Senate intelligence committee hearing of former FBI Director James Comey - CNN

Washington (CNN) - The Senate intelligence committee hearing of former FBI Director James Comey was already going to be a blockbuster before it even started -- with Comey stating in pre-written testimony Wednesday that President Donald Trump urged him to drop his investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn.

But while it may seem that Comey's decision to release his testimony a day early actually upstages his own appearance, in reality he gave senators a running start to come up with more pointed, probing questions for him when they all take the national stage Thursday morning.

Here are five things to watch for Thursday:

1. The former FBI director will testify under oath that the President asked him to drop an investigation into one of his top allies

It's impossible to lose sight of the most important items to emerge from the Russia investigations thus far: Trump asked Comey to stop investigating Flynn.

If you're a Democrat, that sounds like obstruction of justice (and possible grounds for impeachment.) If you're a Republican, it may sound like a political novice asking his aide to help one of his friends. But it is one of the most important, and prominent, developments in the sprawling web of the Russia investigations.

And Comey is poised Thursday to take that fact out of the realm of anonymous (and accurate) reporting and formally place it in the record publicly, under threat of perjury if it's not true.

Comey, in detail, relays how Trump asked all of his top advisers to leave a February 14 meeting in the Oval Office -- one by one -- until he was alone with Comey. After explaining that he wanted to talk about Flynn, Trump said he wanted Comey to "let this go."

Comey writes, "He then said, 'I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go. He is a good guy. I hope you can let this go.'"

2. But is it obstruction of justice?

Watch for a battle between Democrats and Republicans over how to characterize Trump's request of Comey -- as well as Trump's other requests, like his repeatedly asking Comey for his loyalty.

Democrats on the Senate Intelligence Committee were mum Tuesday, as they left a classified briefing after Comey's testimony went public. But their counterparts on the House Russia investigation clearly thought the testimony could prove obstruction of justice by Trump.

Democrats on the Senate Intelligence Committee were mum Tuesday, as they left a classified briefing after Comey's testimony went public. But their counterparts on the House Russia investigation clearly thought the testimony could prove obstruction of justice by Trump.

"Congress must now determine whether the Director's refusal to do either -- or any other motivation to interfere with or obstruct any part of the Russia investigation -- led ultimately to Comey's firing," Schiff said in a statement.

Senate intelligence committee Chairman Richad Burr, who has taken a firm and methodical stance leading the Russia investigation, said Tuesday that his quick reading of Comey's testimony showed no wrongdoing, but that could change.

"I don't think from what I've read there's any evidence of wrongdoing," Burr told reporters. "I will match that against his verbal testimony and weigh that against the evidence to date."

3. 'Trump was right'

That was the comment from the Republican National Committee after Comey's testimony was released and, for one very key point, it is dead on: Trump is correct that Comey told him multiple times the FBI was not investigating him personally.

The first (and only) comment from Trump's newly appointed spokesman and lawyer on all things involving Russia, Marc Kasowitz, hammered home that they feel "totally vindicated."

"The President is pleased that Mr. Comey has finally publicly confirmed his private reports that the President was not under investigation in any Russian probe. The President feels completely and totally vindicated. He is eager to continue to move forward with his agenda," Kasowitz said in a statement.

That fact is only one tree in a Siberian forest that is filled with bad news for Trump. But it's still a glimmer of good news in the story that has cast an omnipresent cloud over Trump's administration.

4. Can senators extract more from Comey in public?

Comey is a veteran at testifying before Congress -- having filled the role now held by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein more than a decade ago and testified regularly as the FBI director. He has frequently offered up important nuggets -- but also has a plethora of ways to say, ever so politely, that he will not answer a question.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a veteran member of the Senate Intelligence Committee and former chairwoman of the panel, hinted at this in an interview with CNN's Dana Bash Tuesday.

"It's seven pages of very fine print and what it describes is a professional law enforcement person, who is Jim Comey, who comes up against a president who knows no limits in terms of a proper relationship," Feinstein said Tuesday of Comey's testimony. "It was really pretty remarkable that he put this in writing (the night before the hearing.) We will see how much he's prepared to do verbally."

Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the committee, meanwhile was scheduled to spend Wednesday afternoon and early evening preparing his questions for Comey.

5. Other Comey surprises

Comey's recent hearings on the Hill -- before he was fired -- had offered some very stunning revelations.

On March 20, he revealed publicly that the FBI had been investigating the Trump campaign since last July -- in a House hearing which prefaced the House investigation almost spiraling out of control.

And just a week before he was fired -- Comey told the Senate Judiciary Committee that he decided to publicly announce his findings in the Clinton email investigation after watching Bill Clinton board a plane with then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch. (However, later reporting revealed that Comey actually acted based on Russian misinformation alleging collusion between the Clinton campaign and the Obama Justice Department.)

In short: Comey's public hearings tend to be explosive news-fests.

CNN News

North Korea blasts Trump as 'silly,' 'ignorant' over Paris Accord withdrawal - ABC News

North Korea blasts Trump as 'silly,' 'ignorant' over Paris Accord withdrawal

• By CONOR FINNEGAN 

Jun 7, 2017, 7:17 PM ET

WATCH How will withdrawing from the Paris Accord affect Trump?

Short-sighted, silly, selfish, and dangerous.

That's how President Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris climate accord is being described -- but not by the European leaders who urged Trump to stay in the agreement or the Pacific island nationsthat are demanding action as rising sea levels threaten their coastlines.

Those are the words of North Korea.

The regime in Pyongyang issued a scorching statement through its official news agency KCNA on Tuesday, blasting Trump's decision that, it said, comes "at the cost of the entire planet."

"The selfish act of the U.S. does not only have grave consequences for the international efforts to protect the environment, but poses great danger to other areas as well," said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The statement goes on to criticize Trump's "America first" foreign policy, and calls the withdrawal, "the height of egoism and moral vacuum seeking only their own well-being ... a short-sighted and silly decision ignorant of the fact that the protection of the global environment is in their own interests."

While the White House has refused to say whether or not Trump believes that climate change is real, Kim Jong Un's regime makes clear its position.

"Global warming is one of the gravest challenges the humankind is facing today," it said.

North Korea signed the historic accord, and in withdrawing, the U.S. joins only two other countries who stand outside it -- Nicaragua, which refused because it believed the agreement did not go far enough, and the only country that may be more isolated diplomatically than North Korea: Syria.

Trump Risks Diplomatic Fight With U.K. After Targeting London Mayor With ‘Pathetic’ Tweet - Bloomberg

Trump Risks Diplomatic Fight With U.K. After Targeting London Mayor With ‘Pathetic’ Tweet

by Robert Hutton and Svenja O'Donnell

6 June 2017, 1:11 am AEST

6 June 2017, 10:58 am AEST

• U.S. president repeats attacks on Khan following terror attack
  
• May, facing election, calls earlier Trump remark ‘wrong’
  

Donald Trump risked provoking a diplomatic row with one of the U.S.’s closest allies, and embarrassing Prime Minister Theresa May ahead of a general election, as he amplified his mockery of London Mayor Sadiq Khan over a terrorist attack that killed seven people.

The president first went after Khan, one of Britain’s most prominent Muslims, on Sunday over the mayor’s statement that people had “no reason to be alarmed.” Khan had been referring to the increased presence of armed police on London’s streets in the wake of the attack. Trump lashed out again Monday.

Pathetic excuse by London Mayor Sadiq Khan who had to think fast on his "no reason to be alarmed" statement. MSM is working hard to sell it!

11:49 PM - 5 Jun 2017

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“Pathetic excuse by London Mayor Sadiq Khan who had to think fast on his ‘no reason to be alarmed’ statement,” the president tweeted. Mainstream media -- or MSM -- “is working hard to sell it!”

Trump’s escalation, as the U.K.’s capital city returns to normal after the London Bridge attack, puts May in a difficult position in the closing stages of a tightening election race. She has already taken criticism for her decision to get as close as possible to the president, even holding his hand as the two of them walked through the White House in January.

Earlier on Monday, before the president’s latest outburst, May was pushed hard before saying he was “wrong” to attack Khan. After avoiding several attempts by reporters to get her to condemn the U.S. president, May was asked what it would take for her to criticize Trump.

‘It’s Wrong’

Instead, she reiterated her disappointment over his decision to pull out of the Paris Agreement on climate change. After some further heckling, she went further. “Sadiq Khan is doing a good job,” she told a news conference in central London. “It’s wrong to say anything else.”

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said that “picking a fight with the mayor of London” was not the president’s intent, and that instead Trump was simply trying to argue that “we have to be more committed to national security.” Pressed on whether the comments could strain the relationship between the two countries in the aftermath of the terror attacks, Sanders said Trump was “extremely clear that we stand in complete solidarity” with London.

Sanders also denied that Trump had taken the mayor’s remarks out of context, without providing an alternate explanation for what the president meant. She dismissed suggestions Trump may be targeting Khan because of his Muslim heritage as “utterly ridiculous.”

The mayor’s constituents were not impressed. “Most Londoners are disgusted by the offensive way Donald Trump has chosen to speak about our mayor, who’s provided such strong leadership at this time,” Diane Abbott, Labour home affairs spokeswoman, on Sky News.

State Visit

Trump is due to make a state visit to London later this year as Britain tries to persuade him to sign a post-Brexit trade deal. That offer from May has already been the subject of protests. Following his comments about the London Bridge attack, Tim Farron, leader of the Liberal Democrat party, said the invitation should be withdrawn.

Asked about the state visit in an interview with Channel 4 News, Khan replied, “I don’t think we should be rolling out the red carpet to the president of the USA in the circumstances where his policies go against everything we stand for.”

At least 7 dead and 48 wounded in terror attack and Mayor of London says there is "no reason to be alarmed!"

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He said Britain’s relationship with the U.S. should be like a close friendship: “you stand with them in times of adversity and call them out when they’re wrong and there are many things about which Donald Trump is wrong.”

Khan brushed aside a question about the U.S. president’s criticism. “I haven’t got time to respond to tweets from Donald Trump.”

Last week Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn described the prime minister’s position as “subservience” to the president. In a speech on Monday, he asked: “Do we want a country that will say to Donald Trump, ‘You are wrong’?”

Donald Trump risked provoking a diplomatic row with one of the U.S.’s closest allies, and embarrassing Prime Minister Theresa May ahead of a general election, as he amplified his mockery of London Mayor Sadiq Khan over a terrorist attack that killed seven people.

The president first went after Khan, one of Britain’s most prominent Muslims, on Sunday over the mayor’s statement that people had “no reason to be alarmed.” Khan had been referring to the increased presence of armed police on London’s streets in the wake of the attack. Trump lashed out again Monday.

Pathetic excuse by London Mayor Sadiq Khan who had to think fast on his "no reason to be alarmed" statement. MSM is working hard to sell it!

11:49 PM - 5 Jun 2017

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“Pathetic excuse by London Mayor Sadiq Khan who had to think fast on his ‘no reason to be alarmed’ statement,” the president tweeted. Mainstream media -- or MSM -- “is working hard to sell it!”

Trump’s escalation, as the U.K.’s capital city returns to normal after the London Bridge attack, puts May in a difficult position in the closing stages of a tightening election race. She has already taken criticism for her decision to get as close as possible to the president, even holding his hand as the two of them walked through the White House in January.

Earlier on Monday, before the president’s latest outburst, May was pushed hard before saying he was “wrong” to attack Khan. After avoiding several attempts by reporters to get her to condemn the U.S. president, May was asked what it would take for her to criticize Trump.

‘It’s Wrong’

Instead, she reiterated her disappointment over his decision to pull out of the Paris Agreement on climate change. After some further heckling, she went further. “Sadiq Khan is doing a good job,” she told a news conference in central London. “It’s wrong to say anything else.”

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said that “picking a fight with the mayor of London” was not the president’s intent, and that instead Trump was simply trying to argue that “we have to be more committed to national security.” Pressed on whether the comments could strain the relationship between the two countries in the aftermath of the terror attacks, Sanders said Trump was “extremely clear that we stand in complete solidarity” with London.

Sanders also denied that Trump had taken the mayor’s remarks out of context, without providing an alternate explanation for what the president meant. She dismissed suggestions Trump may be targeting Khan because of his Muslim heritage as “utterly ridiculous.”

The mayor’s constituents were not impressed. “Most Londoners are disgusted by the offensive way Donald Trump has chosen to speak about our mayor, who’s provided such strong leadership at this time,” Diane Abbott, Labour home affairs spokeswoman, on Sky News.

State Visit

Trump is due to make a state visit to London later this year as Britain tries to persuade him to sign a post-Brexit trade deal. That offer from May has already been the subject of protests. Following his comments about the London Bridge attack, Tim Farron, leader of the Liberal Democrat party, said the invitation should be withdrawn.

Asked about the state visit in an interview with Channel 4 News, Khan replied, “I don’t think we should be rolling out the red carpet to the president of the USA in the circumstances where his policies go against everything we stand for.”

At least 7 dead and 48 wounded in terror attack and Mayor of London says there is "no reason to be alarmed!"

9:31 PM - 4 Jun 2017

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He said Britain’s relationship with the U.S. should be like a close friendship: “you stand with them in times of adversity and call them out when they’re wrong and there are many things about which Donald Trump is wrong.”

Khan brushed aside a question about the U.S. president’s criticism. “I haven’t got time to respond to tweets from Donald Trump.”

Last week Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn described the prime minister’s position as “subservience” to the president. In a speech on Monday, he asked: “Do we want a country that will say to Donald Trump, ‘You are wrong’?”

While British officials can point to a need to be diplomatic with the U.S., May has previously shown herself capable of attacking other leaders. She used a speech at the start of her election campaign to accuse European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker -- an important figure in the coming Brexit talks -- of trying to sabotage the vote.

As well as mocking Khan, Trump sought to turn the London attacks to domestic political advantage by renewing his call to ban travel from some Muslim-majority countries, and saying the attack by a truck and knives underscored the futility of tighter gun control laws.

May’s concession on Monday that she was “not afraid to say when President Trump gets things wrong” follows her openly complaining last month about U.S. security agencies leaking details of the Manchester Arena suicide bombing, which British police said hurt their investigation.

Shortly after Saturday’s attacks and before they were confirmed as terrorist events, Trump took to Twitter to say “we need the Travel Ban as an extra level of safety.” He followed that about eight minutes later with a more conventional expression of concern: “Whatever the United States can do to help out in London and the U.K., we will be there - WE ARE WITH YOU. GOD BLESS!” His criticism of Khan came the next day.

In response to Trump’s latest tweet, a spokeswoman for Khan had this to say: “The Mayor is focused on dealing with Saturday’s horrific and cowardly attack.”

Bloomberg 

AG Jeff Sessions offered to quit during exchange with Trump - CNN News

AG Jeff Sessions offered to quit during exchange with Trump

By Evan Perez, Tom LoBianco and Sara Murray, CNN

Updated 0119 GMT (0919 HKT) June 7, 2017

Story highlights

• Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from the DOJ Russia probe in March
• The frustration between President Donald Trump and Sessions has gone both ways

Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions have had a series of heated exchanges in the last several weeks after Sessions recused himself from the Russia probe, a source close to Sessions told CNN Tuesday. 

A senior administration official said that at one point, Sessions expressed he would be willing to resign if Trump no longer wanted him there. 

The frustration comes at a critical juncture for Trump. Former FBI Director James Comey is set to testify Thursday about his private discussions with Trump and the Russia investigation has lapped into the White House, with questions about the President's son-in-law and adviser, Jared Kushner.

Tuesday afternoon, White House press secretary Sean Spicer declined to say whether Trump has confidence in Sessions.

"I have not had a discussion with him about that," Spicer said. 

As of 9 p.m. ET Tuesday, the White House still was unable to say whether or not the President backs his attorney general, a White House official said. The official said they wanted to avoid a repeat of what happened when Kellyanne Conway said Trump had confidence in Flynn only to find out hours later that the national security adviser had been pushed out.

Sessions remains at the Justice Department, where a spokeswoman told CNN that he is not stepping down.

ABC News first reported Tuesdaythat Sessions offered to resign. 

Brewing since Sessions' recusal 

Sessions recused himself from the Russia probe in March, shorty after The Washington Post reported on undisclosed meetings between him and the Russian ambassador to the US, Sergey Kislyak. 

In the three months since Sessions stepped aside, the intensity of the probe has grown exponentially -- culminating in Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein's decision to appoint Robert Mueller as special counsel. 

The frustration between Trump and Sessions has gone both ways, with Justice Department officials upset that the President's tweets and comments caused problems for Sessions and Rosenstein in the wake of the Comey firing. 

CNN has previously reported that Trump was frustrated with Sessions' decision to recuse himself.

Sessions was Trump's first supporter in the Senate and was an enthusiastic backer throughout the campaign -- standing with Trump through multiple controversies. And Sessions' own team has become a part of Trump's inner circle: former Sessions chief of staff Rick Dearborn is now Trump's deputy chief of staff, and former Sessions spokesman Stephen Miller has evolved into a highly influential figure as Trump's policy director and speechwriter. 

After the election, Sessions was rewarded with one of the most prominent positions in Trump's new administration, atop the Justice Department. 

But pressure has been mounting on Trump over his campaign's communications with Russians. Trump told NBC News that he fired Comey in part because of the Russia probe and Comey, in a memo about a private talk, said Trump pressured him to drop his investigation of former national security adviser Michael Flynn. 

CNN's Jim Sciutto contributed to this report.

CNN

Donald Trump appears to back Saudi Arabia in Qatar stand off with Gulf states - Independent

Donald Trump appears to back Saudi Arabia in Qatar stand off with Gulf states

US president weighs in on escalating diplomatic crisis with tweet suggesting support for allies in Riyadh's decision 

Donald Trump has appeared to 

side with Saudi Arabia in its diplomatic stand-off with Qatar, referencing his recent trip to the Saudi capital of Riyadh in which he vowed to end support for Islamic extremism. 

"During my recent trip to the Middle East I stated that there can no longer be funding of Radical Ideology. Leaders pointed to Qatar - look!" the US president tweeted on Tuesday.

Saudi Arabia, along with Gulf neighbours the UAE and Bahrain as well as Egypt, moved to isolate the tiny kingdom on Monday in a coordinated severing of diplomatic ties. The row could have manifold economic and political effects for the Middle East, as well as alter the course of the region's many conflicts. 

On Tuesday, supermarket shelves across the country were empty after panic buying and Doha's Hamad International Airport was eerily quiet as the first concrete effects of the rift were felt. 

A statement from Monday carried on SPA, the Saudi state news agency, accused Doha of harbouring "terrorist and sectarian groups that aim to destabilise the region including the Muslim Brotherhood, Isis and Al-Qaeda," as well as alleged Iranian-backed Shia militia activity in east Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. 

The suggestion that Qatar is aiding and abetting Shia Iran - the majority Sunni Gulf's arch-rival - is particularly sensitive. Doha has called the claims "baseless".

“The Qatari Government will take all necessary measures... to thwart attempts to influence and harm the Qatari society and economy,” a statement from the foreign ministry said.

It went on to describe the crisis as being fuelled by “absolute fabrications” stemming from last month's hacking of Qatar’s state-run news agency.

The row has been caused in part by backlash over Qatar’s decision to rescue 24 members of the royal family, as well as two Saudi nationals, who were kidnapped by Shia paramilitaries while on a hunting trip in southern Iraq - a deal exclusively revealed by The Independent in April.

Doha’s agreement to pay the extraordinary $500m (£389m) ransom greatly angered its Gulf neighbours, who have long accused it of funding or otherwise supporting controversial groups and meddling in regional affairs, particularly through state-owned broadcaster al-Jazeera. 

Iran, which Mr Trump singled out as a key source of funding and support for extremist groups during his two-day trip to Riyadh last month, is a secondary target of the decision by Saudi Arabia and its allies.

Nikki Haley warns US may pull out of UN Human Rights Council over 'anti-Israel bias' - Independent

Nikki Haley warns US may pull out of UN Human Rights Council over 'anti-Israel bias'

US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said the US is "reviewing its participation" in the Human Rights Council over what said is the group's "chronic anti-Israel bias".

The Geneva-based Council made up of 47 member countries is beginning a three-week session and Ms Haley said the US "sees some areas for significant strengthening" in the group. 

The Council's critical stance of Israel has long been a contentious issue for the US, Israel's main ally. Ms Haley has said in the past that Israel is the “only country permanently on the body’s calendar.”

Despite remaining allies, former President Obama had an icy relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

In fact, in late December 2016 during the waning moments of the Obama administration, the UN Security Council passed a resolution condemning Israel's settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.  Then-UN Ambassador Samantha Power chose not to veto the resolution as was normal procedure. 

The Council's members have taken a strong position against Israel's continued occupation of territory seized in the 1967 Middle East war, its treatment of Palestinians, and its building of Jewish settlements.

Most countries in the UN system and international bodies consider the settlements illegal since they are built in areas Palestinians consider part of an eventual independent state. 

Ms Haley used Venezuela's alleged human rights violations as an example of anti-Israel bias. She noted the Council pursued five resolutions against Israel in its March session but none against the government of President Nicolas Maduro. 

"If Venezuela cannot, it should voluntarily step down from its seat on the Human Rights Council until it can get its own house in order. Being a member of this council is a privilege, and no country who is a human rights violator should be allowed a seat at the table," she said.

Ms Haley is set to host a side event in Geneva specifically regarding the South American nation, where at least 65 people have died and hundreds have been injured in continued anti-government protests since the end of March. 

Venezuela responded to Ms Haley's comments saying "needs to be free of politicisation and double standards".

The US Ambassador also called on the Council to vote on resolutions against Syria, Eritrea, Belarus, Ukraine and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Some activists urged Washington to focus on abuses at home. "It's hard to take Ambassador Haley seriously on US support for human rights in light of Trump administration actions like the Muslim ban and immigration crackdowns," Jamil Dakwar, director of the human rights program at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), told Reuters. 

The US "must get its own house in order and make human rights at home a priority - then, it can begin to credibly demand the same of other countries abroad."

A New U.S. Environmental Alliance Is Trying to Take Trump's Place on the World Stage - TIME

A New U.S. Environmental Alliance Is Trying to Take Trump's Place on the World Stage

A New U.S. Environmental Alliance Is Trying to Take Trump's Place on the World Stage

Justin Worland

Updated: 5:59 PM ET | Originally published: 5:43 PM ET

President Trump's decision to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Agreement on climate change put a nail in the coffin of formal American leadership on global warming. Once the move is official, the U.S. will play no role in the international process of setting targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reporting progress to the global community.

Rather than let that happen, a large coalition of American cities, states, businesses and educational institutions are launching something akin to a shadow government, intended to take America's place on the global climate stage. The group We Are Still In, which was announced Monday, could submit their own targets to the United Nations and report on their progress alongside the formal commitment from the U.S. federal government.

"The current executive branch... can, and will, speak to its own willingness to move forward on climate action in the United States," former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the UN special envoy for cities and climate change and an organizer of the effort, wrote in a letter to the UN climate change body announcing the new group. "It cannot, however, determine the pace of progress achieved by U.S. cities, states, the private sector, and civil society. That freedom to lead is part-and-parcel of our federal system."

Bloomberg has also committed to paying the U.S. contribution to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, the body that oversees international talks on global warming.

The U.S. committed under President Obama to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 28% by 2025, but researchers now predict they will fall no more than 12.6% with Trump's rollback of environmental regulations. Officials from the more than 1,000 groups represented in the new coalition believe they make up a substantial portion of that difference. Among the signatories are hundreds of cities, the most populous states including New York and California and Fortune 500 corporations like Microsoft and Target.

Many of the group's members sought to show their commitment to greenhouse gas emissions reductions since the months leading up to the Paris Agreement, but those efforts tended not to involve the full cross-section of local governments, corporations and nonprofit institutions. The new coalition aims to advance that work on a far larger scale.

"The existence of these coalitions of the willing is nothing new," says Paul Bodnar, who served as senior director for energy and climate change at the National Security Council under Obama and is now with the Rocky Mountain Institute. "What’s new is working together and the second is aggregating and projecting the importance of that action to the international community."

The group faces significant challenges before it can formally report on its progress to the U.N. Such measurements can be difficult to tabulate, a challenge complicated by the overlapping nature of many of the entities. It also remains to be seen how the large group will deal with competing personalities all of whom may want to be seen as the face of U.S. efforts to address climate change.

Still, the effort has potential to repair some of the nation's standing among those fighting against global warming around the world. "I am so moved and enthused that so many states and enterprises in the United States of America want to travel this path with us,” said German Chancellor Angela Merkel, according to the New York Times, after Trump's announcement. “We will travel it together.”

Balance of power in the Middle East - Bloomberg

The Middle East's balance of power has just been disrupted by one of the biggest diplomatic shocks in years.

Overnight, an alliance led by Saudi Arabia severed commercial and diplomatic ties with Qatar. It was an unprecedented move designed to punish the Gulf state for its ties with Iran, the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist groups.

Qatar may be tiny - about half the size of New Jersey - but it's a financial superpower. The country is the world's biggest producer of liquefied gas and, through its $335 billion sovereign wealth fund, owns stakes in companies from Barclays to Russian oil giant Rosneft.

The move also poses a dilemma for the Trump administration. Qatar and Saudi Arabia are both American allies as are Saudi's partners - Egypt, Bahrain and the UAE. Qatar is also home to the U.S. military’s Mideast command. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson urged all parties to resolve their differences.

It's not entirely clear what Saudi wants. But it's a fair bet that it expects Qatar to come to heel over Iran and join its campaign to isolate the Islamic Republic. If Qatar resists, it will only add to the region's instability.

Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Bahrain cut ties to Qatar - Al Jazeera

Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Bahrain cut ties to Qatar

Qatar calls decision by Gulf nations and Egypt 'unjustified', saying allegations against Doha have 'no basis in fact'.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain say they are severing diplomatic relations with Qatar.

The Saudi kingdom made the announcement via its state-run Saudi Press Agency early on Monday, saying it was taking action for what it called the protection of national security.

The news agency released a statement in which it accused Qatar of "harbouring a multitude of terrorist and sectarian groups that aim to create instability in the region".

The three Gulf states gave Qatari visitors and residents two weeks to leave their countries, Reuters news agency reported.

Saudi also closed the border and halted air and sea traffic with Qatar, urging "all brotherly countries and companies to do the same".

The statement appeared to be timed in concert with an earlier announcement by Bahrain, which was similarly cutting ties and halting air and sea traffic between the two countries.

'Unjustified'

Qatar's foreign ministry said it regretted the measures by the Arab nations, calling the decisions "unjustified".

"The measures are unjustified and are based on claims and allegations that have no basis in fact," the statement said, adding that the decisions would "not affect the normal lives of citizens and residents".

"The aim is clear, and it is to impose guardianship on the state. This by itself is a violation of its (Qatar's) sovereignty as a state," it added.

Bahrain's foreign ministry issued a statement saying it would withdraw its diplomatic mission from the Qatari capital, Doha, within 48 hours and that all Qatari diplomats should leave Bahrain within the same period.

Egypt also announced the closure of its airspace and seaports for all Qatari transportation "to protect its national security", the foreign ministry said in a statement.

WATCH: What's behind recent media attacks against Qatar? 

UAE-based carriers Emirates, Etihad Airways and flydubai said they would suspend flights to and from Qatar beginning Tuesday morning.

It was not immediately clear how Monday's announcement would affect other airlines.

A Saudi-led coalition which for more than two years has been fighting Iran-backed rebels in Yemen separately announced that Qatar was no longer welcome in the alliance.

Yemen's internationally recognised government also cut ties with Qatar, accusing it of working with its enemies in the Iran-aligned Houthi movement, state news agency Saba reported.

A senior Iranian official said the measures by the Arab nations would not help end the crisis in the Middle East.

"The era of cutting diplomatic ties and closing borders ... is not a way to resolve crisis ... As I said before, aggression and occupation will have no result but instability," Hamid Aboutalebi, deputy chief of staff of Iran's President Hassan Rouhani, tweeted, referring to the coalition's involvement in Yemen.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson gave a statement on Monday while on state visit in Australia, urging the Gulf states to stay united.

"We certainly would encourage the parties to sit down together and address these differences," he said in Sydney.

"If there's any role that we can play in terms of helping them address those, we think it is important that the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) remain united."

Tillerson said despite the impasse, he did not expect it to have "any significant impact, if any impact at all, on the unified fight against terrorism in the region or globally".

"All of those parties you mentioned have been quite unified in the fight against terrorism and the fight against Daesh, ISIS, and have expressed that most recently in the summit in Riyadh," he added, using alternative names for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group.

Hacking dispute

The dispute between Qatar and the Gulf's Arab countries escalated after a recent hack of Qatar's state-run news agency. It has spiralled since.

Following the hacking on Tuesday, comments falsely attributed to Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, were broadcast in Qatar.

Qatar's government categorically denied that the comments, in which the country's leader expressed support for Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah and Israel - while suggesting that US President Donald Trump may not last in power, were ever made.

"There are international laws governing such crimes, especially the cyberattack. [The hackers] will be prosecuted according to the law," Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Qatar's foreign minister, said on Wednesday.

UAE-based Sky News Arabia and Al Arabiya kept running the discredited story, despite the Qatari denials.

Corbyn and Labour surge but Tories are favourites thanks to ‘grey vote’ - Guardian

Corbyn and Labour surge but Tories are favourites thanks to ‘grey vote’

Robert Ford

Sunday 4 June 2017 09.04 AEST

When Theresa May announced the snap election in mid-April, most expected a dull campaign and a foregone conclusion. The prime minister had strong approval ratings and the Conservative party had a huge lead over the Labour opposition. The election looked like an easy way for the Tories to lock in their advantages over a weak opponent.

We should have known better. As the great political philosopher and boxer “Iron” Mike Tyson once observed: “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.”

Labour support has surged in the polls, rising by around eight points in the polling average. The Conservatives have held on to most of their own earlier poll surge, achieved mainly through the mass defection of 2015 Ukip voters, so they remain ahead, but the gap has closed sharply. A lead of over 20 points has halved to under 10, with a lot of disagreement between pollsters. Some polls and projections now suggest May could even end up losing ground this week.

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The smaller parties have been left behind as two-party politics returns with a vengeance. The hopes of the Liberal Democrats for a “Remain surge” have turned to dust, and the party now has a fight on its hands just to hold on to its handful of MPs. Ukip support has collapsed and is on the brink of extinction. Support for the Green party has halved. Voters have not consolidated behind the big two like this for more than a generation.

Such big shifts during campaigns are rare, although not unheard of – the 2010 election campaign, for example, also produced a large swing in the polls but, on that occasion, the projections pointing to a surge in Lib Dem support proved to be mistaken, as they were in 2015 when the campaign polling was more stable.

Will the current Labour surge be a third miss in a row for campaign polling, or are the pollsters – who all made changes to their methods after the 2015 miss – picking up a real shift?

A case can be made either way. Believers in the Labour surge can point to the broader polling evidence – it is not just Labour’s headline support that has improved but Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership ratings have also risen sharply, albeit from a low base, while May’s are down. Labour’s ratings on the issues have also improved, while pollsters suggest that the Tories’ very unpopular “dementia tax” social care proposal is the main policy to have “cut through” with voters during the campaign.

Surge sceptics, however, can also build a convincing case. Labour’s rise in the polls has been concentrated in demographics – in particular, younger voters and former non-voters – who tend to turn out at low levels but are now apparently very keen to vote. The Tories continue to win the other side of the generation game, with a huge and stable lead among pensioners.

Judgments of the Labour surge in the polls – and prospects on 8 June – hinge very strongly on whether the traditional “grey advantage” in turnout is reduced this time. There are two reasons to think it won’t be: the historical record and the record of the polls. Large generation gaps in turnout have been recorded in all the recent British elections, including the very high turnout for the EU and Scottish independence referendums. The polls also have longstanding problems with political engagement – they recruit too many political enthusiasts, and people taking polls tend to exaggerate their likelihood of voting. Pollsters also have a longstanding (and most likely related) tendency to overstate Labour support and understate Tory support – a pattern that has held in every election but one since 1987.

Labour surge sceptics can also draw different conclusions from a deep dive into the polling. While Corbyn has closed the gap on May in the leadership ratings, he still remains a long way behind. Much of Labour’s support still comes from voters who say they back the party but not its leader. Tory voters, by contrast, are rarely conflicted in this way.

Labour’s position on the issues has improved, but the Conservatives retain commanding leads on many of the central issues at stake, such as Brexit, economic management and immigration. Since the “dementia tax” U-turn, events have shifted the campaign agenda on to security and foreign policy, traditionally stronger terrain for the Tories.

The Conservatives remain strong favourites because they still hold the better hand – they retain a poll lead and strong support is from the most reliable voters in the electorate. Labour will require unusual voters to turn out in unlikely numbers. But, as any American knows, such upsets can happen in politics.

Robert Ford is professor of political science at the University of Manchester and the author, with Matthew Goodwin, of Revolt on the Right: Explaining Support for the Radical Right in Britain

The 5 Overlooked Countries Shaping Russia's Future - TIME

The 5 Overlooked Countries Shaping Russia's Future

Ian Bremmer

Jun 03, 2017

Plenty of ink is being spilled over Russia’s contentious relations with the West these days, and with good reason. But while Russian President Vladimir Putin plays games with the U.S. and Europe — and continues a murky alliance with Syria and Iran — the other countries that will determine Russia’s future shouldn’t be overlooked. Here are five you should be keeping tabs on.

China

Let’s start with the most obvious. Russia had hoped its eastern pivot towards China would make up for lost Western investment and trade ties in the wake of the Ukraine crisis of 2014. U.S./E.U. sanctions and Russian counter-sanctions are estimated to have cost Russia between 1 and 1.5 percent of its GDP in the first year alone; the IMF forecasts the hit could be as much as 9 percent over the medium term. And while China did indeed step up financing for Russian projects (Chinese investment in Russia grew by 172 percent in the first half of 2016), it wasn’t enough to overcome the losses in growth and financing that Western sanctions knocked off in 2016. Making matters worse, Beijing never endorsed Russia’s annexation of Crimea, as Moscow once hoped it would.

But that’s the thing—while China will sign more deals with Russia, it needs no part in Russia’s geopolitical games. China’s happy to do more business with Russia now that the Russians, with fewer options, have to give China favorable terms and prices. But the global status quo has been good to China, and Beijing wants to see it continue, albeit with some modifications; Russia wants to upend it entirely. In addition, China will continue to compete for influence with Russia, particularly in Central Asia. Don’t expect China to become best friends with Russia anytime soon. Or ever.

Japan

Japan has been part of Russia’s Asia outreach for years now—partly to hedge against China, and partly out of hope that Japanese investment in Russia would lead to absorption of Japanese technology, experience and efficiency in Russian industry. While some of that did happen (especially in the energy and automotive sectors), it never hit the levels the Kremlin had hoped.

But when discussing the future of Russia/Japan relations, it’s history and geopolitics that weigh most heavily. Tokyo and Moscow continue to dispute the status of Kuril Islands, a chain of four islands in the Pacific that both countries claim as their own. And to this day, Russia and Japan have failed to sign a peace treaty that would officially end World War II. Then there’s the fact that Japan finds itself in an increasingly challenging geopolitical situation in Asia; China is throwing elbows next door, and North Korea’s kicking up dirt. Russia is not equipped to handle either of those situations; and for all the chaos in U.S. politics at the moment, America’s military prowess still holds sway in the region (as do the 54,000 military personnel stationed in Japan). The U.S. remains the must-have ally in the region if you’re Tokyo. That’s also why Russia would like to edge closer to Japan.

Saudi Arabia

In Syria, Russia has shown it’s ready to rush in where the U.S. still fears to tread. That makes Russia a significant player in the region, more than its economic and military strength would otherwise suggest (Russia is the 12th largest economy, and while it’s 3rd largest in military expenditure, it shells out only about one tenth of what the U.S. does).

While Saudi Arabia and Russia are on opposite sides of the Syrian war, they’ve managed to work together to backstop the fall in oil prices that devastated both countries. There’s also potential here—Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman played a critical role in creating a $10 billion partnership between the Saudi Public Investment Fund and Russia's Direct Investment Fund, and an improved relationship with Saudi Arabia supports Russian efforts to engage the broader Gulf region. And while the Saudis might be glad to have Donald Trump in the White House at the moment, there are no guarantees for what comes next. Given that, it’s good to have options.

Turkey

Russia and Turkey are helmed by two of the world’s most colorful strongmen, and both are prime players in the unfolding Syria drama. In November 2015, Turkey downed a Russian fighter jet that was skirting its airspace; Russia retaliated with trade sanctions, but quickly reached a rapprochement when Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan apologized. This was followed by the shooting of the Russian ambassador by an off-duty police officer in Ankara about a year later.

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In normal times, these things might be cause for war. But as Erdogan chafes under criticism of his government from the West, Russia and Turkey have a greater incentive to work together. Now the countries are pushing to bring the Turkish Stream natural gas pipeline online to shuttle Russian gas to Europe, Turkey is serving as the NATO proxy in the Astana format peace talks on Syria, and Ankara is happy to deflect Western criticism of growing authoritarianism at home by holding up its friendship with Moscow.

Still, Erdogan and Putin don't quite see eye-to-eye on the role that President Bashar al-Assad should play in Syria's future — and the question of a Syrian Kurdish territory, anathema to Turkey, will be another source of suspicion.

Venezuela

The last country on this list may also get the least attention. Venezuela is convulsing, and its citizens are taking to the streets daily to protest Nicolas Maduro and the lack of basic food and medicines. Given that Venezuela has the largest proven oil reserves in the world, it’s a spectacular fall for one of Latin America’s former powerhouses.

Here is where it gets interesting. Venezuela’s cash-strapped state oil company, PDVSA, owns the America energy company Citgo. In December, PDVSA received a loan from Russian state-oil company Rosneft, in exchange for which it put up 49.9% of Citgo for collateral.

Should PDVSA be unable to repay its debt — a distinct possibility by the end of 2017 — Rosneft will collect its collateral, and a controlling stake in the company would be easily within its reach. Aside from the strategic play to accumulate quality oil assets on the cheap, Putin just loves the idea of owning one of the largest refiners in the U.S.—and he might just get his wish.