusion.

Either way, Trump doesn’t seem upset that his attorneys keep offering unrealistic end dates for Mueller’s probe.

SCHMIDT: That’s true. But in terms of, the lawyers said it would be done by, your guys said, it would be done by Thanksgiving, it would be done by Christmas. What are they telling you now? What are they telling you?

TRUMP: Timingwise, I can’t tell you. I just don’t know. But I think we’ll be treated fairly.

SCHMIDT: But you’re not worked up about the timing?

TRUMP: Well, I think it’s bad for the country. The only thing that bothers me about timing, I think it’s a very bad thing for the country. Because it makes the country look bad, it makes the country look very bad, and it puts the country in a very bad position. So the sooner it’s worked out, the better it is for the country.

However, Trump still thinks he has the right to fire Mueller.

He opted not to go after the special counsel today, but offered this bit of Nixonian foreshadowing.

SCHMIDT: You control the Justice Department. Should they reopen that email investigation?

TRUMP: What I’ve done is, I have absolute right to do what I want to do with the Justice Department. But for purposes of hopefully thinking I’m going to be treated fairly, I’ve stayed uninvolved with this particular matter.

Trump also maintains that Justice Department officials should be “loyal” to their president.

He’s a bit jealous of what (he thinks) Attorney General Eric Holder did for President Obama.

TRUMP: It’s too bad Jeff [Sessions] recused himself [from the Russia probe]. I like Jeff, but it’s too bad he recused himself. I thought. … Many people will tell you that something is [inaudible].

SCHMIDT: Do you think Holder was more loyal to. …

TRUMP: I don’t want to get into loyalty, but I will tell you that, I will say this: Holder protected President Obama. Totally protected him. When you look at the I.R.S. scandal, when you look at the guns for whatever, when you look at all of the tremendous, ah, real problems they had, not made-up problems like Russian collusion, these were realproblems. When you look at the things that they did, and Holder protected the president. And I have great respect for that, I’ll be honest, I have great respect for that.

Trump claims it was his duty to endorse Roy Moore.

And not because the media wouldn’t stop talking about his alleged sexual misconduct either.

TRUMP: I always felt Roy was going to lose the election. But I endorsed him because I feel it’s my obligation as the head of the Republican Party to endorse him. And you see how tight it was even to get a popular. … In Republican circles, to get a very popular tax cut approved, actually reform. Two votes. Now we have one vote, all right?

Trump is a policy wonk beloved by nearly all Republicans in Congress.

And don’t forget, he’s also “much more humble than you would understand.”

TRUMP: Two things: No. 1, I have unbelievably great relationships with 97 percent of the Republican congressmen and senators. I love them and they love me. That’s No. 1. And No. 2, I know more about the big bills. … [Inaudible.] … Than any president that’s ever been in office. Whether it’s health care and taxes. Especially taxes. And if I didn’t, I couldn’t have persuaded a hundred. … You ask Mark Meadows [inaudible]. … I couldn’t have persuaded a hundred congressmen to go along with the bill.

TRUMP: But Michael, I know the details of taxes better than anybody. Better than the greatest C.P.A. I know the details of health care better than most, better than most. And if I didn’t, I couldn’t have talked all these people into doing ultimately only to be rejected.

Trump gets his intelligence briefings from Fox News.

You might think someone would alert the president when U.S. spy satellites catch China selling oil to North Korea, but Trump suggested he only learned about it from Fox News (and ignored Newsmax CEO Christopher Ruddy’s effort to help him backtrack).

SCHMIDT: Can you finish your thought on North Korea. What’s going on with China?

TRUMP: I’m disappointed. You know that they found oil going into. …

SCHMIDT: But how recently?

TRUMP: It was very recently. In fact, I hate to say, it was reported this morning, and it was reported on Fox. Oil is going into North Korea. That wasn’t my deal!

SCHMIDT: What was the deal?

TRUMP: My deal was that, we’ve got to treat them rough. They’re a nuclear menace so we have to be very tough.

RUDDY: Mr. President, was that a picture from recent or was that months ago? I don’t know. …

TRUMP: Oil is going into North Korea, I know. Oil is going into North Korea. So I’m not happy about it.

Trump is going to win in 2020 because the media is biased … in his favor.

TRUMP: We’re going to win another four years for a lot of reasons, most importantly because our country is starting to do well again and we’re being respected again. But another reason that I’m going to win another four years is because newspapers, television, all forms of media will tank if I’m not there because without me, their ratings are going down the tubes. Without me, The New York Times will indeed be not the failing New York Times, but the failed New York Times. So they basically have to let me win. And eventually, probably six months before the election, they’ll be loving me because they’re saying, “Please, please, don’t lose Donald Trump.” O.K.