Trump declared he's running again. Many Republicans aren't ready to back him.
CNN Digital Expansion DC Manu Raju
By Manu Raju, CNN Senior Congressional Correspondent
Updated 1122 GMT (1922 HKT) April 19, 2018
Some Republicans not ready to back Trump in 2020
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WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 24: Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) walks to a committee hearing after speaking to members of the press on Capitol Hill about U.S. President Donald Trump October 24, 2017 in Washington, DC.
Corker's hashtag becomes viral hit
Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill May 10, 2017 in Washington, DC. Senators from both parties are scrambling to react to President Donald Trump's surprise dismissal of FBI Director James Comey.
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Sen. Flake calls for a GOP challenger to Trump
WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 24: Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill after announcing he will not seek re-election October 24, 2017 in Washington, DC.
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Bob Corker's biggest Trump criticisms
WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 24: Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) walks to a committee hearing after speaking to members of the press on Capitol Hill about U.S. President Donald Trump October 24, 2017 in Washington, DC.
Corker's hashtag becomes viral hit
Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill May 10, 2017 in Washington, DC. Senators from both parties are scrambling to react to President Donald Trump's surprise dismissal of FBI Director James Comey.
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Sen. Flake calls for a GOP challenger to Trump
WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 24: Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill after announcing he will not seek re-election October 24, 2017 in Washington, DC.
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Flake
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Flake: It's my obligation to be critical
Washington (CNN)A wide array of House and Senate Republicans are not yet ready to endorse President Donald Trump's bid for a second term, a reflection of the deep uncertainty on Capitol Hill over his political standing amid growing problems at home and abroad.
In interviews with a cross-section of more than two dozen GOP lawmakers, ranging from rank-and-file members, conservatives and party leaders, many refused to say they'd back Trump's re-election bid -- a surprise declaration given that members of Congress are typically quick to endorse sitting presidents of their own party without hesitation. Hardly any would offer a categorical endorsement of the President.
Stormy Daniels' lawyer mulling suing Trump directly for defamation
Stormy Daniels' lawyer mulling suing Trump directly for defamation
"I don't know what the world is going to look like," said Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, when asked if he'd endorse Trump for re-election. "But let's say it's not something I've given any thought to."
Asked several days later if he had given thought to it, Cornyn demurred.
"I haven't even thought about that election," said Cornyn, No. 2 in the Senate GOP conference. "I'm worried about the midterm election."
He's not alone. Many lawmakers sought to avoid the topic altogether.
"Look, I'm focused on opioids," said Sen. Lamar Alexander, the veteran Republican from Tennessee, referring to efforts in Congress to deal with the drug epidemic. "And I was just reelected myself three years ago. So, I'm focused on that."
And others said they were still uncertain the President would ultimately stand for re-election -- even though the White House and Trump himself have repeatedly said he would do so, as he's hired a campaign manager, has been raising money and holding campaign rallies in anticipation of 2020. Unlike past presidents who have waited to announce their reelection bids, Trump made clear immediately after taking office that he's running again.
Still, many Republicans aren't certain he'll do it.
Trump calls Stormy Daniels composite sketch 'a total con job'
Trump calls Stormy Daniels composite sketch 'a total con job'
"That's a little loaded," said Rep. Bill Huizenga of Michigan when asked if he'd support Trump for re-election. "One: we need to make sure that he's actually moving forward and wants to go after this -- so when he makes a declaration, then I think that would be a time to determine whether there are others (who) run or not."
The comments highlight the continuing uneasiness many Republicans have over Trump's presidency, and the lingering questions about how the multiple legal battles the President is facing -- from the allegations of hush money to silence an alleged affair with the porn actress Stormy Daniels, the raid of his personal attorney Michael Cohen's properties and special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation -- will eventually shake out. And they also contradict Trump's oft-stated contention that the party has "never" been more united.
White House officials did not provide a comment for this story. Trump, however, may have little concern about whether his party in Washington is fully behind him. Few lawmakers backed his primary bid in 2016, and many abandoned him in the general election after the now-infamous "Access Hollywood" tape emerged showing him talking crudely about groping women.
Come 2020, things may be no different.
The conservative South Carolina Rep. Mark Sanford, when asked about backing Trump's re-election bid, said: "I'm worried about my own race right now."
And the moderate Adam Kinzinger of Illinois had a similar refrain.
"That's 2020 -- pretty far away," he said when asked if he'd back Trump for re-election.
GOP skeptical Trump would lose to primary challenge
Moreover, Trump could face a primary challenger in 2020, though many Republicans on the Hill don't think it's possible that any viable challenger will emerge. Arizona Sen Jeff Flake, a frequent Trump critic who is retiring at year's end, won't rule out a potential primary challenge against the President. And he contended that Trump's staunch support within the party could weaken by the 2020 primary season.
More than half of Americans think Trump will lose in 2020. But that hasn't doomed past presidents from getting reelected.
More than half of Americans think Trump will lose in 2020. But that hasn't doomed past presidents from getting reelected.
"I wouldn't gauge what support there is a year-and-a-half from now from what support there is now," Flake told CNN. "Certainly, now, this is Donald Trump's party. The base is with him in a big way. Believe me, we all know. But that's not to say that will hold."
It's highly unusual for sitting presidents to face primaries --- much less serious contenders. In 1992, George H.W. Bush fended off a challenge from Pat Buchanan, who ran a populist campaign against the sitting GOP president but didn't win a single primary. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter faced a fierce primary from then-Sen. Ted Kennedy, who eventually conceded after a bitter fight. And in 1976, Ronald Reagan tried to pull off an upset against President Gerald Ford but fell short at the GOP convention. All three sitting presidents lost their reelection bids.
This time around, few Republicans think that potential challengers -- like Flake or Ohio Gov. John Kasich -- would have a chance to win.
If Kasich runs, Ohio Sen. Rob Portman appears likely to side with Trump, whom he said is "very popular in Ohio among Republicans."
Portman said he plans to endorse "our standard-bearer, and I assume that will be Mr. Trump."
But asked if there's a possibility he wouldn't back Trump, Portman added: "I mean I would assume that he'll run for re-election but I don't know. Some would say that he's going to get his work done and move back to the private sector, so who knows, who knows? It's just speculative at this point."
Awaiting the midterms
What puts Republicans on Capitol Hill in an awkward spot is the fact that Trump's approval numbers remain rock-solid among core GOP voters, standing at 85% among Republicans in a recent Quinnipiac poll. But if they side too closely with Trump, they risk alienating the broader electorate, where his poll numbers have been historically low.
It's his shaky standing that could prompt a Democratic wave in this fall's elections, with the GOP at serious risk of losing the House and potentially even the Senate. If that were to happen, some believe, Republicans in the Washington will begin to search for a new GOP candidate come 2020.
"Wait until the midterms," said the outgoing GOP Rep. Charlie Dent, a moderate from Pennsylvania. "If we get wiped out, the question is going to be: 'Should we do that again?'" referring to backing Trump for re-election.
What you need to know right now about the 2018 midterm elections
What you need to know right now about the 2018 midterm elections
And even some loyal Trump supporters are cautious about 2020, waiting for the midterms to play out first.
"I've supported the President in the past and support him now but three years from now?" said Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy, a freshman Republican. "I think the midterms are a long ways away in terms of politics; I don't get involved that far ahead."
Sen. John Thune, the No. 3 Republican in the Senate, asked if he would support Trump in 2020, said: "Well that's a long ways off. I want to get through 2018 first."
But Thune, who called on Trump to drop out in 2016 after the "Access Hollywood" tape emerged, added a note of optimism for Trump, saying that he expects "most of us would probably be behind him" if "he continues to get things done for the American people."
Others wouldn't go that far, including Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, a Republican from the pivotal swing state of Florida, who said "it's premature" to say if he'll endorse Trump's re-election bid.
"I'm focused on working and doing what I do and so to talk about what might happen in that time I think is premature," Diaz-Balart said. "We have one President, he's President until the next election, and I will continue to work with him like I work with everybody else to get things done."
Yet despite Trump's public refrain that the party is more united than ever, he has yet to win over some Republicans who didn't back him in 2016. And some have no plans to back him now -- at least not yet.
"I did not endorse the President for the Republican nomination in 2016," said the moderate GOP Sen. Susan Collins of Maine. "I supported first Jeb Bush and then John Kasich. So, again, I think it is far too early to make a judgment of that type."
Thursday, April 19, 2018
Trump Says He'll Sanction Russia 'As Soon As They Very Much Deserve It' - TIME
April 17, 2018
Trump Says He'll Sanction Russia 'As Soon As They Very Much Deserve It'
U.S. TREASURY SECRETARY STEVEN MNUCHIN SAID RUSSIA SANCTIONS "UNDER CONSIDERATION"
TRUMP SAYS CIA DIRECTOR MIKE POMPEO MET WITH KIM JONG UN IN NORTH KOREA
PRESIDENT TRUMP SAYS HE'LL PULL THE PLUG ON THE NORTH KOREA SUMMIT IF HE FEELS IT WON'T BE 'FRUITFUL'
By DARLENE SUPERVILLE / AP 8:40 PM EDT
(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump said Wednesday that nobody has been tougher on Russia than him and that he’ll hit Moscow with new sanctions “as soon as they very much deserve it.”
He also said building a good relationship with Russia is a “good, not bad” thing.
Trump commented a day after an internal White House quarrel over the timing of potential new punishment for Russia exploded into public view. He blamed the news media for spreading a narrative that he said portrays him as being afraid to stand up to Russia.
“There’s been nobody tougher on Russia than President Donald Trump,” the president said, citing increased U.S. military spending among his examples. “With the media, no matter what I did, it’s never tough enough, because that’s their narrative. But Russia will tell you, there’s been nobody tougher than Donald Trump.
Trump mentioned the joint U.S., French and British military operation last weekend that struck several sites in Syria to punish the Russian-backed government of President Bashar Assad for an apparent chemical attack that killed civilians. Trump said the strike was “absolute precision.”
Trump had largely avoided criticizing Russia, leaving the harsh rhetoric and sanctions announcements to others in the administration. But he began to criticize Russia on Twitter after the apparent chemical attack this month that spawned images of Syrian adults gasping for air and being hosed off.
Still, Trump said he would prefer good relations with Russia and other nations.
“If we can get along with China, and if we can get along with Russia, and if we can get along with Japan and other nations that’s a good thing, not a bad thing. Just remember that,” Trump said as he ended a news conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The leaders had spent the past two days discussing such issues as North Korea and trade — and playing golf.
“If we got along with other nations, that’s good, not bad,” Trump said.
A day earlier, an internal White House quarrel over the timing of new Russia sanctions played out in public after Trump’s new economic adviser suggested U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley suffered from “momentary confusion.”
Haley said Sunday on CBS’ “Face the Nation” that new sanctions directed at companies associated with Syria’s chemical weapons program would be announced Monday — but they weren’t.
Larry Kudlow, director of the National Economic Council, told reporters Tuesday that Haley “got ahead of the curve,” adding, “There might have been some momentary confusion about that.”
Haley retorted with a statement to Fox News saying, “With all due respect, I don’t get confused.”
Kudlow called Haley on Tuesday afternoon to apologize, a White House official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to describe private discussions.
Trump Says He'll Sanction Russia 'As Soon As They Very Much Deserve It'
U.S. TREASURY SECRETARY STEVEN MNUCHIN SAID RUSSIA SANCTIONS "UNDER CONSIDERATION"
TRUMP SAYS CIA DIRECTOR MIKE POMPEO MET WITH KIM JONG UN IN NORTH KOREA
PRESIDENT TRUMP SAYS HE'LL PULL THE PLUG ON THE NORTH KOREA SUMMIT IF HE FEELS IT WON'T BE 'FRUITFUL'
By DARLENE SUPERVILLE / AP 8:40 PM EDT
(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump said Wednesday that nobody has been tougher on Russia than him and that he’ll hit Moscow with new sanctions “as soon as they very much deserve it.”
He also said building a good relationship with Russia is a “good, not bad” thing.
Trump commented a day after an internal White House quarrel over the timing of potential new punishment for Russia exploded into public view. He blamed the news media for spreading a narrative that he said portrays him as being afraid to stand up to Russia.
“There’s been nobody tougher on Russia than President Donald Trump,” the president said, citing increased U.S. military spending among his examples. “With the media, no matter what I did, it’s never tough enough, because that’s their narrative. But Russia will tell you, there’s been nobody tougher than Donald Trump.
Trump mentioned the joint U.S., French and British military operation last weekend that struck several sites in Syria to punish the Russian-backed government of President Bashar Assad for an apparent chemical attack that killed civilians. Trump said the strike was “absolute precision.”
Trump had largely avoided criticizing Russia, leaving the harsh rhetoric and sanctions announcements to others in the administration. But he began to criticize Russia on Twitter after the apparent chemical attack this month that spawned images of Syrian adults gasping for air and being hosed off.
Still, Trump said he would prefer good relations with Russia and other nations.
“If we can get along with China, and if we can get along with Russia, and if we can get along with Japan and other nations that’s a good thing, not a bad thing. Just remember that,” Trump said as he ended a news conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The leaders had spent the past two days discussing such issues as North Korea and trade — and playing golf.
“If we got along with other nations, that’s good, not bad,” Trump said.
A day earlier, an internal White House quarrel over the timing of new Russia sanctions played out in public after Trump’s new economic adviser suggested U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley suffered from “momentary confusion.”
Haley said Sunday on CBS’ “Face the Nation” that new sanctions directed at companies associated with Syria’s chemical weapons program would be announced Monday — but they weren’t.
Larry Kudlow, director of the National Economic Council, told reporters Tuesday that Haley “got ahead of the curve,” adding, “There might have been some momentary confusion about that.”
Haley retorted with a statement to Fox News saying, “With all due respect, I don’t get confused.”
Kudlow called Haley on Tuesday afternoon to apologize, a White House official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to describe private discussions.
James Comey, A Higher Loyalty, book review: A memoir peppered with brutal asides about Trump, but his version of events rings true - Independent
April 17, 2018
James Comey, A Higher Loyalty, book review: A memoir peppered with brutal asides about Trump, but his version of events rings true
The former FBI director has written a book that is both an earnest, exculpatory confession and a jeremiad against the president
by Alasdair Lees
“I don’t recall seeing him laugh, ever… his apparent inability to do so… is really very sad in a leader, and a little scary in a president,” writes James Comey, the FBI director fired by Donald Trump last May. In his damning new memoir and broadside against the president, he blasts him as a shabby Mafia don who, he thinks, quite possibly cavorted with urinating prostitutes in a Moscow hotel suite in 2013.
The claims made in the book have enraged the 45th incumbent, who, in lurid Sopranos-speak, has branded Comey a lying “slimeball”.
A Higher Loyalty is peppered with bitchy asides about Comey's former boss, whom he paints as an insecure ignoramus baffled by words like “calligrapher” and who conducts important White House receptions like an episode of The Price Is Right.
But Comey, is however, as a A Higher Loyalty demonstrates again and again, at heart a Christian moralist, influenced by theologians such as Reinhold Niebuhr. “I can be stubborn, prideful, overconfident and driven by ego,” Comey admits at the start of the book. A Higher Loyalty is at once an earnest, exculpatory confession – justifying his actions in controversies from torture and surveillance programmes under George W Bush to the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails during the 2016 election – and a jeremiad against a national leader “untethered to the truth”.
One of Comey’s overriding missions is the long-term safeguarding of the FBI’s independence from being “waist-deep in the shit” of the Washington cross-fire, to rebuild public trust in such institutions. But there’s also an implicit hope that Trump, whom he describes as a “forest fire”, will finally immolate himself for provably obstructing justice.
Trump’s attempts to sway the inquiry into Michael Flynn – the former national security adviser who pleaded guilty to lying about conversations with the Russian ambassador – are here laid out in disquieting detail. Trump’s impulsive decision to fire Comey unleashed a potentially lethal nemesis in the form of special counsel Robert Mueller, who may finally bring him down. As Comey makes clear, such is Trump’s “unique brand of chaos.”
A lot depends, on reading the book, whether Comey’s versions of various events ring true. Mostly they do, and Comey emerges as a decent, well-meaning and thoughtful public servant willing to reflect on his mistakes. The attributes for ethical leadership he advocates – humility, confidence, a willingness to listen and more – are undeniable.
“Forest fires, as painful as they can be, bring growth,” he writes in the epilogue. Bullied as a child, Comey is disgusted by the dreary capo di tutti capi who squats behind the Resolute desk, an absurd symbol of a “dangerous” and “vicious” era.
If Comey is right, Trump’s reign might be reduced to ashes sooner than we think.
A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership by James Comey is published by Macmillan in hardback, £20
James Comey, A Higher Loyalty, book review: A memoir peppered with brutal asides about Trump, but his version of events rings true
The former FBI director has written a book that is both an earnest, exculpatory confession and a jeremiad against the president
by Alasdair Lees
“I don’t recall seeing him laugh, ever… his apparent inability to do so… is really very sad in a leader, and a little scary in a president,” writes James Comey, the FBI director fired by Donald Trump last May. In his damning new memoir and broadside against the president, he blasts him as a shabby Mafia don who, he thinks, quite possibly cavorted with urinating prostitutes in a Moscow hotel suite in 2013.
The claims made in the book have enraged the 45th incumbent, who, in lurid Sopranos-speak, has branded Comey a lying “slimeball”.
A Higher Loyalty is peppered with bitchy asides about Comey's former boss, whom he paints as an insecure ignoramus baffled by words like “calligrapher” and who conducts important White House receptions like an episode of The Price Is Right.
But Comey, is however, as a A Higher Loyalty demonstrates again and again, at heart a Christian moralist, influenced by theologians such as Reinhold Niebuhr. “I can be stubborn, prideful, overconfident and driven by ego,” Comey admits at the start of the book. A Higher Loyalty is at once an earnest, exculpatory confession – justifying his actions in controversies from torture and surveillance programmes under George W Bush to the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails during the 2016 election – and a jeremiad against a national leader “untethered to the truth”.
One of Comey’s overriding missions is the long-term safeguarding of the FBI’s independence from being “waist-deep in the shit” of the Washington cross-fire, to rebuild public trust in such institutions. But there’s also an implicit hope that Trump, whom he describes as a “forest fire”, will finally immolate himself for provably obstructing justice.
Trump’s attempts to sway the inquiry into Michael Flynn – the former national security adviser who pleaded guilty to lying about conversations with the Russian ambassador – are here laid out in disquieting detail. Trump’s impulsive decision to fire Comey unleashed a potentially lethal nemesis in the form of special counsel Robert Mueller, who may finally bring him down. As Comey makes clear, such is Trump’s “unique brand of chaos.”
A lot depends, on reading the book, whether Comey’s versions of various events ring true. Mostly they do, and Comey emerges as a decent, well-meaning and thoughtful public servant willing to reflect on his mistakes. The attributes for ethical leadership he advocates – humility, confidence, a willingness to listen and more – are undeniable.
“Forest fires, as painful as they can be, bring growth,” he writes in the epilogue. Bullied as a child, Comey is disgusted by the dreary capo di tutti capi who squats behind the Resolute desk, an absurd symbol of a “dangerous” and “vicious” era.
If Comey is right, Trump’s reign might be reduced to ashes sooner than we think.
A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership by James Comey is published by Macmillan in hardback, £20
Trump request to review personal lawyer's documents seized in FBI raid rejected by judge - Independent
April 16, 2018
Trump request to review personal lawyer's documents seized in FBI raid rejected by judge
Court considers appointment of independent lawyer who would check for records protected by attorney-client privilege
Tom Embury-Dennis @tomemburyd
President Donald Trump has said a decision over Syria will come 'fairly soon' AP
A judge has rejected Donald Trump and his personal lawyer Michael Cohen's requests to vet documents seized by the FBI, before prosecutors are allowed to see them.
However, officials would not be allowed to immediately view documents seized during raids on Mr Cohen’s office, home and hotel room, Judge Kimba Wood ruled at a federal court in New York.
Instead, she indicated that an independent lawyer could be appointed to check for records protected by attorney-client privilege, possibly with specific regards to Mr Cohen's communications with the US president. .
Colbert can't contain joy as Hannity named as Cohen's mystery client
Sean Hannity named as lawyer Michael Cohen's third, mystery client
Trump wants to review files seized from lawyer before investigators
Prosecutors argued that they will not violate attorney-client privilege, because they have set up a so-called filter team of unrelated investigators to review Mr Cohen’s electronic devices and documents first.
Judge Wood also denied a request made by Mr Trump’s lawyers for a temporary restraining order against the Department of Justice. The order would have prevented prosecutors from reviewing the files at all.
The decision is a blow to the US president, who has called the FBI raids a “total witch hunt” and claimed they show “attorney-client privilege is dead”.
Judge Kimba also forced Mr Cohen to reveal he had Fox News host, Sean Hannity, a well known Trump supporter, as a client.
Mr Hannity has denied he was ever been represented by, or paid for services provided by Mr Cohen, who is the subject of a criminal investigation focused on his private finances and business interests.
Colbert couldn't contain his joy over Sean Hannity being named as Trump lawyer Michael Cohen's mystery client
While Judge Wood has not yet formally ruled on who would get access to the documents pertaining to Mr Trump first, she said she had “faith” in Southern District prosecutors, whose “integrity is unimpeachable”.
The raids were widely seen as a major development for the president and his ongoing legal concerns.
However, they were not conducted as a part of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.
Information leading to the raids was, however, reportedly provided by Mr Mueller's team.
The seized documents reportedly include recordings between Mr Cohen and a lawyer for Stormy Daniels, the former adult actor who was paid $130,000 (£91,000) in 2016 to keep quiet about her alleged affair with the US president.
The warrant signed before the raids indicate federal prosecutors were seeking information related to the Daniels payment, as well as correspondence related to any efforts by Mr Cohen to suppress the disclosure of the alleged affair between Mr Trump and Playboy model Karen McDougal.
The warrant also indicated Mr Cohen is being investigated for bank fraud, wire fraud, and campaign finance issues.
Outside the courthouse, Ms Daniels’ lawyer said the disclosure of Mr Hannity's connection to Mr Cohen showed that anyone who has been in contact with the lawyer should be worried.
"I said last Friday and this weekend that Michael Cohen was radioactive, and anybody who has been associated with him in the past 20 years should be very concerned... about what secrets of theirs are in these documents," Michael Avenatti said.
"The president has trusted Mr Cohen as his fixer for years."
Trump request to review personal lawyer's documents seized in FBI raid rejected by judge
Court considers appointment of independent lawyer who would check for records protected by attorney-client privilege
Tom Embury-Dennis @tomemburyd
President Donald Trump has said a decision over Syria will come 'fairly soon' AP
A judge has rejected Donald Trump and his personal lawyer Michael Cohen's requests to vet documents seized by the FBI, before prosecutors are allowed to see them.
However, officials would not be allowed to immediately view documents seized during raids on Mr Cohen’s office, home and hotel room, Judge Kimba Wood ruled at a federal court in New York.
Instead, she indicated that an independent lawyer could be appointed to check for records protected by attorney-client privilege, possibly with specific regards to Mr Cohen's communications with the US president. .
Colbert can't contain joy as Hannity named as Cohen's mystery client
Sean Hannity named as lawyer Michael Cohen's third, mystery client
Trump wants to review files seized from lawyer before investigators
Prosecutors argued that they will not violate attorney-client privilege, because they have set up a so-called filter team of unrelated investigators to review Mr Cohen’s electronic devices and documents first.
Judge Wood also denied a request made by Mr Trump’s lawyers for a temporary restraining order against the Department of Justice. The order would have prevented prosecutors from reviewing the files at all.
The decision is a blow to the US president, who has called the FBI raids a “total witch hunt” and claimed they show “attorney-client privilege is dead”.
Judge Kimba also forced Mr Cohen to reveal he had Fox News host, Sean Hannity, a well known Trump supporter, as a client.
Mr Hannity has denied he was ever been represented by, or paid for services provided by Mr Cohen, who is the subject of a criminal investigation focused on his private finances and business interests.
Colbert couldn't contain his joy over Sean Hannity being named as Trump lawyer Michael Cohen's mystery client
While Judge Wood has not yet formally ruled on who would get access to the documents pertaining to Mr Trump first, she said she had “faith” in Southern District prosecutors, whose “integrity is unimpeachable”.
The raids were widely seen as a major development for the president and his ongoing legal concerns.
However, they were not conducted as a part of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.
Information leading to the raids was, however, reportedly provided by Mr Mueller's team.
The seized documents reportedly include recordings between Mr Cohen and a lawyer for Stormy Daniels, the former adult actor who was paid $130,000 (£91,000) in 2016 to keep quiet about her alleged affair with the US president.
The warrant signed before the raids indicate federal prosecutors were seeking information related to the Daniels payment, as well as correspondence related to any efforts by Mr Cohen to suppress the disclosure of the alleged affair between Mr Trump and Playboy model Karen McDougal.
The warrant also indicated Mr Cohen is being investigated for bank fraud, wire fraud, and campaign finance issues.
Outside the courthouse, Ms Daniels’ lawyer said the disclosure of Mr Hannity's connection to Mr Cohen showed that anyone who has been in contact with the lawyer should be worried.
"I said last Friday and this weekend that Michael Cohen was radioactive, and anybody who has been associated with him in the past 20 years should be very concerned... about what secrets of theirs are in these documents," Michael Avenatti said.
"The president has trusted Mr Cohen as his fixer for years."
Merkel Floats Meeting With Putin as Points of Conflict Multiply - Bloomberg
Merkel Floats Meeting With Putin as Points of Conflict Multiply
By Patrick Donahue
April 18, 2018, 12:08 AM GMT+10
No date set as Merkel says it’s ‘necessary’ to talk to Putin
Merkel, Putin discussed Syria, gas pipeline by phone earlier
Angela Merkel shakes hands with Vladimir Putin ahead of a four-way leaders' summit at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, on Oct. 19, 2016. Photographer: Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she plans to meet with President Vladimir Putin in the “foreseeable future” after military strikes in Syria widened a rift between Russia and the west.
Merkel made the proposal after speaking by phone with Putin earlier Tuesday, when they discussed Syria as well as the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project from Russia to Germany. The chancellor said last week that Nord Stream 2 shouldn’t go forward if it disrupts gas transfers across Ukraine.
“I think the number of issues we have in front of us, from Ukraine to gas to the very big issues over Syria, requires us to have a direct exchange in the foreseeable future,” Merkel told reporters in Berlin. No date has yet been set for a meeting.
Germany’s historical relationship with Russia means there is a substantial lobby in favor of closer ties to Moscow. But Merkel’s always prickly relationship with Putin has been strained close to breaking point after the Russian seizure of Crimea and its intervention in eastern Ukraine, which her government has condemned as a violation of international law.
After sitting out the weekend’s air strikes on Syrian targets, Merkel has stepped up efforts to seek a political settlement to the seven-year civil war. She said that while Russia carries responsibility for its backing of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, no political settlement to end the war can take place without a role for Putin’s government.
“It will be necessary to talk to Russia,” Merkel said at a press conference with New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in Berlin on Tuesday.
Merkel, a Russian speaker who grew up in communist East Germany, last had a bilateral meeting with Putin in May 2017 in the Black Sea city of Sochi, a tense encounter as the two clashed over Ukraine, human rights and election meddling. They also met at the Group of 20 summit she hosted in Hamburg last July.
By Patrick Donahue
April 18, 2018, 12:08 AM GMT+10
No date set as Merkel says it’s ‘necessary’ to talk to Putin
Merkel, Putin discussed Syria, gas pipeline by phone earlier
Angela Merkel shakes hands with Vladimir Putin ahead of a four-way leaders' summit at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, on Oct. 19, 2016. Photographer: Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she plans to meet with President Vladimir Putin in the “foreseeable future” after military strikes in Syria widened a rift between Russia and the west.
Merkel made the proposal after speaking by phone with Putin earlier Tuesday, when they discussed Syria as well as the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project from Russia to Germany. The chancellor said last week that Nord Stream 2 shouldn’t go forward if it disrupts gas transfers across Ukraine.
“I think the number of issues we have in front of us, from Ukraine to gas to the very big issues over Syria, requires us to have a direct exchange in the foreseeable future,” Merkel told reporters in Berlin. No date has yet been set for a meeting.
Germany’s historical relationship with Russia means there is a substantial lobby in favor of closer ties to Moscow. But Merkel’s always prickly relationship with Putin has been strained close to breaking point after the Russian seizure of Crimea and its intervention in eastern Ukraine, which her government has condemned as a violation of international law.
After sitting out the weekend’s air strikes on Syrian targets, Merkel has stepped up efforts to seek a political settlement to the seven-year civil war. She said that while Russia carries responsibility for its backing of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, no political settlement to end the war can take place without a role for Putin’s government.
“It will be necessary to talk to Russia,” Merkel said at a press conference with New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in Berlin on Tuesday.
Merkel, a Russian speaker who grew up in communist East Germany, last had a bilateral meeting with Putin in May 2017 in the Black Sea city of Sochi, a tense encounter as the two clashed over Ukraine, human rights and election meddling. They also met at the Group of 20 summit she hosted in Hamburg last July.
North Korea Talks: Here's What a Pragmatist Could Hope For - Bloomberg
North Korea Talks: Here's What a Pragmatist Could Hope For
One theory is that diplomacy leads to bureaucracy, which leads to stability.
By Tyler Cowen
April 19, 2018, 4:20 AM GMT+10
Hanging out with Dennis Rodman isn't the worst thing Kim Jong Un could do with his time. Source: Kyodo News, via Getty Images
It's been confirmed that CIA Director Mike Pompeo held direct talks with Kim Jong Un in North Korea, and negotiations between Kim and President Donald Trump really do seem in the offing, so we need to ask how such negotiations might actually succeed.
There are indeed reasons to be optimistic, but not because I see high odds of striking a workable deal with the North Korean totalitarian regime to abandon its nuclear ambitions. Instead, the best realistic scenarios would have the North Korean leaders deciding to carve out a more normal existence for their nation. Talks can help create or hasten that outcome.
The case for pessimism is not hard to see. The North Korean regime is notorious for conducting and then stalling negotiations -- and then proceeding to violate agreements -- as a tactic to buy time to build up weapons of mass destruction. There is a very real danger that, two years from now, there will have been plenty of talk but North Korea will have developed high-quality intercontinental ballistic missiles, capable of striking Europe or North America accurately.
So if time appears to be on the side of the North Koreans, and America does not seem on the verge of a preemptive attack (nor would I recommend one), what is the cause to be optimistic about the outcome of talks?
First: The North Korean regime has never been bureaucratized in the modern sense of that term. While we don't have comprehensive information, it seems that until recently Kim as leader had not been going abroad, nor had he been receiving many visits from other heads of state. His position and perhaps his mood has been one of extreme isolation, and he is not surrounded by anything resembling the U.S. State Department or even the old-style Soviet bureaucracies that managed foreign policy for the USSR. The rest of his regime is probably poorly informed about the extent of American military superiority, should a conflict come to pass.
By meeting with other foreign leaders, the North Korean regime would be forced to build up its basic processes for dealing with the rest of the world. That in turn creates interest groups and flows of information (some of which invariably leak out). The North Korean populace responds by thinking more about the outside world, making it harder to control by propaganda. In turn the North Korean leadership may decide to continue economic liberalization.
One need not count on an "End of History" story culminating in liberalism and democratization. The more modest hope would be for the North Korean leadership to become more decentralized, more bureaucratic, better informed and harder to marshal behind crazy military measures.
The unspoken goal of engagement would be to encourage North Korea to evolve into a more banal and more predictable form. That is the natural flow of most bureaucratic organizations, so in this regard American negotiators actually have time on their side. The North Koreans are going to change a lot more than the U.S. is likely to.
Second: Kim is only human and has to be thinking some about his own life. Does he want 40 or more years of lining up officials and executing them? These days the headlines are about K-pop in North Korea, such as when the popular girl group Red Velvet performed for Kim and his wife early in April. It turns out that Kim is quite the fan of South Korean popular culture -- long banned for his people, with brutal enforcement.
Another good sign is that Chinese President Xi Jinping has vowed to go to Pyongyang for further talks with Kim. And in addition to these explicitly political contacts, Kim visited China's technology hub Zhongguancun, where he was the recipient of much attention and he tried on virtual-reality headsets.
Perhaps this leader would personally prefer more cultural and economic exchange with South Korea, China and the West.
Given that Kim studied in Switzerland (and perhaps crossed a few borders incognito), he is hardly a stranger to foreign travel and contacts, but this is the first time he is enjoying the perks of being a leader abroad or receiving others. Is that not a superior and indeed more stable existence than ruling the Hermit Kingdom? Let's hope he sees that. Think of any diplomatic talks with North Korea as a big act of theater -- designed not to fool him, but to teach him that theater itself can be fun.
One theory is that diplomacy leads to bureaucracy, which leads to stability.
By Tyler Cowen
April 19, 2018, 4:20 AM GMT+10
Hanging out with Dennis Rodman isn't the worst thing Kim Jong Un could do with his time. Source: Kyodo News, via Getty Images
It's been confirmed that CIA Director Mike Pompeo held direct talks with Kim Jong Un in North Korea, and negotiations between Kim and President Donald Trump really do seem in the offing, so we need to ask how such negotiations might actually succeed.
There are indeed reasons to be optimistic, but not because I see high odds of striking a workable deal with the North Korean totalitarian regime to abandon its nuclear ambitions. Instead, the best realistic scenarios would have the North Korean leaders deciding to carve out a more normal existence for their nation. Talks can help create or hasten that outcome.
The case for pessimism is not hard to see. The North Korean regime is notorious for conducting and then stalling negotiations -- and then proceeding to violate agreements -- as a tactic to buy time to build up weapons of mass destruction. There is a very real danger that, two years from now, there will have been plenty of talk but North Korea will have developed high-quality intercontinental ballistic missiles, capable of striking Europe or North America accurately.
So if time appears to be on the side of the North Koreans, and America does not seem on the verge of a preemptive attack (nor would I recommend one), what is the cause to be optimistic about the outcome of talks?
First: The North Korean regime has never been bureaucratized in the modern sense of that term. While we don't have comprehensive information, it seems that until recently Kim as leader had not been going abroad, nor had he been receiving many visits from other heads of state. His position and perhaps his mood has been one of extreme isolation, and he is not surrounded by anything resembling the U.S. State Department or even the old-style Soviet bureaucracies that managed foreign policy for the USSR. The rest of his regime is probably poorly informed about the extent of American military superiority, should a conflict come to pass.
By meeting with other foreign leaders, the North Korean regime would be forced to build up its basic processes for dealing with the rest of the world. That in turn creates interest groups and flows of information (some of which invariably leak out). The North Korean populace responds by thinking more about the outside world, making it harder to control by propaganda. In turn the North Korean leadership may decide to continue economic liberalization.
One need not count on an "End of History" story culminating in liberalism and democratization. The more modest hope would be for the North Korean leadership to become more decentralized, more bureaucratic, better informed and harder to marshal behind crazy military measures.
The unspoken goal of engagement would be to encourage North Korea to evolve into a more banal and more predictable form. That is the natural flow of most bureaucratic organizations, so in this regard American negotiators actually have time on their side. The North Koreans are going to change a lot more than the U.S. is likely to.
Second: Kim is only human and has to be thinking some about his own life. Does he want 40 or more years of lining up officials and executing them? These days the headlines are about K-pop in North Korea, such as when the popular girl group Red Velvet performed for Kim and his wife early in April. It turns out that Kim is quite the fan of South Korean popular culture -- long banned for his people, with brutal enforcement.
Another good sign is that Chinese President Xi Jinping has vowed to go to Pyongyang for further talks with Kim. And in addition to these explicitly political contacts, Kim visited China's technology hub Zhongguancun, where he was the recipient of much attention and he tried on virtual-reality headsets.
Perhaps this leader would personally prefer more cultural and economic exchange with South Korea, China and the West.
Given that Kim studied in Switzerland (and perhaps crossed a few borders incognito), he is hardly a stranger to foreign travel and contacts, but this is the first time he is enjoying the perks of being a leader abroad or receiving others. Is that not a superior and indeed more stable existence than ruling the Hermit Kingdom? Let's hope he sees that. Think of any diplomatic talks with North Korea as a big act of theater -- designed not to fool him, but to teach him that theater itself can be fun.
Citizens deserve more public facts about intelligence judgments used to justify decisions on war and peace. - Bloomberg ( VIEW )
Democracies Should Trust But Verify
Citizens deserve more public facts about intelligence judgments used to justify decisions on war and peace.
By Leonid Bershidsky
April 18, 2018, 12:27 AM GMT+10
On Monday, U.S. and U.K. law enforcement agencies issued a rare joint warning to businesses to keep their routers safe from "Russian state-sponsored actors." Most will take precautions and not question the information. And yet, because live in democracies, it's worth asking the question: How do these agencies know this?
Evidentiary standards for government narratives concerning everything from cybersecurity to Syria have deteriorated so much that Western democracies are giving their citizens almost as little useful information on matters of national security as the Russian regime's notorious propaganda machine gives Russian citizens. That is not only insulting to the public, it's also dangerous in a democracy.
Router botnets have existed for years, exploiting sloppily written firmware and weak passwords on the devices that manage our internet connections. Perhaps the best-known of these was the Mirai botnet, which emerged in 2016 and, at its peak, controlled 2.5 million devices. But Mirai wasn't a Russian creation: Behind it were three college-age men in the U.S. who started out trying to get ahead in Minecraft, the computer game, by crashing the servers of rivals also trying to provide multiplayer access.
Although Russian hackers have been accused of, and arrested for, running other botnets, neither they nor the Russian state has been publicly linked to a major one affecting routers. Maybe they are, but the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the British National Cyber Security Center did not provide any evidence that "Russian state-sponsored actors" were involved in this line of malicious hacking or that they were more dangerous than other router-hacking evildoers.
Monday's warning follows the patterns of the similarly evidence-free attribution to Russian military intelligence of NotPetya, a hard disk-encoding malware epidemic that caused massive damage over last year. And while it is now accepted gospel that hackers sponsored by the Russian government had stolen data from the Democratic National Committee in 2016, the acceptance is based on endless repetition rather than any specific evidence apart from anonymous intelligence leaks and reports by cybersecurity companies interested in bolstering their visibility.
It's not as if proper standards don't exist. Special Counsel Robert Mueller followed them in the indictment of 13 individuals linked to the Internet Research Agency, a notorious St. Petersburg troll factory. The facts, as known to the investigators, are laid out carefully and persuasively. One might argue about the effect those actions had on the U.S. presidential election, but those arguing at least have full access to the same set of facts. That's not the case with the hacking accusations -- and there's a rush to judgment by government agencies before the public, too, can make up its mind based on the facts.
The emerging low evidentiary standard is not limited to cyber matters. Sites controlled by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad were hit by the U.S., the U.K. and France last week in retaliation against the alleged use of chemical weapons by Assad's troops in Douma earlier this month -- before experts from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons experts even got a chance to travel to Douma. They are apparently going there on Wednesday, and they should be able to detect whether chemical weapons had been deployed even if a cleanup has been attempted by Russian forces who got advance access.
There's also no publicly available proof to support the conclusion that Russian government agents attempted to poison former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Julia in March.
Russia has killed spies it considered traitors before. The polonium poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko is evidence of that. "Evidence" is not a figure of speech here: In 2016, the U.K. released a detailed, convincing, fact-filled report on the case. It took a long time, as all thorough investigations do. In the Skripal case, the obvious conclusion is also likely the correct one, but, long before that could be firmly established, Theresa May and her cabinet made strong statements to whip up public support for retaliatory action -- and, in the process, made it more difficult for professional investigators to look into other possibilities, no matter how unlikely.
Assad has used chemical weapons before, too. The Joint Investigative Mechanism of the OPCW and the United Nations linked the April 2017 sarin attack on Khan Sheikhoun to the regime. (The JIM, of course, also linked another gas attack, which took place in 2016, to ISIS, so the Assad regime is not the only warring side in Syria to have unleashed chemical weapons). Russia, which does its best to protect Assad, has since refused to extend the JIM's mandate, so in Douma, the OPCW can only establish whether chemical weapons had been used, not apportion blame.
The U.S. and its allies, however, acted before even that could be done. After the missiles flew, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said he was "absolutely confident" that the Syrian regime conducted the chemical attack but didn't specify what evidence he had.
In the absence of convincing evidence, all we, the public and journalists not interested in rushing to judgment, have to go by are our considerations of whom an event benefits. But personal doubts and beliefs about the calculations and interests of various actors are quite distinct from any degree of true knowledge.
Few people read long technical texts like the IRA indictment, the Owen report on Litvinenko, the JIM report on chemical weapons in Syria, the McLaren report on Russian doping in sports. Sometimes even the evidentiary standard of these documents can be insufficient for a court -- some Russian athletes' bans imposed after the McLaren investigation were, for example, struck down by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. But the evidence laid out in such documents is usually enough for informed judgments by politicians, the media and those members of the public who are concerned enough to read some dense prose. It's enough for an informed public debate.
Non-public intelligence can still be legitimate; no government is going to submit to a rule that says any military action must follow what is effectively a public trial of the evidence. But Western governments appear to be leaning toward the other extreme, implying that the public release of evidence is never necessary before judgments are passed and retaliatory measures launched. Democracies must protect their institutions from abuse and show respect for citizens by doing their best to provide factual information. In a world of fake news, governments have to rise to a higher evidentiary bar. Besides, waiting a few weeks or even months before taking drastic action is often a sign of wisdom, not weakness.
Citizens deserve more public facts about intelligence judgments used to justify decisions on war and peace.
By Leonid Bershidsky
April 18, 2018, 12:27 AM GMT+10
On Monday, U.S. and U.K. law enforcement agencies issued a rare joint warning to businesses to keep their routers safe from "Russian state-sponsored actors." Most will take precautions and not question the information. And yet, because live in democracies, it's worth asking the question: How do these agencies know this?
Evidentiary standards for government narratives concerning everything from cybersecurity to Syria have deteriorated so much that Western democracies are giving their citizens almost as little useful information on matters of national security as the Russian regime's notorious propaganda machine gives Russian citizens. That is not only insulting to the public, it's also dangerous in a democracy.
Router botnets have existed for years, exploiting sloppily written firmware and weak passwords on the devices that manage our internet connections. Perhaps the best-known of these was the Mirai botnet, which emerged in 2016 and, at its peak, controlled 2.5 million devices. But Mirai wasn't a Russian creation: Behind it were three college-age men in the U.S. who started out trying to get ahead in Minecraft, the computer game, by crashing the servers of rivals also trying to provide multiplayer access.
Although Russian hackers have been accused of, and arrested for, running other botnets, neither they nor the Russian state has been publicly linked to a major one affecting routers. Maybe they are, but the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the British National Cyber Security Center did not provide any evidence that "Russian state-sponsored actors" were involved in this line of malicious hacking or that they were more dangerous than other router-hacking evildoers.
Monday's warning follows the patterns of the similarly evidence-free attribution to Russian military intelligence of NotPetya, a hard disk-encoding malware epidemic that caused massive damage over last year. And while it is now accepted gospel that hackers sponsored by the Russian government had stolen data from the Democratic National Committee in 2016, the acceptance is based on endless repetition rather than any specific evidence apart from anonymous intelligence leaks and reports by cybersecurity companies interested in bolstering their visibility.
It's not as if proper standards don't exist. Special Counsel Robert Mueller followed them in the indictment of 13 individuals linked to the Internet Research Agency, a notorious St. Petersburg troll factory. The facts, as known to the investigators, are laid out carefully and persuasively. One might argue about the effect those actions had on the U.S. presidential election, but those arguing at least have full access to the same set of facts. That's not the case with the hacking accusations -- and there's a rush to judgment by government agencies before the public, too, can make up its mind based on the facts.
The emerging low evidentiary standard is not limited to cyber matters. Sites controlled by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad were hit by the U.S., the U.K. and France last week in retaliation against the alleged use of chemical weapons by Assad's troops in Douma earlier this month -- before experts from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons experts even got a chance to travel to Douma. They are apparently going there on Wednesday, and they should be able to detect whether chemical weapons had been deployed even if a cleanup has been attempted by Russian forces who got advance access.
There's also no publicly available proof to support the conclusion that Russian government agents attempted to poison former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Julia in March.
Russia has killed spies it considered traitors before. The polonium poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko is evidence of that. "Evidence" is not a figure of speech here: In 2016, the U.K. released a detailed, convincing, fact-filled report on the case. It took a long time, as all thorough investigations do. In the Skripal case, the obvious conclusion is also likely the correct one, but, long before that could be firmly established, Theresa May and her cabinet made strong statements to whip up public support for retaliatory action -- and, in the process, made it more difficult for professional investigators to look into other possibilities, no matter how unlikely.
Assad has used chemical weapons before, too. The Joint Investigative Mechanism of the OPCW and the United Nations linked the April 2017 sarin attack on Khan Sheikhoun to the regime. (The JIM, of course, also linked another gas attack, which took place in 2016, to ISIS, so the Assad regime is not the only warring side in Syria to have unleashed chemical weapons). Russia, which does its best to protect Assad, has since refused to extend the JIM's mandate, so in Douma, the OPCW can only establish whether chemical weapons had been used, not apportion blame.
The U.S. and its allies, however, acted before even that could be done. After the missiles flew, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said he was "absolutely confident" that the Syrian regime conducted the chemical attack but didn't specify what evidence he had.
In the absence of convincing evidence, all we, the public and journalists not interested in rushing to judgment, have to go by are our considerations of whom an event benefits. But personal doubts and beliefs about the calculations and interests of various actors are quite distinct from any degree of true knowledge.
Few people read long technical texts like the IRA indictment, the Owen report on Litvinenko, the JIM report on chemical weapons in Syria, the McLaren report on Russian doping in sports. Sometimes even the evidentiary standard of these documents can be insufficient for a court -- some Russian athletes' bans imposed after the McLaren investigation were, for example, struck down by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. But the evidence laid out in such documents is usually enough for informed judgments by politicians, the media and those members of the public who are concerned enough to read some dense prose. It's enough for an informed public debate.
Non-public intelligence can still be legitimate; no government is going to submit to a rule that says any military action must follow what is effectively a public trial of the evidence. But Western governments appear to be leaning toward the other extreme, implying that the public release of evidence is never necessary before judgments are passed and retaliatory measures launched. Democracies must protect their institutions from abuse and show respect for citizens by doing their best to provide factual information. In a world of fake news, governments have to rise to a higher evidentiary bar. Besides, waiting a few weeks or even months before taking drastic action is often a sign of wisdom, not weakness.
Trump Voter Fraud Investigator Kris Kobach Found in Contempt of Court - Bloomberg ( source : Associated Press )
Trump Voter Fraud Investigator Kris Kobach Found in Contempt of Court
By Peter Blumberg
April 19, 2018, 8:55 AM GMT+10
Kris Kobach Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg
One of U.S. President Donald Trump’s leading voter-fraud investigators was ruled in contempt of court for flouting a judge’s orders to ensure that voters in his home state weren’t misled ahead of the 2016 general election.
Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, who was vice chairman of the election integrity commission that the Trump administration disbanded in January, was cited Wednesday by the chief federal judge in Kansas for a “history of noncompliance and disrespect” for the court’s decisions.
In May 2016, Kobach lost a challenge to the Kansas Documentary Proof of Citizenship law brought by the American Civil Liberties Union. He then failed to comply with the court’s directive that he tell affected voters that they would be deemed registered and qualified to vote, according to the ruling by U.S. District Judge Julie Robinson.
For now, Kobach is required only to reimburse his adversaries for attorney fees. But Robinson said she may consider further remedial measures when she issues final findings in the case.
Kobach, a Republican running for governor of Kansas, last month represented his office in court defending the state’s voter-registration law and said that it had prevented between 1,000 and 18,000 noncitizens from voting. An ACLU attorney countered that the noncitizens accused by Kobach of illegally registering to vote and stealing elections “are not real,” according to the Associated Press.
By Peter Blumberg
April 19, 2018, 8:55 AM GMT+10
Kris Kobach Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg
One of U.S. President Donald Trump’s leading voter-fraud investigators was ruled in contempt of court for flouting a judge’s orders to ensure that voters in his home state weren’t misled ahead of the 2016 general election.
Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, who was vice chairman of the election integrity commission that the Trump administration disbanded in January, was cited Wednesday by the chief federal judge in Kansas for a “history of noncompliance and disrespect” for the court’s decisions.
In May 2016, Kobach lost a challenge to the Kansas Documentary Proof of Citizenship law brought by the American Civil Liberties Union. He then failed to comply with the court’s directive that he tell affected voters that they would be deemed registered and qualified to vote, according to the ruling by U.S. District Judge Julie Robinson.
For now, Kobach is required only to reimburse his adversaries for attorney fees. But Robinson said she may consider further remedial measures when she issues final findings in the case.
Kobach, a Republican running for governor of Kansas, last month represented his office in court defending the state’s voter-registration law and said that it had prevented between 1,000 and 18,000 noncitizens from voting. An ACLU attorney countered that the noncitizens accused by Kobach of illegally registering to vote and stealing elections “are not real,” according to the Associated Press.
Starbucks Is Closing Thousands of Stores for Racial Bias Training. Here’s How Much Money It Could Lose - TIME Business
Starbucks Is Closing Thousands of Stores for Racial Bias Training. Here’s How Much Money It Could Lose
Posted: 17 Apr 2018 11:58 AM PDT
Starbucks is closing over 8,000 company-owned stores for racial bias training during an afternoon in May, the company announced Tuesday.
The news comes as the Seattle, Wash.-based firm is being criticized after two black men were arrested in a Philadelphia Starbucks store after asking to use the restroom without making a purchase. The incident has led to protests and boycotts nationwide, while the manager involved in the situation has since left Starbucks’ Philadelphia location where the arrest took place.
“Closing our stores for racial bias training is just one step in a journey that requires dedication from every level of our company and partnerships in our local communities,” said Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson in a statement Tuesday.
Closing thousands of stores could be costly for the company.
Starbucks-owned stores made about $4.7 billion in revenue over the most recent quarter, according to the company’s latest earnings report. Divide that by three, and you get about $1.6 billion per month. Divide again by 30, and you get about $53.3 million every day. Divide again by 24, and you get about $2.2 million every hour. So if you assume each company-owned Starbucks store will close for about four hours over a single afternoon, that’s roughly $8.8 million in revenue the company will potentially miss out on, by this admittedly back-of-the-envelope math.
It’s worth noting a couple of caveats: Not every company-owned Starbucks store will close, so this estimate may be slightly high. Meanwhile, some customers may simply wait until Starbucks re-opens to get their fix on the day of the closures, but as a self-identifying caffeine addict, I’d argue most people will just get their fix at a rival chain or local coffee shop.
But for Starbucks, the price may be worth paying. The company’s stock price and reputation have both suffered in the wake of the Philadelphia Starbucks arrest incident. Shutting down Starbucks stores is the kind of strong response from Johnson that might help restore the shaken trust and confidence between Starbucks, its customers, its employees, and its investors.
Posted: 17 Apr 2018 11:58 AM PDT
Starbucks is closing over 8,000 company-owned stores for racial bias training during an afternoon in May, the company announced Tuesday.
The news comes as the Seattle, Wash.-based firm is being criticized after two black men were arrested in a Philadelphia Starbucks store after asking to use the restroom without making a purchase. The incident has led to protests and boycotts nationwide, while the manager involved in the situation has since left Starbucks’ Philadelphia location where the arrest took place.
“Closing our stores for racial bias training is just one step in a journey that requires dedication from every level of our company and partnerships in our local communities,” said Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson in a statement Tuesday.
Closing thousands of stores could be costly for the company.
Starbucks-owned stores made about $4.7 billion in revenue over the most recent quarter, according to the company’s latest earnings report. Divide that by three, and you get about $1.6 billion per month. Divide again by 30, and you get about $53.3 million every day. Divide again by 24, and you get about $2.2 million every hour. So if you assume each company-owned Starbucks store will close for about four hours over a single afternoon, that’s roughly $8.8 million in revenue the company will potentially miss out on, by this admittedly back-of-the-envelope math.
It’s worth noting a couple of caveats: Not every company-owned Starbucks store will close, so this estimate may be slightly high. Meanwhile, some customers may simply wait until Starbucks re-opens to get their fix on the day of the closures, but as a self-identifying caffeine addict, I’d argue most people will just get their fix at a rival chain or local coffee shop.
But for Starbucks, the price may be worth paying. The company’s stock price and reputation have both suffered in the wake of the Philadelphia Starbucks arrest incident. Shutting down Starbucks stores is the kind of strong response from Johnson that might help restore the shaken trust and confidence between Starbucks, its customers, its employees, and its investors.
President Trump’s Tariffs Are ‘Distorting’ Global Trade, E.U. Warns - TIME
President Trump’s Tariffs Are ‘Distorting’ Global Trade, E.U. Warns
Posted: 18 Apr 2018 02:47 AM PDT
(BRUSSELS) — Europe’s top trade official said Wednesday that new U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs are distorting global trade and could damage hopes for economic growth.
Cecilia Malmstrom, the European Union’s trade commissioner, also said the bloc would not offer any concessions in order to be exempt from the U.S. import duties ahead of a May 1 deadline in talks.
“We are a seeing a recovery and a potential growth in trade and global growth but it is threatened by these tariffs,” she told reporters in Strasbourg, France. “We can see already tendencies of distortion of trade that affects the EU as well.”
Last month, U.S. President Donald Trump slapped tariffs of 25 percent on steel imports and 10 percent on imported aluminum, but granted the EU a temporary exemption until May 1. He also temporarily exempted big steel producers Canada and Mexico — provided they agree to renegotiate a North American trade deal to his satisfaction.
The EU has drawn up a list of “rebalancing” duties worth some 2.8 billion euros ($3.4 billion) to slap on U.S. products if it is not permanently excluded.
Describing the U.S. tariffs as “pure protectionism,” Malmstrom said the EU would not be strong-armed into giving up any sweeteners in exchange for a permanent exemption, amid rumors that Brussels might be preparing some kind of trade offer.
“We have not offered the U.S. anything. We are not going to offer them anything to get exceptions from tariffs that we consider are not in compliance with the WTO,” she said, referring to global trade’s governing body, the World Trade Organization.
“We expect to be permanently and unconditionally exempted from these measures,” said Malmstrom. She added that talks with Washington are continuing but that the EU has received no guarantees yet.
Malmstrom also expressed concern about trade tensions between the U.S. and China, describing a possible escalation as “something that could be very worrisome for the global economy.”
Her remarks came as the European Commission announced that it had wrapped up negotiations with Japan and Singapore on major trade and investment deals and that it hoped the new pacts can be endorsed by EU countries and enter force by late next year.
EU Commission Vice President Jyrki Katainen hailed them as a victory for rules-based trade and the multilateral system.
“It’s always worrisome if any of our partners are willing to take unilateral action against us, or against any of us,” he said, but he noted that “support for multilateralism has strengthened recently because of unilateral actions.”
Posted: 18 Apr 2018 02:47 AM PDT
(BRUSSELS) — Europe’s top trade official said Wednesday that new U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs are distorting global trade and could damage hopes for economic growth.
Cecilia Malmstrom, the European Union’s trade commissioner, also said the bloc would not offer any concessions in order to be exempt from the U.S. import duties ahead of a May 1 deadline in talks.
“We are a seeing a recovery and a potential growth in trade and global growth but it is threatened by these tariffs,” she told reporters in Strasbourg, France. “We can see already tendencies of distortion of trade that affects the EU as well.”
Last month, U.S. President Donald Trump slapped tariffs of 25 percent on steel imports and 10 percent on imported aluminum, but granted the EU a temporary exemption until May 1. He also temporarily exempted big steel producers Canada and Mexico — provided they agree to renegotiate a North American trade deal to his satisfaction.
The EU has drawn up a list of “rebalancing” duties worth some 2.8 billion euros ($3.4 billion) to slap on U.S. products if it is not permanently excluded.
Describing the U.S. tariffs as “pure protectionism,” Malmstrom said the EU would not be strong-armed into giving up any sweeteners in exchange for a permanent exemption, amid rumors that Brussels might be preparing some kind of trade offer.
“We have not offered the U.S. anything. We are not going to offer them anything to get exceptions from tariffs that we consider are not in compliance with the WTO,” she said, referring to global trade’s governing body, the World Trade Organization.
“We expect to be permanently and unconditionally exempted from these measures,” said Malmstrom. She added that talks with Washington are continuing but that the EU has received no guarantees yet.
Malmstrom also expressed concern about trade tensions between the U.S. and China, describing a possible escalation as “something that could be very worrisome for the global economy.”
Her remarks came as the European Commission announced that it had wrapped up negotiations with Japan and Singapore on major trade and investment deals and that it hoped the new pacts can be endorsed by EU countries and enter force by late next year.
EU Commission Vice President Jyrki Katainen hailed them as a victory for rules-based trade and the multilateral system.
“It’s always worrisome if any of our partners are willing to take unilateral action against us, or against any of us,” he said, but he noted that “support for multilateralism has strengthened recently because of unilateral actions.”
Southwest Airlines engine explosion linked to prior accident - BBC News
April 19, 2018
Southwest Airlines engine explosion linked to prior accident
Signs of metal fatigue were found where the fan blade separated from the engine, experts said
A mid-air engine explosion that punctured a passenger jet window has been linked to a similar incident in 2016, US investigations show.
A female passenger died after she was nearly sucked from the cabin of a Southwest Airlines flight travelling from New York to Dallas on Tuesday.
Investigators say there was a fault with the engine's fan blades - the cause of the incident two years ago.
US aviation authorities are to order inspections of similar jet engines.
Southwest Airlines Flight 1380, a Boeing 737 which was carrying 149 people, was forced to make an emergency landing at Philadelphia airport on Tuesday following a fault with one of its CFM56-7B engines.
An initial investigation found evidence of metal fatigue where a fan blade had broken off, according to the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
A similar incident was recorded in 2016 involving a Southwest flight that landed safely in Florida.
Fan blades that have undergone a certain number of flights will have to be given ultrasonic tests, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has said.
It added that the "airworthiness directive", which will require inspections of a large number of CFM56-7B engines, would be issued within the next two weeks.
The FAA
✔
@FAANews
#FAA Statement: Airworthiness Directive (AD) - Required Inspections of Certain CFM56-7B Engines.
10:15 AM - Apr 19, 2018 · Washington, DC
The CFM56-7B engine is in use on more than 8,000 Boeing 737 planes worldwide, the manufacturer says.
Last year, the FAA estimated that some 220 of these engines would require testing, having carried out a certain number of flights.
On Wednesday, other airlines that use planes fitted with the CFM56-7B engine, including United Airlines, American Airlines and Delta Air Lines, said they had begun inspecting some of their aircraft.
What have investigators said?
NTSB chairman Robert Sumwalt told reporters that a fan blade had broken off due to metal fatigue and that a second fracture had been recorded about halfway along its length.
He could not say if the incident indicated a fleet-wide issue with the Boeing 737-700.
The airliner made an emergency landing at Philadelphia International Airport
Mr Sumwalt also said a casing on the engine was meant to contain any parts that come loose but, due to the speed, the metal was able to penetrate the shell.
The FAA did not say how many engines would be inspected. It said that any fan blades that failed the inspection would have to be replaced.
In 2016, a Southwest Airlines flight made a safe emergency landing in Florida after a fan blade separated from a similar CFM engine.
Debris ripped a hole more than a foot long in the fuselage of the jet above the left wing, causing cabin decompression. An investigation into that incident also found signs of metal fatigue, according to the NTSB.
So what do we know about the engines?
They were developed by French-US joint venture CFM International, which says it is the "world's leading supplier of jet engines for single-aisle aircraft".
CFM's parent companies are sending 40 technicians to help Southwest inspect engines. French officials have also said they are travelling to the US to assist with the investigation.
In a statement, CFM expressed its condolences to the family of the woman who died.
Who was the victim?
Jennifer Riordan is the first passenger to die in an accident on a US commercial airliner since 2009
Jennifer Riordan was a 43-year-old mother-of-two and executive for Wells Fargo bank in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Shrapnel from the shredded engine smashed the window next to her causing rapid decompression in the cabin that nearly blasted her out of the jet.
Other passengers pulled her back in and tried to revive her but she died from her injuries.
Philadelphia's medical examiner said on Wednesday that Ms Riordan had died of blunt impact trauma to her head, neck and torso.
Seven other passengers were slightly injured.
Ms Riordan was the first passenger to die in an accident on a US commercial airliner since 2009.
Who piloted the aircraft?
Tammie Jo Shults flew fighter jets for the US Navy
Capt Tammie Jo Shults was hailed as a hero by passengers on the stricken flight.
On Wednesday, she and First Officer Darren Ellisor said in a written statement released by the airline: "As captain and first officer of the crew of five who worked to serve our customers aboard Flight 1380 yesterday, we all feel we were simply doing our jobs. Our hearts are heavy."
'American hero' lands stricken airliner
They said they were working with investigators and would not be talking to the media.
Air traffic control: "I'm sorry, you said there is a hole?"
Capt Shults, a New Mexico native, graduated with university degrees in biology and agribusiness before joining the military.
She served in the US Navy for 10 years and flew fighter jets before leaving active service in 1993 after achieving the rank of lieutenant commander.
Her husband, Dean Shults, is also a pilot for Southwest, according to a relative.
On social media, some compared the mother-of-two with Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, who glided a US Airways plane into New York's main waterway in 2009 in what became known as "The Miracle on the Hudson".
How did the drama unfold?
About 20 minutes after the twin-engine Boeing 737 took off, shrapnel pierced the passenger compartment causing the plane to lose pressure and rapidly descend.
With oxygen masks over their mouths, passengers screamed and braced for impact.
For a few seconds, the aircraft rolled to an angle of 41 degrees before levelling out and starting an emergency descent, federal investigators said on Wednesday.
"Southwest 1380, we're single engine," the pilot radioed to air traffic control.
"We have part of the aircraft missing so we're going to need to slow down a bit," she said, adding that some passengers had been hurt.
"Injured passengers, okay, and is your airplane physically on fire?" asks a male voice in the tower, according to a recording released by officials.
"No, it's not on fire, but part of it's missing," Capt Shults replies.
"They said there's a hole, and uh, someone went out," she calmly adds.
Southwest Airlines engine explosion linked to prior accident
Signs of metal fatigue were found where the fan blade separated from the engine, experts said
A mid-air engine explosion that punctured a passenger jet window has been linked to a similar incident in 2016, US investigations show.
A female passenger died after she was nearly sucked from the cabin of a Southwest Airlines flight travelling from New York to Dallas on Tuesday.
Investigators say there was a fault with the engine's fan blades - the cause of the incident two years ago.
US aviation authorities are to order inspections of similar jet engines.
Southwest Airlines Flight 1380, a Boeing 737 which was carrying 149 people, was forced to make an emergency landing at Philadelphia airport on Tuesday following a fault with one of its CFM56-7B engines.
An initial investigation found evidence of metal fatigue where a fan blade had broken off, according to the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
A similar incident was recorded in 2016 involving a Southwest flight that landed safely in Florida.
Fan blades that have undergone a certain number of flights will have to be given ultrasonic tests, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has said.
It added that the "airworthiness directive", which will require inspections of a large number of CFM56-7B engines, would be issued within the next two weeks.
The FAA
✔
@FAANews
#FAA Statement: Airworthiness Directive (AD) - Required Inspections of Certain CFM56-7B Engines.
10:15 AM - Apr 19, 2018 · Washington, DC
The CFM56-7B engine is in use on more than 8,000 Boeing 737 planes worldwide, the manufacturer says.
Last year, the FAA estimated that some 220 of these engines would require testing, having carried out a certain number of flights.
On Wednesday, other airlines that use planes fitted with the CFM56-7B engine, including United Airlines, American Airlines and Delta Air Lines, said they had begun inspecting some of their aircraft.
What have investigators said?
NTSB chairman Robert Sumwalt told reporters that a fan blade had broken off due to metal fatigue and that a second fracture had been recorded about halfway along its length.
He could not say if the incident indicated a fleet-wide issue with the Boeing 737-700.
The airliner made an emergency landing at Philadelphia International Airport
Mr Sumwalt also said a casing on the engine was meant to contain any parts that come loose but, due to the speed, the metal was able to penetrate the shell.
The FAA did not say how many engines would be inspected. It said that any fan blades that failed the inspection would have to be replaced.
In 2016, a Southwest Airlines flight made a safe emergency landing in Florida after a fan blade separated from a similar CFM engine.
Debris ripped a hole more than a foot long in the fuselage of the jet above the left wing, causing cabin decompression. An investigation into that incident also found signs of metal fatigue, according to the NTSB.
So what do we know about the engines?
They were developed by French-US joint venture CFM International, which says it is the "world's leading supplier of jet engines for single-aisle aircraft".
CFM's parent companies are sending 40 technicians to help Southwest inspect engines. French officials have also said they are travelling to the US to assist with the investigation.
In a statement, CFM expressed its condolences to the family of the woman who died.
Who was the victim?
Jennifer Riordan is the first passenger to die in an accident on a US commercial airliner since 2009
Jennifer Riordan was a 43-year-old mother-of-two and executive for Wells Fargo bank in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Shrapnel from the shredded engine smashed the window next to her causing rapid decompression in the cabin that nearly blasted her out of the jet.
Other passengers pulled her back in and tried to revive her but she died from her injuries.
Philadelphia's medical examiner said on Wednesday that Ms Riordan had died of blunt impact trauma to her head, neck and torso.
Seven other passengers were slightly injured.
Ms Riordan was the first passenger to die in an accident on a US commercial airliner since 2009.
Who piloted the aircraft?
Tammie Jo Shults flew fighter jets for the US Navy
Capt Tammie Jo Shults was hailed as a hero by passengers on the stricken flight.
On Wednesday, she and First Officer Darren Ellisor said in a written statement released by the airline: "As captain and first officer of the crew of five who worked to serve our customers aboard Flight 1380 yesterday, we all feel we were simply doing our jobs. Our hearts are heavy."
'American hero' lands stricken airliner
They said they were working with investigators and would not be talking to the media.
Air traffic control: "I'm sorry, you said there is a hole?"
Capt Shults, a New Mexico native, graduated with university degrees in biology and agribusiness before joining the military.
She served in the US Navy for 10 years and flew fighter jets before leaving active service in 1993 after achieving the rank of lieutenant commander.
Her husband, Dean Shults, is also a pilot for Southwest, according to a relative.
On social media, some compared the mother-of-two with Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, who glided a US Airways plane into New York's main waterway in 2009 in what became known as "The Miracle on the Hudson".
How did the drama unfold?
About 20 minutes after the twin-engine Boeing 737 took off, shrapnel pierced the passenger compartment causing the plane to lose pressure and rapidly descend.
With oxygen masks over their mouths, passengers screamed and braced for impact.
For a few seconds, the aircraft rolled to an angle of 41 degrees before levelling out and starting an emergency descent, federal investigators said on Wednesday.
"Southwest 1380, we're single engine," the pilot radioed to air traffic control.
"We have part of the aircraft missing so we're going to need to slow down a bit," she said, adding that some passengers had been hurt.
"Injured passengers, okay, and is your airplane physically on fire?" asks a male voice in the tower, according to a recording released by officials.
"No, it's not on fire, but part of it's missing," Capt Shults replies.
"They said there's a hole, and uh, someone went out," she calmly adds.
Donald Trump's double threat to global free trade - BBC News
Donald Trump's double threat to global free trade
By Jonty Bloom
Business correspondent, BBC News, Geneva
19 April 2018
WTO: An organisation under threat?
Sitting grandly on the banks of Switzerland's Lake Geneva is the headquarters of the World Trade Organization (WTO), a free trade factory.
Here the world's nations meet to hammer out trade deals and reduce tariffs - taxes charged on imported goods.
But the system, which has been working in various guises since the 1940s, is under threat from two sides.
The USA has announced tariffs on imports of foreign steel and aluminium on the grounds of national security, and it is refusing to appoint new members to the WTO's appellate body that settles disputes.
These developments come as the WTO is of increasing importance to the UK. At the moment it is represented by the EU, but after Brexit the UK will negotiate on its own account. This should give the UK the ability to negotiate deals more specifically designed to suit it.
The downside is that the UK will no longer belong to the biggest single trading economy in the world - the EU.
Brexit consequences
The first job of the newly increased UK team at the WTO will be to negotiate a "schedule", an extensive list of goods, and the tariffs to be paid on them; ranging from avocados to zips.
The UK assumed it could just inherit the EU's schedule. The trouble is that this requires the consent of other countries, and some of them have said no.
Image caption
After Brexit the UK will negotiate on its own account at the WTO
Take New Zealand, for instance. At the moment it can sell 228,000 tonnes of lamb and mutton to the EU every year, with no tariffs. The UK and the EU decided to split that quota between them, but New Zealand objected.
David Walker, is New Zealand's ambassador to the WTO: "Yes, we and a range of other WTO members made clear that a simple quota split like that is not acceptable to us."
The reason is simple. At the moment New Zealand can sell that lamb anywhere in the EU, so it loses flexibility if it has to sell some in the UK and the rest of the EU.
Lamb exports have been a key part of New Zealand's economy since the late 19th Century
The UK can probably get round such problems, by offering countries like New Zealand a better deal. But there are other clouds on the horizon. For a start, the WTO hasn't managed to negotiate a global cut in tariffs for decades for one simple reason - every single country has a veto.
Ieva Barsauskaite, from the Lithuanian delegation to the WTO, warns me that getting all 164 countries on board is not easy.
"Get 164 friends of yours to one place, decide on a dinner, decide on one dish for all, and include the single mothers, the teenagers, retired veterans and everyone with a dog, and people with allergies - that's how the trade deals are being made here," she says.
Image caption
Getting all the WTO's 164 members to agree on an issue is difficult, says Lithuania's Ieva Barsauskaite
For the UK, which is hoping to breathe new life into the WTO, that is not very encouraging. But there are bigger problems.
Trade war threat
Donald Trump's decision to impose tariffs on steel and aluminium is a game changer, not because this hasn't been done before - it has. But because he has done so on "national security" grounds - the one WTO rule that cannot be challenged.
All countries can take actions to guarantee their national security, but are only expected to do so at times of real crisis, like a real war.
But now in peacetime, President Trump has cited national security as a reason for tariffs. If others follow suit the escalation could be impossible to stop or reverse.
The risk is that a trade war could trigger an economic recession, says WTO boss Roberto Azevedo
No wonder that Roberto Azevedo, the WTO's director-general, is worried: "Just the threat of a trade war is already damaging," he told the BBC.
"But if this escalation goes on, and on, and on, you may have something very, very damaging - even the possibility of a recession. And if you look back in history, you know, in the 1930s, that's exactly where it led.
"That is why I have been saying, 'stick to the rules, do things according to the rules', because if others don't like it, there are mechanisms to take care of that," he says.
No appeal court
But those mechanisms themselves are also now under threat. The WTO's appellate body has been solving problems for more than 20 years, and its decisions have to be accepted by all members of the WTO. There is no veto.
Under President Trump, the US has been blocking appointments to the WTO's appellate body
But the appellate body is rapidly running out of members, as the US is blocking new appointments in an argument over their role. It needs a bare minimum of three members, though six or seven would be much better - at the moment it has just four.
"For over a year, it's not been possible to get a consensus amongst members to initiate the process for filling vacancies," says the WTO's director of legal affairs, John Adank.
"So, if this impasse continues, the risk is that the appellate body won't be in a position to function, because if it gets down to three or fewer members, it could be difficult to hear appeals."
Global Trade
More from the BBC's series taking an international perspective on trade:
Carmakers fear rising trade barriers after Brexit
'Little price impact' from axing EU tariffs
UK to seek exemption from US steel tariffs
We don't want wall with UK - EU's Tusk
Airbus warns of Brexit parts supply risk
The tranquil setting of the WTO, with its well-oiled collegiate atmosphere, has a comforting and comfortable feel to it, but it was based on a post-war consensus that has lasted ever since 1945.
President Trump has helped destroy that consensus - that there is a contract that everyone agrees to - with a few tweets and the threat of a trade war; putting the future purpose of the WTO in its castle on the shores of Lake Geneva in serious doubt.
By Jonty Bloom
Business correspondent, BBC News, Geneva
19 April 2018
WTO: An organisation under threat?
Sitting grandly on the banks of Switzerland's Lake Geneva is the headquarters of the World Trade Organization (WTO), a free trade factory.
Here the world's nations meet to hammer out trade deals and reduce tariffs - taxes charged on imported goods.
But the system, which has been working in various guises since the 1940s, is under threat from two sides.
The USA has announced tariffs on imports of foreign steel and aluminium on the grounds of national security, and it is refusing to appoint new members to the WTO's appellate body that settles disputes.
These developments come as the WTO is of increasing importance to the UK. At the moment it is represented by the EU, but after Brexit the UK will negotiate on its own account. This should give the UK the ability to negotiate deals more specifically designed to suit it.
The downside is that the UK will no longer belong to the biggest single trading economy in the world - the EU.
Brexit consequences
The first job of the newly increased UK team at the WTO will be to negotiate a "schedule", an extensive list of goods, and the tariffs to be paid on them; ranging from avocados to zips.
The UK assumed it could just inherit the EU's schedule. The trouble is that this requires the consent of other countries, and some of them have said no.
Image caption
After Brexit the UK will negotiate on its own account at the WTO
Take New Zealand, for instance. At the moment it can sell 228,000 tonnes of lamb and mutton to the EU every year, with no tariffs. The UK and the EU decided to split that quota between them, but New Zealand objected.
David Walker, is New Zealand's ambassador to the WTO: "Yes, we and a range of other WTO members made clear that a simple quota split like that is not acceptable to us."
The reason is simple. At the moment New Zealand can sell that lamb anywhere in the EU, so it loses flexibility if it has to sell some in the UK and the rest of the EU.
Lamb exports have been a key part of New Zealand's economy since the late 19th Century
The UK can probably get round such problems, by offering countries like New Zealand a better deal. But there are other clouds on the horizon. For a start, the WTO hasn't managed to negotiate a global cut in tariffs for decades for one simple reason - every single country has a veto.
Ieva Barsauskaite, from the Lithuanian delegation to the WTO, warns me that getting all 164 countries on board is not easy.
"Get 164 friends of yours to one place, decide on a dinner, decide on one dish for all, and include the single mothers, the teenagers, retired veterans and everyone with a dog, and people with allergies - that's how the trade deals are being made here," she says.
Image caption
Getting all the WTO's 164 members to agree on an issue is difficult, says Lithuania's Ieva Barsauskaite
For the UK, which is hoping to breathe new life into the WTO, that is not very encouraging. But there are bigger problems.
Trade war threat
Donald Trump's decision to impose tariffs on steel and aluminium is a game changer, not because this hasn't been done before - it has. But because he has done so on "national security" grounds - the one WTO rule that cannot be challenged.
All countries can take actions to guarantee their national security, but are only expected to do so at times of real crisis, like a real war.
But now in peacetime, President Trump has cited national security as a reason for tariffs. If others follow suit the escalation could be impossible to stop or reverse.
The risk is that a trade war could trigger an economic recession, says WTO boss Roberto Azevedo
No wonder that Roberto Azevedo, the WTO's director-general, is worried: "Just the threat of a trade war is already damaging," he told the BBC.
"But if this escalation goes on, and on, and on, you may have something very, very damaging - even the possibility of a recession. And if you look back in history, you know, in the 1930s, that's exactly where it led.
"That is why I have been saying, 'stick to the rules, do things according to the rules', because if others don't like it, there are mechanisms to take care of that," he says.
No appeal court
But those mechanisms themselves are also now under threat. The WTO's appellate body has been solving problems for more than 20 years, and its decisions have to be accepted by all members of the WTO. There is no veto.
Under President Trump, the US has been blocking appointments to the WTO's appellate body
But the appellate body is rapidly running out of members, as the US is blocking new appointments in an argument over their role. It needs a bare minimum of three members, though six or seven would be much better - at the moment it has just four.
"For over a year, it's not been possible to get a consensus amongst members to initiate the process for filling vacancies," says the WTO's director of legal affairs, John Adank.
"So, if this impasse continues, the risk is that the appellate body won't be in a position to function, because if it gets down to three or fewer members, it could be difficult to hear appeals."
Global Trade
More from the BBC's series taking an international perspective on trade:
Carmakers fear rising trade barriers after Brexit
'Little price impact' from axing EU tariffs
UK to seek exemption from US steel tariffs
We don't want wall with UK - EU's Tusk
Airbus warns of Brexit parts supply risk
The tranquil setting of the WTO, with its well-oiled collegiate atmosphere, has a comforting and comfortable feel to it, but it was based on a post-war consensus that has lasted ever since 1945.
President Trump has helped destroy that consensus - that there is a contract that everyone agrees to - with a few tweets and the threat of a trade war; putting the future purpose of the WTO in its castle on the shores of Lake Geneva in serious doubt.
Trump 'will walk out' if North Korea talks not fruitful - BBC News
April 19, 2018
Trump 'will walk out' if North Korea talks not fruitful
Trump on North Korea meeting
US President Donald Trump says that if his planned talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un are not fruitful he will "walk out".
At a joint news conference, he and Japanese PM Shinzo Abe said maximum pressure must be maintained on North Korea over nuclear disarmament.
Mr Abe is at the president's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida for talks.
Earlier, Mr Trump confirmed that CIA Director Mike Pompeo had made a secret trip to North Korea to meet Mr Kim.
He said Mr Pompeo had forged a "good relationship" with Mr Kim - whom the US president was last year calling "little rocket man" - and that the meeting had gone "very smoothly".
The visit marked the highest-level contact between the US and North Korea since 2000.
North Korea crisis in 300 words
The political gamble of the 21st Century
Mr Trump is expected to hold a summit with Mr Kim by June. Details, including a location, are still being worked out.
Meanwhile, South Korean president Moon Jae-in is set to meet Mr Kim next week.
Speaking on Thursday, Mr Moon said North Korea had said it was ready for "complete denuclearisation", and called for "bold imagination and creative solutions" to ensure the Koreas summit and the Trump-Kim summit would succeed.
What was said about the Trump-Kim summit?
President Trump said at the joint news conference that if he did not think the meeting would be successful he would not go, and if the meeting went ahead but was not productive, he would walk out.
"Our campaign of maximum pressure will continue until North Korea denuclearises," he added.
How to talk to North Korea
"As I've said before, there is a bright path available to North Korea when it achieves denuclearisation in a complete and verifiable and irreversible way. It would be a great day for them, it would be a great day for the world."
What else was discussed?
On trade, Mr Trump and Mr Abe agreed to start talks on "free, fair and reciprocal trade deals".
Mr Trump said the US remained opposed to rejoining the Trans Pacific Partnership unless Japan and other parties to the trade pact offered "a deal that I can't refuse".
What is the TPP and why does it matter?
The US president did not exempt Japan from punitive steel and aluminium tariffs, as he has done for other US allies.
Turning to North Korea, Mr Abe said he had urged President Trump to help bring about the release of Japanese citizens kidnapped by North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s.
Megumi Yokota was 13 when she was kidnapped by North Korean agents on her way home from school
North Korea has admitted to abducting 13 Japanese citizens in the 1970s and 1980s to train its spies in Japanese language and customs. Japan believes the real figure is much higher.
Some of the abductees were eventually returned to Japan. Pyongyang says the others are dead - something Japan does not accept.
The youngest abductee was Megumi Yokota, who was snatched by agents when she was 13.
South Korea says about 500 of its citizens - most of them fishermen - have been abducted by North Korea since the 1950-1953 Korean War. Those kidnapped were reportedly used for propaganda activities or intelligence gathering.
South Korean film director Shin Sang-ok and actress Choe Eun-hui were abducted in the 1970s and forced to make films for Pyongyang, until they escaped.
Actress kidnapped by North Korea dies
Abducted S Korean back from North
North Korea abductee meeting praised
Three US citizens are also being held in North Korea.
Mr Trump said the US would "work very hard" to try to bring the Japanese abductees home.
"We are likewise fighting very diligently to get the three American citizens back," Mr Trump added.
"I think there's a good chance of doing it. We're having very good dialogue."
What do we know about Mike Pompeo's meeting?
The secret trip took place after Mr Pompeo was nominated by President Trump to replace Rex Tillerson as secretary of state.
No details are known about the talks other than that they were to prepare for the forthcoming Trump-Kim summit.
The aim of Mr Pompeo's mission was to pave the way for a Trump-Kim summit
Mr Pompeo is expected to be confirmed as the top US diplomat by the Republican-controlled Senate in the coming weeks, although Democratic opposition to the conservative's candidacy is strong.
Senator Robert Menendez, the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, said he did not think Mr Pompeo's "past sentiments" reflected American values.
The hawkish CIA chief's opposition to same-sex marriage has come under scrutiny and he has also made controversial remarks about Islam.
When and where might a Trump-Kim summit take place?
Mr Trump surprised the international community last month by accepting Pyongyang's suggestion for direct talks. It would be unprecedented for a sitting US president to meet a North Korean leader.
He has said the summit will take place either in early June or "a little before that" and that several sites are under consideration.
Experts have speculated that a location for talks could be the Demilitarised Zone between North and South Korea, another Asian country, or a neutral European country.
North Korea has been isolated for decades because of its human rights abuses and pursuit of nuclear weapons, in defiance of international laws and UN sanctions.
It has carried out six nuclear tests, and has missiles that it says could reach the US.
But South Korea's hosting of the Winter Olympics in February gave an unexpected window for diplomacy, and in the weeks since there have been a flurry of visits to the North from China, South Korea and now the US.
Trump 'will walk out' if North Korea talks not fruitful
Trump on North Korea meeting
US President Donald Trump says that if his planned talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un are not fruitful he will "walk out".
At a joint news conference, he and Japanese PM Shinzo Abe said maximum pressure must be maintained on North Korea over nuclear disarmament.
Mr Abe is at the president's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida for talks.
Earlier, Mr Trump confirmed that CIA Director Mike Pompeo had made a secret trip to North Korea to meet Mr Kim.
He said Mr Pompeo had forged a "good relationship" with Mr Kim - whom the US president was last year calling "little rocket man" - and that the meeting had gone "very smoothly".
The visit marked the highest-level contact between the US and North Korea since 2000.
North Korea crisis in 300 words
The political gamble of the 21st Century
Mr Trump is expected to hold a summit with Mr Kim by June. Details, including a location, are still being worked out.
Meanwhile, South Korean president Moon Jae-in is set to meet Mr Kim next week.
Speaking on Thursday, Mr Moon said North Korea had said it was ready for "complete denuclearisation", and called for "bold imagination and creative solutions" to ensure the Koreas summit and the Trump-Kim summit would succeed.
What was said about the Trump-Kim summit?
President Trump said at the joint news conference that if he did not think the meeting would be successful he would not go, and if the meeting went ahead but was not productive, he would walk out.
"Our campaign of maximum pressure will continue until North Korea denuclearises," he added.
How to talk to North Korea
"As I've said before, there is a bright path available to North Korea when it achieves denuclearisation in a complete and verifiable and irreversible way. It would be a great day for them, it would be a great day for the world."
What else was discussed?
On trade, Mr Trump and Mr Abe agreed to start talks on "free, fair and reciprocal trade deals".
Mr Trump said the US remained opposed to rejoining the Trans Pacific Partnership unless Japan and other parties to the trade pact offered "a deal that I can't refuse".
What is the TPP and why does it matter?
The US president did not exempt Japan from punitive steel and aluminium tariffs, as he has done for other US allies.
Turning to North Korea, Mr Abe said he had urged President Trump to help bring about the release of Japanese citizens kidnapped by North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s.
Megumi Yokota was 13 when she was kidnapped by North Korean agents on her way home from school
North Korea has admitted to abducting 13 Japanese citizens in the 1970s and 1980s to train its spies in Japanese language and customs. Japan believes the real figure is much higher.
Some of the abductees were eventually returned to Japan. Pyongyang says the others are dead - something Japan does not accept.
The youngest abductee was Megumi Yokota, who was snatched by agents when she was 13.
South Korea says about 500 of its citizens - most of them fishermen - have been abducted by North Korea since the 1950-1953 Korean War. Those kidnapped were reportedly used for propaganda activities or intelligence gathering.
South Korean film director Shin Sang-ok and actress Choe Eun-hui were abducted in the 1970s and forced to make films for Pyongyang, until they escaped.
Actress kidnapped by North Korea dies
Abducted S Korean back from North
North Korea abductee meeting praised
Three US citizens are also being held in North Korea.
Mr Trump said the US would "work very hard" to try to bring the Japanese abductees home.
"We are likewise fighting very diligently to get the three American citizens back," Mr Trump added.
"I think there's a good chance of doing it. We're having very good dialogue."
What do we know about Mike Pompeo's meeting?
The secret trip took place after Mr Pompeo was nominated by President Trump to replace Rex Tillerson as secretary of state.
No details are known about the talks other than that they were to prepare for the forthcoming Trump-Kim summit.
The aim of Mr Pompeo's mission was to pave the way for a Trump-Kim summit
Mr Pompeo is expected to be confirmed as the top US diplomat by the Republican-controlled Senate in the coming weeks, although Democratic opposition to the conservative's candidacy is strong.
Senator Robert Menendez, the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, said he did not think Mr Pompeo's "past sentiments" reflected American values.
The hawkish CIA chief's opposition to same-sex marriage has come under scrutiny and he has also made controversial remarks about Islam.
When and where might a Trump-Kim summit take place?
Mr Trump surprised the international community last month by accepting Pyongyang's suggestion for direct talks. It would be unprecedented for a sitting US president to meet a North Korean leader.
He has said the summit will take place either in early June or "a little before that" and that several sites are under consideration.
Experts have speculated that a location for talks could be the Demilitarised Zone between North and South Korea, another Asian country, or a neutral European country.
North Korea has been isolated for decades because of its human rights abuses and pursuit of nuclear weapons, in defiance of international laws and UN sanctions.
It has carried out six nuclear tests, and has missiles that it says could reach the US.
But South Korea's hosting of the Winter Olympics in February gave an unexpected window for diplomacy, and in the weeks since there have been a flurry of visits to the North from China, South Korea and now the US.
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