July 17, 2018
Former President Obama's full speech in South Africa
Former President Barack Obama weighed in with his perspective on the "strange and uncertain times that we are in" as he delivered a major address in South Africa Tuesday. Mr. Obama was invited to give the 2018 Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture in Johannesburg, where he spoke to a large and enthusiastic crowd.
While his comments largely focused on the life lessons of the late South African leader Nelson Mandela (also known as Madiba) and the road ahead for global democracy, Mr. Obama also touched on the problem of racism, the "politics of fear," and the threat posed by rising authoritarianism. His remarks came just one day President Trump's controversial summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin amid the ongoing investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Here is the full transcript of his address, as provided by the office of the former president:
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Thank you. To Mama Graça Machel, members of the Mandela family, the Machel family, to President Ramaphosa who you can see is inspiring new hope in this great country – (cheers and applause) – professor, doctor, distinguished guests, to Mama Sisulu and the Sisulu family, to the people of South Africa – (cheers and applause) – it is a singular honor for me to be here with all of you as we gather to celebrate the birth and life of one of history's true giants.
Let me begin by a correction – (laughter) – and a few confessions. The correction is that I am a very good dancer. (Laughter.) I just want to be clear about that. Michelle is a little better.
The confessions. Number one, I was not exactly invited to be here. I was ordered in a very nice way to be here by Graça Machel. (Cheers.)
Confession number two: I forgot my geography and the fact that right now it's winter in South Africa. (Laughter.) I didn't bring a coat, and this morning I had to send somebody out to the mall because I am wearing long johns. (Laughter.) I was born in Hawaii.
Confession number three: When my staff told me that I was to deliver a lecture, I thought back to the stuffy old professors in bow ties and tweed, and I wondered if this was one more sign of the stage of life that I'm entering, along with gray hair and slightly failing eyesight. I thought about the fact that my daughters think anything I tell them is a lecture. (Laughter.) I thought about the American press and how they often got frustrated at my long-winded answers at press conferences, when my responses didn't conform to two-minute soundbites. But given the strange and uncertain times that we are in – and they are strange, and they are uncertain – with each day's news cycles bringing more head-spinning and disturbing headlines, I thought maybe it would be useful to step back for a moment and try to get some perspective. So I hope you'll indulge me, despite the slight chill, as I spend much of this lecture reflecting on where we've been, and how we arrived at this present moment, in the hope that it will offer us a roadmap for where we need to go next.
One hundred years ago, Madiba was born in the village of M – oh, see there, I always get that – (laughter) – I got to get my Ms right when I'm in South Africa. Mvezo – I got it. (Cheers and applause.) Truthfully, it's because it's so cold my lips stuck. (Laughter.) So in his autobiography he describes a happy childhood; he's looking after cattle, he's playing with the other boys, eventually attends a school where his teacher gave him the English name Nelson. And as many of you know, he's quoted saying, "Why she bestowed this particular name upon me, I have no idea."
There was no reason to believe that a young black boy at this time, in this place, could in any way alter history. After all, South Africa was then less than a decade removed from full British control. Already, laws were being codified to implement racial segregation and subjugation, the network of laws that would be known as apartheid. Most of Africa, including my father's homeland, was under colonial rule. The dominant European powers, having ended a horrific world war just a few months after Madiba's birth, viewed this continent and its people primarily as spoils in a contest for territory and abundant natural resources and cheap labor. And the inferiority of the black race, an indifference towards black culture and interests and aspirations, was a given.
And such a view of the world – that certain races, certain nations, certain groups were inherently superior, and that violence and coercion is the primary basis for governance, that the strong necessarily exploit the weak, that wealth is determined primarily by conquest – that view of the world was hardly confined to relations between Europe and Africa, or relations between whites and blacks. Whites were happy to exploit other whites when they could. And by the way, blacks were often willing to exploit other blacks. And around the globe, the majority of people lived at subsistence levels, without a say in the politics or economic forces that determined their lives. Often they were subject to the whims and cruelties of distant leaders. The average person saw no possibility of advancing from the circumstances of their birth. Women were almost uniformly subordinate to men. Privilege and status was rigidly bound by caste and color and ethnicity and religion. And even in my own country, even in democracies like the United States, founded on a declaration that all men are created equal, racial segregation and systemic discrimination was the law in almost half the country and the norm throughout the rest of the country.
That was the world just 100 years ago. There are people alive today who were alive in that world. It is hard, then, to overstate the remarkable transformations that have taken place since that time. A second World War, even more terrible than the first, along with a cascade of liberation movements from Africa to Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, would finally bring an end to colonial rule. More and more peoples, having witnessed the horrors of totalitarianism, the repeated mass slaughters of the 20th century, began to embrace a new vision for humanity, a new idea, one based not only on the principle of national self-determination, but also on the principles of democracy and rule of law and civil rights and the inherent dignity of every single individual.
In those nations with market-based economies, suddenly union movements developed; and health and safety and commercial regulations were instituted; and access to public education was expanded; and social welfare systems emerged, all with the aim of constraining the excesses of capitalism and enhancing its ability to provide opportunity not just to some but to all people. And the result was unmatched economic growth and a growth of the middle class. And in my own country, the moral force of the civil rights movement not only overthrew Jim Crow laws but it opened up the floodgates for women and historically marginalized groups to reimagine themselves, to find their own voices, to make their own claims to full citizenship.
It was in service of this long walk towards freedom and justice and equal opportunity that Nelson Mandela devoted his life. At the outset, his struggle was particular to this place, to his homeland – a fight to end apartheid, a fight to ensure lasting political and social and economic equality for its disenfranchised non-white citizens. But through his sacrifice and unwavering leadership and, perhaps most of all, through his moral example, Mandela and the movement he led would come to signify something larger. He came to embody the universal aspirations of dispossessed people all around the world, their hopes for a better life, the possibility of a moral transformation in the conduct of human affairs.
Madiba's light shone so brightly, even from that narrow Robben Island cell, that in the late '70s he could inspire a young college student on the other side of the world to reexamine his own priorities, could make me consider the small role I might play in bending the arc of the world towards justice. And when later, as a law student, I witnessed Madiba emerge from prison, just a few months, you'll recall, after the fall of the Berlin Wall, I felt the same wave of hope that washed through hearts all around the world.
Do you remember that feeling? It seemed as if the forces of progress were on the march, that they were inexorable. Each step he took, you felt this is the moment when the old structures of violence and repression and ancient hatreds that had so long stunted people's lives and confined the human spirit – that all that was crumbling before our eyes. And then as Madiba guided this nation through negotiation painstakingly, reconciliation, its first fair and free elections; as we all witnessed the grace and the generosity with which he embraced former enemies, the wisdom for him to step away from power once he felt his job was complete, we understood that – (applause) – we understood it was not just the subjugated, the oppressed who were being freed from the shackles of the past. The subjugator was being offered a gift, being given a chance to see in a new way, being given a chance to participate in the work of building a better world.
And during the last decades of the 20th century, the progressive, democratic vision that Nelson Mandela represented in many ways set the terms of international political debate. It doesn't mean that vision was always victorious, but it set the terms, the parameters; it guided how we thought about the meaning of progress, and it continued to propel the world forward. Yes, there were still tragedies – bloody civil wars from the Balkans to the Congo. Despite the fact that ethnic and sectarian strife still flared up with heartbreaking regularity, despite all that as a consequence of the continuation of nuclear détente, and a peaceful and prosperous Japan, and a unified Europe anchored in NATO, and the entry of China into the world's system of trade – all that greatly reduced the prospect of war between the world's great powers. And from Europe to Africa, Latin America, Southeast Asia, dictatorships began to give way to democracies. The march was on. A respect for human rights and the rule of law, enumerated in a declaration by the United Nations, became the guiding norm for the majority of nations, even in places where the reality fell far short of the ideal. Even when those human rights were violated, those who violated human rights were on the defensive.
President Barack Obama -- Nelson Mandela speech
Former President Barack Obama speaks during the 2018 Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture in Johannesburg on Tue., July 17, 2018. GETTY
And with these geopolitical changes came sweeping economic changes. The introduction of market-based principles, in which previously closed economies along with the forces of global integration powered by new technologies, suddenly unleashed entrepreneurial talents to those that once had been relegated to the periphery of the world economy, who hadn't counted. Suddenly they counted. They had some power; they had the possibilities of doing business. And then came scientific breakthroughs and new infrastructure and the reduction of armed conflicts. And suddenly a billion people were lifted out of poverty, and once-starving nations were able to feed themselves, and infant mortality rates plummeted. And meanwhile, the spread of the internet made it possible for people to connect across oceans, and cultures and continents instantly were brought together, and potentially, all the world's knowledge could be in the hands of a small child in even the most remote village.
That's what happened just over the course of a few decades. And all that progress is real. It has been broad, and it has been deep, and it all happened in what – by the standards of human history – was nothing more than a blink of an eye. And now an entire generation has grown up in a world that by most measures has gotten steadily freer and healthier and wealthier and less violent and more tolerant during the course of their lifetimes.
It should make us hopeful. But if we cannot deny the very real strides that our world has made since that moment when Madiba took those steps out of confinement, we also have to recognize all the ways that the international order has fallen short of its promise. In fact, it is in part because of the failures of governments and powerful elites to squarely address the shortcomings and contradictions of this international order that we now see much of the world threatening to return to an older, a more dangerous, a more brutal way of doing business.
So we have to start by admitting that whatever laws may have existed on the books, whatever wonderful pronouncements existed in constitutions, whatever nice words were spoken during these last several decades at international conferences or in the halls of the United Nations, the previous structures of privilege and power and injustice and exploitation never completely went away. They were never fully dislodged. (Applause.) Caste differences still impact the life chances of people on the Indian subcontinent. Ethnic and religious differences still determine who gets opportunity from the Central Europe to the Gulf. It is a plain fact that racial discrimination still exists in both the United States and South Africa. (Cheers and applause.) And it is also a fact that the accumulated disadvantages of years of institutionalized oppression have created yawning disparities in income, and in wealth, and in education, and in health, in personal safety, in access to credit. Women and girls around the world continue to be blocked from positions of power and authority. (Cheers and applause.) They continue to be prevented from getting a basic education. They are disproportionately victimized by violence and abuse. They're still paid less than men for doing the same work. That's still happening. (Cheers and applause.) Economic opportunity, for all the magnificence of the global economy, all the shining skyscrapers that have transformed the landscape around the world, entire neighborhoods, entire cities, entire regions, entire nations have been bypassed.
In other words, for far too many people, the more things have changed, the more things stayed the same. (Applause.)
And while globalization and technology have opened up new opportunities, have driven remarkable economic growth in previously struggling parts of the world, globalization has also upended the agricultural and manufacturing sectors in many countries. It's also greatly reduced the demand for certain workers, has helped weaken unions and labor's bargaining power. It's made it easier for capital to avoid tax laws and the regulations of nation-states – can just move billions, trillions of dollars with a tap of a computer key.
And the result of all these trends has been an explosion in economic inequality. It's meant that a few dozen individuals control the same amount of wealth as the poorest half of humanity. (Applause.) That's not an exaggeration, that's a statistic. Think about that. In many middle-income and developing countries, new wealth has just tracked the old bad deal that people got because it reinforced or even compounded existing patterns of inequality, the only difference is it created even greater opportunities for corruption on an epic scale. And for once solidly middle-class families in advanced economies like the United States, these trends have meant greater economic insecurity, especially for those who don't have specialized skills, people who were in manufacturing, people working in factories, people working on farms.
In every country just about, the disproportionate economic clout of those at the top has provided these individuals with wildly disproportionate influence on their countries' political life and on its media; on what policies are pursued and whose interests end up being ignored. Now, it should be noted that this new international elite, the professional class that supports them, differs in important respects from the ruling aristocracies of old. It includes many who are self-made. It includes champions of meritocracy. And although still mostly white and male, as a group they reflect a diversity of nationalities and ethnicities that would have not existed a hundred years ago. A decent percentage consider themselves liberal in their politics, modern and cosmopolitan in their outlook. Unburdened by parochialism, or nationalism, or overt racial prejudice or strong religious sentiment, they are equally comfortable in New York or London or Shanghai or Nairobi or Buenos Aires, or Johannesburg. Many are sincere and effective in their philanthropy. Some of them count Nelson Mandela among their heroes. Some even supported Barack Obama for the presidency of the United States, and by virtue of my status as a former head of state, some of them consider me as an honorary member of the club. (Laughter.) And I get invited to these fancy things, you know? (Laughter.) They'll fly me out.
But what's nevertheless true is that in their business dealings, many titans of industry and finance are increasingly detached from any single locale or nation-state, and they live lives more and more insulated from the struggles of ordinary people in their countries of origin. (Applause.) And their decisions – their decisions to shut down a manufacturing plant, or to try to minimize their tax bill by shifting profits to a tax haven with the help of high-priced accountants or lawyers, or their decision to take advantage of lower-cost immigrant labor, or their decision to pay a bribe – are often done without malice; it's just a rational response, they consider, to the demands of their balance sheets and their shareholders and competitive pressures.
But too often, these decisions are also made without reference to notions of human solidarity – or a ground-level understanding of the consequences that will be felt by particular people in particular communities by the decisions that are made. And from their board rooms or retreats, global decision-makers don't get a chance to see sometimes the pain in the faces of laid-off workers. Their kids don't suffer when cuts in public education and health care result as a consequence of a reduced tax base because of tax avoidance. They can't hear the resentment of an older tradesman when he complains that a newcomer doesn't speak his language on a job site where he once worked. They're less subject to the discomfort and the displacement that some of their countrymen may feel as globalization scrambles not only existing economic arrangements, but traditional social and religious mores.
Which is why, at the end of the 20th century, while some Western commentators were declaring the end of history and the inevitable triumph of liberal democracy and the virtues of the global supply chain, so many missed signs of a brewing backlash – a backlash that arrived in so many forms. It announced itself most violently with 9/11 and the emergence of transnational terrorist networks, fueled by an ideology that perverted one of the world's great religions and asserted a struggle not just between Islam and the West but between Islam and modernity, and an ill-advised U.S. invasion of Iraq didn't help, accelerating a sectarian conflict. (Applause.) Russia, already humiliated by its reduced influence since the collapse of the Soviet Union, feeling threatened by democratic movements along its borders, suddenly started reasserting authoritarian control and in some cases meddling with its neighbors. China, emboldened by its economic success, started bristling against criticism of its human rights record; it framed the promotion of universal values as nothing more than foreign meddling, imperialism under a new name. Within the United States, within the European Union, challenges to globalization first came from the left but then came more forcefully from the right, as you started seeing populist movements – which, by the way, are often cynically funded by right-wing billionaires intent on reducing government constraints on their business interests – these movements tapped the unease that was felt by many people who lived outside of the urban cores; fears that economic security was slipping away, that their social status and privileges were eroding, that their cultural identities were being threatened by outsiders, somebody that didn't look like them or sound like them or pray as they did.
And perhaps more than anything else, the devastating impact of the 2008 financial crisis, in which the reckless behavior of financial elites resulted in years of hardship for ordinary people all around the world, made all the previous assurances of experts ring hollow – all those assurances that somehow financial regulators knew what they were doing, that somebody was minding the store, that global economic integration was an unadulterated good. Because of the actions taken by governments during and after that crisis, including, I should add, by aggressive steps by my administration, the global economy has now returned to healthy growth. But the credibility of the international system, the faith in experts in places like Washington or Brussels, all that had taken a blow.
And a politics of fear and resentment and retrenchment began to appear, and that kind of politics is now on the move. It's on the move at a pace that would have seemed unimaginable just a few years ago. I am not being alarmist, I am simply stating the facts. Look around. (Applause.) Strongman politics are ascendant suddenly, whereby elections and some pretense of democracy are maintained – the form of it – but those in power seek to undermine every institution or norm that gives democracy meaning. (Applause.) In the West, you've got far-right parties that oftentimes are based not just on platforms of protectionism and closed borders, but also on barely hidden racial nationalism. Many developing countries now are looking at China's model of authoritarian control combined with mercantilist capitalism as preferable to the messiness of democracy. Who needs free speech as long as the economy is going good? The free press is under attack. Censorship and state control of media is on the rise. Social media – once seen as a mechanism to promote knowledge and understanding and solidarity – has proved to be just as effective promoting hatred and paranoia and propaganda and conspiracy theories. (Applause.)
So on Madiba's 100th birthday, we now stand at a crossroads – a moment in time at which two very different visions of humanity's future compete for the hearts and the minds of citizens around the world. Two different stories, two different narratives about who we are and who we should be. How should we respond?
Should we see that wave of hope that we felt with Madiba's release from prison, from the Berlin Wall coming down – should we see that hope that we had as naïve and misguided? Should we understand the last 25 years of global integration as nothing more than a detour from the previous inevitable cycle of history – where might makes right, and politics is a hostile competition between tribes and races and religions, and nations compete in a zero-sum game, constantly teetering on the edge of conflict until full-blown war breaks out? Is that what we think?
Let me tell you what I believe. I believe in Nelson Mandela's vision. I believe in a vision shared by Gandhi and King and Abraham Lincoln. I believe in a vision of equality and justice and freedom and multi-racial democracy, built on the premise that all people are created equal, and they're endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights. (Cheers and applause.) And I believe that a world governed by such principles is possible and that it can achieve more peace and more cooperation in pursuit of a common good. That's what I believe.
And I believe we have no choice but to move forward; that those of us who believe in democracy and civil rights and a common humanity have a better story to tell. And I believe this not just based on sentiment, I believe it based on hard evidence.
The fact that the world's most prosperous and successful societies, the ones with the highest living standards and the highest levels of satisfaction among their people, happen to be those which have most closely approximated the liberal, progressive ideal that we talk about and have nurtured the talents and contributions of all their citizens.
The fact that authoritarian governments have been shown time and time again to breed corruption, because they're not accountable; to repress their people; to lose touch eventually with reality; to engage in bigger and bigger lies that ultimately result in economic and political and cultural and scientific stagnation. Look at history. Look at the facts.
The fact that countries which rely on rabid nationalism and xenophobia and doctrines of tribal, racial or religious superiority as their main organizing principle, the thing that holds people together – eventually those countries find themselves consumed by civil war or external war. Check the history books.
The fact that technology cannot be put back in a bottle, so we're stuck with the fact that we now live close together and populations are going to be moving, and environmental challenges are not going to go away on their own, so that the only way to effectively address problems like climate change or mass migration or pandemic disease will be to develop systems for more international cooperation, not less. (Applause.)
We have a better story to tell. But to say that our vision for the future is better is not to say that it will inevitably win. Because history also shows the power of fear. History shows the lasting hold of greed and the desire to dominate others in the minds of men. Especially men. (Laughter and applause.) History shows how easily people can be convinced to turn on those who look different, or worship God in a different way. So if we're truly to continue Madiba's long walk towards freedom, we're going to have to work harder and we're going to have to be smarter. We're going to have to learn from the mistakes of the recent past. And so in the brief time remaining, let me just suggest a few guideposts for the road ahead, guideposts that draw from Madiba's work, his words, the lessons of his life.
First, Madiba shows those of us who believe in freedom and democracy we are going to have to fight harder to reduce inequality and promote lasting economic opportunity for all people. (Applause.)
Now, I don't believe in economic determinism. Human beings don't live on bread alone. But they need bread. And history shows that societies which tolerate vast differences in wealth feed resentments and reduce solidarity and actually grow more slowly; and that once people achieve more than mere subsistence, then they're measuring their well-being by how they compare to their neighbors, and whether their children can expect to live a better life. And when economic power is concentrated in the hands of the few, history also shows that political power is sure to follow – and that dynamic eats away at democracy. Sometimes it may be straight-out corruption, but sometimes it may not involve the exchange of money; it's just folks who are that wealthy get what they want, and it undermines human freedom.
And Madiba understood this. This is not new. He warned us about this. He said: "Where globalization means, as it so often does, that the rich and the powerful now have new means to further enrich and empower themselves at the cost of the poorer and the weaker, [then] we have a responsibility to protest in the name of universal freedom." That's what he said. (Applause.) So if we are serious about universal freedom today, if we care about social justice today, then we have a responsibility to do something about it. And I would respectfully amend what Madiba said. I don't do it often, but I'd say it's not enough for us to protest; we're going to have to build, we're going to have to innovate, we're going to have to figure out how do we close this widening chasm of wealth and opportunity both within countries and between them. (Applause.)
And how we achieve this is going to vary country to country, and I know your new president is committed to rolling up his sleeves and trying to do so. But we can learn from the last 70 years that it will not involve unregulated, unbridled, unethical capitalism. It also won't involve old-style command-and-control socialism form the top. That was tried; it didn't work very well. For almost all countries, progress is going to depend on an inclusive market-based system – one that offers education for every child; that protects collective bargaining and secures the rights of every worker – (applause) – that breaks up monopolies to encourage competition in small and medium-sized businesses; and has laws that root out corruption and ensures fair dealing in business; that maintains some form of progressive taxation so that rich people are still rich but they're giving a little bit back to make sure that everybody else has something to pay for universal health care and retirement security, and invests in infrastructure and scientific research that builds platforms for innovation.
I should add, by the way, right now I'm actually surprised by how much money I got, and let me tell you something: I don't have half as much as most of these folks or a tenth or a hundredth. There's only so much you can eat. There's only so big a house you can have. (Cheers and applause.) There's only so many nice trips you can take. I mean, it's enough. (Laughter.) You don't have to take a vow of poverty just to say, "Well, let me help out and let a few of the other folks – let me look at that child out there who doesn't have enough to eat or needs some school fees, let me help him out. I'll pay a little more in taxes. It's okay. I can afford it." (Cheers and applause.)
I mean, it shows a poverty of ambition to just want to take more and more and more, instead of saying, "Wow, I've got so much. Who can I help? How can I give more and more and more?" (Cheers and applause.) That's ambition. That's impact. That's influence. What an amazing gift to be able to help people, not just yourself. (Applause.) Where was I? I ad-libbed. (Laughter.) You get the point.
It involves promoting an inclusive capitalism both within nations and between nations. And as we pursue, for example, the Sustainable Development Goals, we have to get past the charity mindset. We've got to bring more resources to the forgotten pockets of the world through investment and entrepreneurship, because there is talent everywhere in the world if given an opportunity. (Cheers and applause.)
When it comes to the international system of commerce and trade, it's legitimate for poorer countries to continue to seek access to wealthier markets. And by the way, wealthier markets, that's not the big problem that you're having – that a small African country is sending you tea and flowers. That's not your biggest economic challenge. It's also proper for advanced economies like the United States to insist on reciprocity from nations like China that are no longer solely poor countries, to make sure that they're providing access to their markets and that they stop taking intellectual property and hacking our servers. (Laughter.)
But even as there are discussions to be had around trade and commerce, it's important to recognize this reality: while the outsourcing of jobs from north to south, from east to west, while a lot of that was a dominant trend in the late 20th century, the biggest challenge to workers in countries like mine today is technology. And the biggest challenge for your new president when we think about how we're going to employ more people here is going to be also technology, because artificial intelligence is here and it is accelerating, and you're going to have driverless cars, and you're going to have more and more automated services, and that's going to make the job of giving everybody work that is meaningful tougher, and we're going to have to be more imaginative, and the pact of change is going to require us to do more fundamental reimagining of our social and political arrangements, to protect the economic security and the dignity that comes with a job. It's not just money that a job provides; it provides dignity and structure and a sense of place and a sense of purpose. (Applause.) And so we're going to have to consider new ways of thinking about these problems, like a universal income, review of our workweek, how we retrain our young people, how we make everybody an entrepreneur at some level. But we're going to have to worry about economics if we want to get democracy back on track.
Second, Madiba teaches us that some principles really are universal – and the most important one is the principle that we are bound together by a common humanity and that each individual has inherent dignity and worth.
Now, it's surprising that we have to affirm this truth today. More than a quarter century after Madiba walked out of prison, I still have to stand here at a lecture and devote some time to saying that black people and white people and Asian people and Latin American people and women and men and gays and straights, that we are all human, that our differences are superficial, and that we should treat each other with care and respect. I would have thought we would have figured that out by now. I thought that basic notion was well established. (Applause.) But it turns out, as we're seeing in this recent drift into reactionary politics, that the struggle for basic justice is never truly finished. So we've got to constantly be on the lookout and fight for people who seek to elevate themselves by putting somebody else down. And by the way, we also have to actively resist – this is important, particularly in some countries in Africa like my own father's homeland; I've made this point before – we have to resist the notion that basic human rights like freedom to dissent, or the right of women to fully participate in the society, or the right of minorities to equal treatment, or the rights of people not to be beat up and jailed because of their sexual orientation – we have to be careful not to say that somehow, well, that doesn't apply to us, that those are Western ideas rather than universal imperatives. (Applause.)
Again, Madiba, he anticipated things. He knew what he was talking about. In 1964, before he received the sentence that condemned him to die in prison, he explained from the dock that, "The Magna Carta, the Petition of Rights, the Bill of Rights are documents which are held in veneration by democrats throughout the world." In other words, he didn't say well, those books weren't written by South Africans so I just – I can't claim them. No, he said that's part of my inheritance. That's part of the human inheritance. That applies here in this country, to me, and to you. And that's part of what gave him the moral authority that the apartheid regime could never claim, because he was more familiar with their best values than they were. (Laughter.) He had read their documents more carefully than they had. And he went on to say, "Political division based on color is entirely artificial and, when it disappears, so will the domination of one color group by another." That's Nelson Mandela speaking in 1964, when I was three years old. (Applause.)
What was true then remains true today. Basic truths do not change. It is a truth that can be embraced by the English, and by the Indian, and by the Mexican and by the Bantu and by the Luo and by the American. It is a truth that lies at the heart of every world religion – that we should do unto others as we would have them do unto us. (Applause.) That we see ourselves in other people. That we can recognize common hopes and common dreams. And it is a truth that is incompatible with any form of discrimination based on race or religion or gender or sexual orientation. And it is a truth that, by the way, when embraced, actually delivers practical benefits, since it ensures that a society can draw upon the talents and energy and skill of all its people. And if you doubt that, just ask the French football team that just won the World Cup. (Cheers and applause.) Because not all of those folks – not all of those folks look like Gauls to me. (Laughter.) But they're French. They're French. (Laughter.)
Embracing our common humanity does not mean that we have to abandon our unique ethnic and national and religious identities. Madiba never stopped being proud of his tribal heritage. He didn't stop being proud of being a black man and being a South African. But he believed, as I believe, that you can be proud of your heritage without denigrating those of a different heritage. (Applause.) In fact, you dishonor your heritage. It would make me think that you're a little insecure about your heritage if you've got to put somebody else's heritage down. (Laughter.) Yeah, that's right. (Laughter.) Don't you get a sense sometimes – again, I'm ad-libbing here – that these people who are so intent on putting people down and puffing themselves up that they're small-hearted, that there's something they're just afraid of. Madiba knew that we cannot claim justice for ourselves when it's only reserved for some. Madiba understood that we can't say we've got a just society simply because we replaced the color of the person on top of an unjust system, so the person looks like us even though they're doing the same stuff, and somehow now we've got justice. That doesn't work. (Cheers and applause.) It's not justice if now you're on top, so I'm going to do the same thing that those folks were doing to me and now I'm going to do it to you. That's not justice. "I detest racialism," he said, "whether it comes from a black man or a white man."
Now, we have to acknowledge that there is disorientation that comes from rapid change and modernization, and the fact that the world has shrunk, and we're going to have to find ways to lessen the fears of those who feel threatened. In the West's current debate around immigration, for example, it's not wrong to insist that national borders matter; whether you're a citizen or not is going to matter to a government, that laws need to be followed; that in the public realm newcomers should make an effort to adapt to the language and customs of their new home. Those are legitimate things and we have to be able to engage people who do feel as if things are not orderly. But that can't be an excuse for immigration policies based on race, or ethnicity, or religion. There's got to be some consistency. And we can enforce the law while respecting the essential humanity of those who are striving for a better life. (Cheers and applause.) For a mother with a child in her arms, we can recognize that could be somebody in our family, that could be my child.
Third, Madiba reminds us that democracy is about more than just elections.
When he was freed from prison, Madiba's popularity – well, you couldn't even measure it. He could have been president for life. Am I wrong? (Laughter.) Who was going to run against him? (Laughter.) I mean, Ramaphosa was popular, but come on. (Laughter.) Plus he was a young – he was too young. Had he chose, Madiba could have governed by executive fiat, unconstrained by check and balances. But instead he helped guide South Africa through the drafting of a new Constitution, drawing from all the institutional practices and democratic ideals that had proven to be most sturdy, mindful of the fact that no single individual possesses a monopoly on wisdom. No individual – not Mandela, not Obama – are entirely immune to the corrupting influences of absolute power, if you can do whatever you want and everyone's too afraid to tell you when you're making a mistake. No one is immune from the dangers of that.
Mandela understood this. He said, "Democracy is based on the majority principle. This is especially true in a country such as ours where the vast majority have been systematically denied their rights. At the same time, democracy also requires the rights of political and other minorities be safeguarded." He understood it's not just about who has the most votes. It's also about the civic culture that we build that makes democracy work.
So we have to stop pretending that countries that just hold an election where sometimes the winner somehow magically gets 90 percent of the vote because all the opposition is locked up – (laughter) – or can't get on TV, is a democracy. Democracy depends on strong institutions and it's about minority rights and checks and balances, and freedom of speech and freedom of expression and a free press, and the right to protest and petition the government, and an independent judiciary, and everybody having to follow the law.
And yes, democracy can be messy, and it can be slow, and it can be frustrating. I know, I promise. (Laughter.) But the efficiency that's offered by an autocrat, that's a false promise. Don't take that one, because it leads invariably to more consolidation of wealth at the top and power at the top, and it makes it easier to conceal corruption and abuse. For all its imperfections, real democracy best upholds the idea that government exists to serve the individual and not the other way around. (Applause.) And it is the only form of government that has the possibility of making that idea real.
So for those of us who are interested in strengthening democracy, let's also stop – it's time for us to stop paying all of our attention to the world's capitals and the centers of power and to start focusing more on the grassroots, because that's where democratic legitimacy comes from. Not from the top down, not from abstract theories, not just from experts, but from the bottom up. Knowing the lives of those who are struggling.
As a community organizer, I learned as much from a laid-off steel worker in Chicago or a single mom in a poor neighborhood that I visited as I learned from the finest economists in the Oval Office. Democracy means being in touch and in tune with life as it's lived in our communities, and that's what we should expect from our leaders, and it depends upon cultivating leaders at the grassroots who can help bring about change and implement it on the ground and can tell leaders in fancy buildings, this isn't working down here.
And to make democracy work, Madiba shows us that we also have to keep teaching our children, and ourselves – and this is really hard – to engage with people not only who look different but who hold different views. This is hard. (Applause.)
Most of us prefer to surround ourselves with opinions that validate what we already believe. You notice the people who you think are smart are the people who agree with you. (Laughter.) Funny how that works. But democracy demands that we're able also to get inside the reality of people who are different than us so we can understand their point of view. Maybe we can change their minds, but maybe they'll change ours. And you can't do this if you just out of hand disregard what your opponents have to say from the start. And you can't do it if you insist that those who aren't like you – because they're white, or because they're male – that somehow there's no way they can understand what I'm feeling, that somehow they lack standing to speak on certain matters.
Madiba, he lived this complexity. In prison, he studied Afrikaans so that he could better understand the people who were jailing him. And when he got out of prison, he extended a hand to those who had jailed him, because he knew that they had to be a part of the democratic South Africa that he wanted to build. "To make peace with an enemy," he wrote, "one must work with that enemy, and that enemy becomes one's partner."
So those who traffic in absolutes when it comes to policy, whether it's on the left or the right, they make democracy unworkable. You can't expect to get 100 percent of what you want all the time; sometimes, you have to compromise. That doesn't mean abandoning your principles, but instead it means holding on to those principles and then having the confidence that they're going to stand up to a serious democratic debate. That's how America's Founders intended our system to work – that through the testing of ideas and the application of reason and proof it would be possible to arrive at a basis for common ground.
And I should add for this to work, we have to actually believe in an objective reality. This is another one of these things that I didn't have to lecture about. You have to believe in facts. (Laughter.) Without facts, there is no basis for cooperation. If I say this is a podium and you say this is an elephant, it's going to be hard for us to cooperate. (Laughter.) I can find common ground for those who oppose the Paris Accords because, for example, they might say, well, it's not going to work, you can't get everybody to cooperate, or they might say it's more important for us to provide cheap energy for the poor, even if it means in the short term that there's more pollution. At least I can have a debate with them about that and I can show them why I think clean energy is the better path, especially for poor countries, that you can leapfrog old technologies. (Cheers.) I can't find common ground if somebody says climate change is just not happening, when almost all of the world's scientists tell us it is. I don't know where to start talking to you about this. (Laughter.) If you start saying it's an elaborate hoax, I don't know what to – (laughter) – where do we start?
Unfortunately, too much of politics today seems to reject the very concept of objective truth. People just make stuff up. They just make stuff up. We see it in state-sponsored propaganda; we see it in internet driven fabrications, we see it in the blurring of lines between news and entertainment, we see the utter loss of shame among political leaders where they're caught in a lie and they just double down and they lie some more. Politicians have always lied, but it used to be if you caught them lying they'd be like, "Oh man." Now they just keep on lying.
By the way, this is what I think Mama Graça was talking about in terms of maybe some sense of humility that Madiba felt, like sometimes just basic stuff, me not completely lying to people seems pretty basic, I don't think of myself as a great leader just because I don't completely make stuff up. You'd think that was a base line. Anyway, we see it in the promotion of anti-intellectualism and the rejection of science from leaders who find critical thinking and data somehow politically inconvenient. And, as with the denial of rights, the denial of facts runs counter to democracy, it could be its undoing, which is why we must zealously protect independent media; and we have to guard against the tendency for social media to become purely a platform for spectacle, outrage, or disinformation; and we have to insist that our schools teach critical thinking to our young people, not just blind obedience.
Which, I'm sure you are thankful for, leads to my final point: we have to follow Madiba's example of persistence and of hope.
It is tempting to give in to cynicism: to believe that recent shifts in global politics are too powerful to push back; that the pendulum has swung permanently. Just as people spoke about the triumph of democracy in the 90s, now you are hearing people talk about end of democracy and the triumph of tribalism and the strong man. We have to resist that cynicism.
Because, we've been through darker times, we've been in lower valleys and deeper valleys. Yes, by the end of his life, Madiba embodied the successful struggle for human rights, but the journey was not easy, it wasn't pre-ordained. The man went to prison for almost three decades. He split limestone in the heat, he slept in a small cell, and was repeatedly put in solitary confinement. And I remember talking to some of his former colleagues saying how they hadn't realized when they were released, just the sight of a child, the idea of holding a child, they had missed – it wasn't something available to them, for decades.
And yet his power actually grew during those years – and the power of his jailers diminished, because he knew that if you stick to what's true, if you know what's in your heart, and you're willing to sacrifice for it, even in the face of overwhelming odds, that it might not happen tomorrow, it might not happen in the next week, it might not even happen in your lifetime. Things may go backwards for a while, but ultimately, right makes might, not the other way around, ultimately, the better story can win out and as strong as Madiba's spirit may have been, he would not have sustained that hope had he been alone in the struggle, part of buoyed him up was that he knew that each year, the ranks of freedom fighters were replenishing, young men and women, here in South African, in the ANC and beyond; black and Indian and white, from across the countryside, across the continent, around the world, who in those most difficult days would keep working on behalf of his vision.
And that's what we need right now, we don't just need one leader, we don't just need one inspiration, what we badly need right now is that collective spirit. And, I know that those young people, those hope carriers are gathering around the world. Because history shows that whenever progress is threatened, and the things we care about most are in question, we should heed the words of Robert Kennedy – spoken here in South Africa, he said, "Our answer is the world's hope: it is to rely on youth. It's to rely on the spirit of the young."
So, young people, who are in the audience, who are listening, my message to you is simple, keep believing, keep marching, keep building, keep raising your voice. Every generation has the opportunity to remake the world. Mandela said, "Young people are capable, when aroused, of bringing down the towers of oppression and raising the banners of freedom." Now is a good time to be aroused. Now is a good time to be fired up.
And, for those of us who care about the legacy that we honor here today – about equality and dignity and democracy and solidarity and kindness, those of us who remain young at heart, if not in body – we have an obligation to help our youth succeed. Some of you know, here in South Africa, my Foundation is convening over the last few days, two hundred young people from across this continent who are doing the hard work of making change in their communities; who reflect Madiba's values, who are poised to lead the way.
People like Abaas Mpindi, a journalist from Uganda, who founded the Media Challenge Initiative, to help other young people get the training they need to tell the stories that the world needs to know.
People like Caren Wakoli, an entrepreneur from Kenya, who founded the Emerging Leaders Foundation to get young people involved in the work of fighting poverty and promoting human dignity.
People like Enock Nkulanga, who directs the African Children's mission, which helps children in Uganda and Kenya get the education that they need and then in his spare time, Enock advocates for the rights of children around the globe, and founded an organization called LeadMinds Africa, which does exactly what it says.
You meet these people, you talk to them, they will give you hope. They are taking the baton, they know they can't just rest on the accomplishments of the past, even the accomplishments of those as momentous as Nelson Mandela's. They stand on the shoulders of those who came before, including that young black boy born 100 years ago, but they know that it is now their turn to do the work.
Madiba reminds us that: "No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart." Love comes more naturally to the human heart, let's remember that truth. Let's see it as our North Star, let's be joyful in our struggle to make that truth manifest here on earth so that in 100 years from now, future generations will look back and say, "they kept the march going, that's why we live under new banners of freedom." Thank you very much, South Africa, thank you.
Wednesday, July 18, 2018
BITCOIN PRICE SEES MASSIVE GAINS AS CRYPTOCURRENCY MARKET EXPERIENCES BEST DAY IN MONTHS - Independent
July 18, 2018
BITCOIN PRICE SEES MASSIVE GAINS AS CRYPTOCURRENCY MARKET EXPERIENCES BEST DAY IN MONTHS
The latest bitcoin price rise follows positive news in the cryptocurrency space, which has helped it gain $1,200 over the last six days
ANTHONY CUTHBERTSON
@ADCuthbertson
The price of bitcoin surged by 10 per cent in less than an hour on Tuesday, pushing the cryptocurrency's value above $7,000 for the first time since early June.
It is the second time this week that bitcoin has shot up in price, helping its value go up by around $1,200 over the last six days.
Other major cryptocurrencies received a boost off the back of bitcoin's resurgence, with ethereum ripple and bitcoin cash all rising by between 5 and 8 per cent over the last 24 hours. But the most significant gains were experienced by stellar and cardano, which rose by 22 per cent and 16 per cent respectively.
Satoshi Nakamoto creates the first bitcoin block in 2009
Bitcoin is used as a currency for the first time
The first bitcoin ATM appears
The latest price still remains a long way off bitcoin's all-time high, which reached close to $20,000 in December 2017. It is also still some distance from the $10,000 it was trading at in May, however the sudden spike still represents bitcoin's best day in around three months.
Positive and negative news in the cryptocurrency space can often be attributed when explaining bitcoin's market movements and earlier this week a 4 per cent gain followed news that investment firm BlackRock is looking to move into the cryptocurrency space.
"After a few weeks in the doldrums, news like this goes a long way in lending legitimacy to crypto as an asset class, which is powerful over the long-term," Matthew Newton, a market analyst at the investment platform eToro, said in an email to The Independent.
Mr Newton added that negative news can often be more influential on the market than positive news. “Investors would be wise to remain cautious, as we saw a similar situation in April where some big short positions were squeezed causing the price to surge. That said, if bitcoin pushes past $8k, it’ll indicate that the bull is back and prices could continue to climb further,” he said.
BlackRock is not the first well established firms in the financial sector to express an interest in cryptocurrency, with Goldman Sachs launching a bitcoin trading operation and backing fintech startup Circle.
Circle revealed in May that it plans to launch a digital version of the US dollar, which would offer many of the benefits of cryptocurrency while also overcoming the price volatility issue.
“The invention of cryptographic assets and blockchain-based computing have ushered in the next major era of the open internet,” Circle explained in a blogpost announcing the new cryptocurrency. “But a price-stable medium of exchange and store of value is missing, and badly needed in order for global financial interoperability to function reliable and consistently.”
bitcoin price chart cryptocurrency market latest
The latest bitcoin price rise follows positive news in the cryptocurrency space (Getty Images)
Cryptocurrency analysts expect more giants from the traditional financial sector to explore the nascent market, with some experts suggesting fiat currencies could eventually merge with cryptocurrencies.
“There is no doubt BlackRock is looking at the options when it comes to cryptocurrenciess. This is logical given that many in the City, including asset managers, are already exploring ways to enter the market," Romal Almazo, cryptocurrency lead at consultancy firm Capco, told The Independent.
"If you believe that fiat currency will eventually merge with cryptocurrencies as many do, then it’s only a matter of time before this trickle becomes a flood. We need to remember that cryptocurrencies and blockchain are a 10 to 20 year project and this will all take time. This is all part of a natural evolutionary process which has been repeated many times in history – when it comes to technology.”
BITCOIN PRICE SEES MASSIVE GAINS AS CRYPTOCURRENCY MARKET EXPERIENCES BEST DAY IN MONTHS
The latest bitcoin price rise follows positive news in the cryptocurrency space, which has helped it gain $1,200 over the last six days
ANTHONY CUTHBERTSON
@ADCuthbertson
The price of bitcoin surged by 10 per cent in less than an hour on Tuesday, pushing the cryptocurrency's value above $7,000 for the first time since early June.
It is the second time this week that bitcoin has shot up in price, helping its value go up by around $1,200 over the last six days.
Other major cryptocurrencies received a boost off the back of bitcoin's resurgence, with ethereum ripple and bitcoin cash all rising by between 5 and 8 per cent over the last 24 hours. But the most significant gains were experienced by stellar and cardano, which rose by 22 per cent and 16 per cent respectively.
Satoshi Nakamoto creates the first bitcoin block in 2009
Bitcoin is used as a currency for the first time
The first bitcoin ATM appears
The latest price still remains a long way off bitcoin's all-time high, which reached close to $20,000 in December 2017. It is also still some distance from the $10,000 it was trading at in May, however the sudden spike still represents bitcoin's best day in around three months.
Positive and negative news in the cryptocurrency space can often be attributed when explaining bitcoin's market movements and earlier this week a 4 per cent gain followed news that investment firm BlackRock is looking to move into the cryptocurrency space.
"After a few weeks in the doldrums, news like this goes a long way in lending legitimacy to crypto as an asset class, which is powerful over the long-term," Matthew Newton, a market analyst at the investment platform eToro, said in an email to The Independent.
Mr Newton added that negative news can often be more influential on the market than positive news. “Investors would be wise to remain cautious, as we saw a similar situation in April where some big short positions were squeezed causing the price to surge. That said, if bitcoin pushes past $8k, it’ll indicate that the bull is back and prices could continue to climb further,” he said.
BlackRock is not the first well established firms in the financial sector to express an interest in cryptocurrency, with Goldman Sachs launching a bitcoin trading operation and backing fintech startup Circle.
Circle revealed in May that it plans to launch a digital version of the US dollar, which would offer many of the benefits of cryptocurrency while also overcoming the price volatility issue.
“The invention of cryptographic assets and blockchain-based computing have ushered in the next major era of the open internet,” Circle explained in a blogpost announcing the new cryptocurrency. “But a price-stable medium of exchange and store of value is missing, and badly needed in order for global financial interoperability to function reliable and consistently.”
bitcoin price chart cryptocurrency market latest
The latest bitcoin price rise follows positive news in the cryptocurrency space (Getty Images)
Cryptocurrency analysts expect more giants from the traditional financial sector to explore the nascent market, with some experts suggesting fiat currencies could eventually merge with cryptocurrencies.
“There is no doubt BlackRock is looking at the options when it comes to cryptocurrenciess. This is logical given that many in the City, including asset managers, are already exploring ways to enter the market," Romal Almazo, cryptocurrency lead at consultancy firm Capco, told The Independent.
"If you believe that fiat currency will eventually merge with cryptocurrencies as many do, then it’s only a matter of time before this trickle becomes a flood. We need to remember that cryptocurrencies and blockchain are a 10 to 20 year project and this will all take time. This is all part of a natural evolutionary process which has been repeated many times in history – when it comes to technology.”
Trump falsely claims Queen reviewed honor guard for first time in 70 years - CNN News
Trump falsely claims Queen reviewed honor guard for first time in 70 years
Laura Smith Spark-Profile-Image
By Laura Smith-Spark, CNN
Updated 0918 GMT (1718 HKT) July 18, 2018
Trump criticized for his stroll with Queen
Trump criticized for his stroll with Queen
London (CNN)US President Donald Trump has wrongly claimed that Britain's Queen Elizabeth II reviewed her honor guard for the first time in 70 years during his visit to the United Kingdom last week.
Trump made the claim Tuesday as he read from a prepared statement at the White House in an attempt to rebuff fierce criticism over his comments at a news conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, Finland, a day earlier.
"We met with the Queen, who is absolutely a terrific person, where she reviewed her honor guard for the first time in 70 years, they tell me," Trump said, without specifying who "they" were.
"We walked in front of the Honor Guard, and that was very inspiring to see and be with her. And I think the relationship, I can truly say, is a good one. But she was very, very inspiring indeed."
Trump shakes hands with the Queen at Windsor Castle.
Trump shakes hands with the Queen at Windsor Castle.
The Queen -- who has been on the throne for 66 years, not 70 -- regularly reviews a guard of honor from the Household Division.
Trump also faced social media criticism for walking in front of the Queen as the two inspected the guard of honor on Friday. After he came to a halt, Elizabeth caught up and gestured for him to continue, so that they walked along side by side.
The President's move to walk in front of the Queen didn't technically break royal protocol, according to royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams.
That said, Trump still looked like he "might as well have been wandering up and down a golf course," he said. "It proves he (Trump) doesn't bother to rehearse, because the thinks he doesn't need to."
Laura Smith Spark-Profile-Image
By Laura Smith-Spark, CNN
Updated 0918 GMT (1718 HKT) July 18, 2018
Trump criticized for his stroll with Queen
Trump criticized for his stroll with Queen
London (CNN)US President Donald Trump has wrongly claimed that Britain's Queen Elizabeth II reviewed her honor guard for the first time in 70 years during his visit to the United Kingdom last week.
Trump made the claim Tuesday as he read from a prepared statement at the White House in an attempt to rebuff fierce criticism over his comments at a news conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, Finland, a day earlier.
"We met with the Queen, who is absolutely a terrific person, where she reviewed her honor guard for the first time in 70 years, they tell me," Trump said, without specifying who "they" were.
"We walked in front of the Honor Guard, and that was very inspiring to see and be with her. And I think the relationship, I can truly say, is a good one. But she was very, very inspiring indeed."
Trump shakes hands with the Queen at Windsor Castle.
Trump shakes hands with the Queen at Windsor Castle.
The Queen -- who has been on the throne for 66 years, not 70 -- regularly reviews a guard of honor from the Household Division.
Trump also faced social media criticism for walking in front of the Queen as the two inspected the guard of honor on Friday. After he came to a halt, Elizabeth caught up and gestured for him to continue, so that they walked along side by side.
The President's move to walk in front of the Queen didn't technically break royal protocol, according to royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams.
That said, Trump still looked like he "might as well have been wandering up and down a golf course," he said. "It proves he (Trump) doesn't bother to rehearse, because the thinks he doesn't need to."
People aren't buying Trump's excuse about defending Russia at Helsinki press conference - Independent
People aren't buying Trump's excuse about defending Russia at Helsinki press conference
Posted on July 18, 2018 by Lowenna Waters in news
UPVOTE
On Tuesday, president Trump said that he meant to say 'wouldn't' rather than 'would' regarding a controversial remark he made at a press conference with president Putin of Russia.
During the press conference, which was held in Helsinki, Trump had been asked by a journalist whether he accepted president Putin's denial that the Kremlin had interfered with the 2016 presidential election.
At the press conference, president Trump had said:
President Putin just said it’s not Russia. I don’t see any reason why it would be.
After making the claims, Trump faced wide-spread backlash and criticism from both Democrats and Republicans for dismissing the US intelligence community's assessment that Russia had indeed meddled in the 2016 presidential election.
After the criticism, Trump backpedalled, and issued another statement:
I would like to clarify, in a key sentence in my remarks, I said the word ‘would’ instead of ‘wouldn’t'.
The sentence should have been: ‘I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t be Russia.’
Right...
That may be Trump's excuse, but not many people are buying it. Needless to say, Twitter wasn't really convinced.
Politicians have smelt a rat.
José E. Serrano
✔
@RepJoseSerrano
Even though English was the second language I learned, I know the difference between 'would' and 'wouldn't'.
5:24 AM - Jul 18, 2018
Mark Warner
✔
@MarkWarner
I just don’t buy the President’s comments today. If he wanted to take a stand on Russian election interference, he should have had the strength to do it in front of Vladimir Putin.
5:53 AM - Jul 18, 2018
Many journalists are equally unconvinced.
Alexandra Petri
✔
@petridishes
i obviously meant to shout "I DON'T OBJECT" sorry that i ruined your wedding
5:23 AM - Jul 18, 2018
Jeet Heer
✔
@HeerJeet
I wouldn't not say the Russians are not without responsibility for no form of election meddling. Clear?
8:32 AM - Jul 18, 2018
Benjy Sarlin
✔
@BenjySarlin
"If it's what you say, I [don't] love it!"
5:41 AM - Jul 18, 2018
Max Boot
✔
@MaxBoot
Trump is deathly afraid of being laughed at. News flash, Mr President: The world is laughing at you. This is the silliest spin ever!
NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt
✔
@NBCNightlyNews
BREAKING: President Trump claims he misspoke while discussing election meddling during news conference with Putin: "In a key sentence in my remarks, I said the word 'would' instead of 'wouldn't.' ... The sentence should've been: 'I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t be Russia'"
5:15 AM - Jul 18, 2018
And of course, it quickly became a meme.
ElElegante101
@skolanach
DON’T MAKE AMERICA NOT GREAT AGAIN
5:17 AM - Jul 18, 2018
Michelle Wolf
✔
@michelleisawolf
Oh sure but women are the ones who get “but when you said no did you really mean it? In that tank top?” #wouldnt
11:27 AM - Jul 18, 2018
MJ Lee
✔
@mj_lee
Trump was very upset about coverage of his Putin presser. He is not going to be happy with coverage of "would vs. wouldn’t."
5:10 AM - Jul 18, 2018
6,142
1,096 people are talking about this
Twitter Ads info and privacy
Titus Anjawnicus, but Croatian
@jimadair3
Trump yesterday: "I'm gonna go fondle my sweaters."
Trump today: "Ah, uh - no I didn't. I said... fondue the cheddar... I was thinking about making fondue with cheddar cheese for dinner tonight."
AP Politics
✔
@AP_Politics
BREAKING: Trump claims he misspoke on election meddling, now says he sees no reason why it wouldn't be Russia that was responsible.
5:01 AM - Jul 18, 2018
1,723
335 people are talking about this
Twitter Ads info and privacy
Some focused on his supposed use of a double negative.
Ben Shapiro
✔
@benshapiro
“I can’t see any reason it wouldn’t be Russia. You know, like I can’t believe it’s not butter. A double negative.”
5:40 AM - Jul 18, 2018
3,424
782 people are talking about this
Twitter Ads info and privacy
Dave Itzkoff
✔
@ditzkoff
i can't not believe this is happening
5:01 AM - Jul 18, 2018
Ian Millhiser
✔
@imillhiser
Double
8:33 AM - Jul 18, 2018
1,315
182 people are talking about this
Twitter Ads info and privacy
And others were simply baffled.
Richard Jeter
✔
@MilesToGo13
"But you WOULD expect me to say that they #Wouldnt have interfered with our election, so clearly I cannot choose the word in front of YOU!"
7:38 AM - Jul 18, 2018
Rich Schoenstein
@richschoenstein
Who among us hasn't not used accidentally on purpose what wasn't not surely unlikely to be perhaps certainly correctly misconstrued language that didn't sound incorrect until we misread the transcript? #doublenegative
5:26 AM - Jul 18, 2018
Clear as mud.
Kristi Powell
@mychiarinotion
Replying to @richschoenstein @DStewart541
Reading this gave me a stroke.
5:47 AM - Jul 18, 2018
Nice try, Trump. Better luck next time.
Posted on July 18, 2018 by Lowenna Waters in news
UPVOTE
On Tuesday, president Trump said that he meant to say 'wouldn't' rather than 'would' regarding a controversial remark he made at a press conference with president Putin of Russia.
During the press conference, which was held in Helsinki, Trump had been asked by a journalist whether he accepted president Putin's denial that the Kremlin had interfered with the 2016 presidential election.
At the press conference, president Trump had said:
President Putin just said it’s not Russia. I don’t see any reason why it would be.
After making the claims, Trump faced wide-spread backlash and criticism from both Democrats and Republicans for dismissing the US intelligence community's assessment that Russia had indeed meddled in the 2016 presidential election.
After the criticism, Trump backpedalled, and issued another statement:
I would like to clarify, in a key sentence in my remarks, I said the word ‘would’ instead of ‘wouldn’t'.
The sentence should have been: ‘I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t be Russia.’
Right...
That may be Trump's excuse, but not many people are buying it. Needless to say, Twitter wasn't really convinced.
Politicians have smelt a rat.
José E. Serrano
✔
@RepJoseSerrano
Even though English was the second language I learned, I know the difference between 'would' and 'wouldn't'.
5:24 AM - Jul 18, 2018
Mark Warner
✔
@MarkWarner
I just don’t buy the President’s comments today. If he wanted to take a stand on Russian election interference, he should have had the strength to do it in front of Vladimir Putin.
5:53 AM - Jul 18, 2018
Many journalists are equally unconvinced.
Alexandra Petri
✔
@petridishes
i obviously meant to shout "I DON'T OBJECT" sorry that i ruined your wedding
5:23 AM - Jul 18, 2018
Jeet Heer
✔
@HeerJeet
I wouldn't not say the Russians are not without responsibility for no form of election meddling. Clear?
8:32 AM - Jul 18, 2018
Benjy Sarlin
✔
@BenjySarlin
"If it's what you say, I [don't] love it!"
5:41 AM - Jul 18, 2018
Max Boot
✔
@MaxBoot
Trump is deathly afraid of being laughed at. News flash, Mr President: The world is laughing at you. This is the silliest spin ever!
NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt
✔
@NBCNightlyNews
BREAKING: President Trump claims he misspoke while discussing election meddling during news conference with Putin: "In a key sentence in my remarks, I said the word 'would' instead of 'wouldn't.' ... The sentence should've been: 'I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t be Russia'"
5:15 AM - Jul 18, 2018
And of course, it quickly became a meme.
ElElegante101
@skolanach
DON’T MAKE AMERICA NOT GREAT AGAIN
5:17 AM - Jul 18, 2018
Michelle Wolf
✔
@michelleisawolf
Oh sure but women are the ones who get “but when you said no did you really mean it? In that tank top?” #wouldnt
11:27 AM - Jul 18, 2018
MJ Lee
✔
@mj_lee
Trump was very upset about coverage of his Putin presser. He is not going to be happy with coverage of "would vs. wouldn’t."
5:10 AM - Jul 18, 2018
6,142
1,096 people are talking about this
Twitter Ads info and privacy
Titus Anjawnicus, but Croatian
@jimadair3
Trump yesterday: "I'm gonna go fondle my sweaters."
Trump today: "Ah, uh - no I didn't. I said... fondue the cheddar... I was thinking about making fondue with cheddar cheese for dinner tonight."
AP Politics
✔
@AP_Politics
BREAKING: Trump claims he misspoke on election meddling, now says he sees no reason why it wouldn't be Russia that was responsible.
5:01 AM - Jul 18, 2018
1,723
335 people are talking about this
Twitter Ads info and privacy
Some focused on his supposed use of a double negative.
Ben Shapiro
✔
@benshapiro
“I can’t see any reason it wouldn’t be Russia. You know, like I can’t believe it’s not butter. A double negative.”
5:40 AM - Jul 18, 2018
3,424
782 people are talking about this
Twitter Ads info and privacy
Dave Itzkoff
✔
@ditzkoff
i can't not believe this is happening
5:01 AM - Jul 18, 2018
Ian Millhiser
✔
@imillhiser
Double
8:33 AM - Jul 18, 2018
1,315
182 people are talking about this
Twitter Ads info and privacy
And others were simply baffled.
Richard Jeter
✔
@MilesToGo13
"But you WOULD expect me to say that they #Wouldnt have interfered with our election, so clearly I cannot choose the word in front of YOU!"
7:38 AM - Jul 18, 2018
Rich Schoenstein
@richschoenstein
Who among us hasn't not used accidentally on purpose what wasn't not surely unlikely to be perhaps certainly correctly misconstrued language that didn't sound incorrect until we misread the transcript? #doublenegative
5:26 AM - Jul 18, 2018
Clear as mud.
Kristi Powell
@mychiarinotion
Replying to @richschoenstein @DStewart541
Reading this gave me a stroke.
5:47 AM - Jul 18, 2018
Nice try, Trump. Better luck next time.
Trump Makes His Worst Excuse Ever - Intelligencer ( New York Magazine )
Jul 18, 2018
Trump Makes His Worst Excuse Ever
By
Ed Kilgore
Trump corrects his own record of utterances from the Putin press conference. Photo: Andrew Harnik/AP/REX/Shutterstock
The president’s first reaction to the firestorm of bipartisan criticism he received over his words and conduct at yesterday’s Helsinki post-summit press conference with Vladimir Putin was characteristically belligerent:
Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
While I had a great meeting with NATO, raising vast amounts of money, I had an even better meeting with Vladimir Putin of Russia. Sadly, it is not being reported that way - the Fake News is going Crazy!
12:22 AM - Jul 18, 2018
But in the course of the morning, the people around Trump, and perhaps some of his congressional allies, prevailed upon him to attempt some damage control on one key issue, instead of the usual aggressive spluttering. And so he spoke briefly to reporters before a meeting on the Hill, and focused on his inflammatory comment suggesting he trusted Putin’s word over U.S. intelligence agencies when it came to Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. elections.
Here’s what Trump said in Helsinki:
“My people came to me — [Director of National Intelligence] Dan Coats came to me and some others — they said they think it’s Russia. I have President Putin; he just said it’s not Russia,” Trump said in Helsinki, standing next to Putin. “I will say this: I don’t see any reason why it would be.”
And here’s his walk back today:
“I have full faith in our intelligence agencies,” Trump told reporters Tuesday, reading from a prepared statement. “There is a need for some clarification. It should have been obvious, it ought to have been obvious.”
He added: “In a key sentence in my remarks I said the word “would” instead of ‘wouldn’t.’ … The sentence should’ve been, and I thought it would be maybe a little but unclear on the transcript … ‘I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t be Russia.’ Sort of a double negative. You can put that in and I think that probably clarifies things by itself.”
The other way to put it is that the president is executing a 180-degree turn, while suggesting that the original utterance reflected a grammar issue.
That doesn’t meet anybody’s smell test, but at least he got the right formulation on the record. But there are two remaining problems, other than the credibility of his walk back. The first is that this wasn’t the only questionable statement made by Trump before or during the press conference. There was also his generous concession to Putin and his Soviet predecessors that the U.S. was as much to blame as the Russians for bilateral tensions. And he hasn’t answered questions about exactly what he and Putin said to each other in the long “summit” meeting that occurred before the disastrous presser.
More importantly, though, nothing Trump can now say or do can efface the terrible optics of the Helsinki event. This was my own, and hardly unusual, first reaction:
In the brightest international spotlight side by side with the foreign leader he has most admired for his toughness, Donald Trump looked weak and submissive, incapable of expressing any sort of righteous indignation at even the most blatant bad behavior by Russia.
The fact that the America First alpha dog looked like anything other than the leader of the pack in the company of Vladimir Putin is a bit of self-inflicted damage that can’t be explained away. It’s already a bit too late for the White House to suggest the president was suffering from a mysterious ailment that robs its sufferer of courage and self-possession. He’s going to have to live Helsinki down for some time yet.
Trump Makes His Worst Excuse Ever
By
Ed Kilgore
Trump corrects his own record of utterances from the Putin press conference. Photo: Andrew Harnik/AP/REX/Shutterstock
The president’s first reaction to the firestorm of bipartisan criticism he received over his words and conduct at yesterday’s Helsinki post-summit press conference with Vladimir Putin was characteristically belligerent:
Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
While I had a great meeting with NATO, raising vast amounts of money, I had an even better meeting with Vladimir Putin of Russia. Sadly, it is not being reported that way - the Fake News is going Crazy!
12:22 AM - Jul 18, 2018
But in the course of the morning, the people around Trump, and perhaps some of his congressional allies, prevailed upon him to attempt some damage control on one key issue, instead of the usual aggressive spluttering. And so he spoke briefly to reporters before a meeting on the Hill, and focused on his inflammatory comment suggesting he trusted Putin’s word over U.S. intelligence agencies when it came to Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. elections.
Here’s what Trump said in Helsinki:
“My people came to me — [Director of National Intelligence] Dan Coats came to me and some others — they said they think it’s Russia. I have President Putin; he just said it’s not Russia,” Trump said in Helsinki, standing next to Putin. “I will say this: I don’t see any reason why it would be.”
And here’s his walk back today:
“I have full faith in our intelligence agencies,” Trump told reporters Tuesday, reading from a prepared statement. “There is a need for some clarification. It should have been obvious, it ought to have been obvious.”
He added: “In a key sentence in my remarks I said the word “would” instead of ‘wouldn’t.’ … The sentence should’ve been, and I thought it would be maybe a little but unclear on the transcript … ‘I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t be Russia.’ Sort of a double negative. You can put that in and I think that probably clarifies things by itself.”
The other way to put it is that the president is executing a 180-degree turn, while suggesting that the original utterance reflected a grammar issue.
That doesn’t meet anybody’s smell test, but at least he got the right formulation on the record. But there are two remaining problems, other than the credibility of his walk back. The first is that this wasn’t the only questionable statement made by Trump before or during the press conference. There was also his generous concession to Putin and his Soviet predecessors that the U.S. was as much to blame as the Russians for bilateral tensions. And he hasn’t answered questions about exactly what he and Putin said to each other in the long “summit” meeting that occurred before the disastrous presser.
More importantly, though, nothing Trump can now say or do can efface the terrible optics of the Helsinki event. This was my own, and hardly unusual, first reaction:
In the brightest international spotlight side by side with the foreign leader he has most admired for his toughness, Donald Trump looked weak and submissive, incapable of expressing any sort of righteous indignation at even the most blatant bad behavior by Russia.
The fact that the America First alpha dog looked like anything other than the leader of the pack in the company of Vladimir Putin is a bit of self-inflicted damage that can’t be explained away. It’s already a bit too late for the White House to suggest the president was suffering from a mysterious ailment that robs its sufferer of courage and self-possession. He’s going to have to live Helsinki down for some time yet.
MH17 victims' father condemns Trump over Russian 'lie' - BBC News
July 18, 2018
MH17 victims' father condemns Trump over Russian 'lie'
Anthony Maslin's children Evie, Mo and Otis died when MH17 was shot down
The father of three Australian children killed when a Malaysia Airlines jet was shot down has delivered a scathing attack on Donald Trump over his attitude to Russia.
Anthony Maslin's children were among 298 people who died when flight MH17 was downed over Ukraine in 2014.
Investigators found that Russia was responsible for the missile used in the strike - a conclusion denied by Moscow.
Mr Maslin has taken aim at the US president over Russia's "lie".
Earlier this week, Mr Trump declined to accept US intelligence agencies' conclusion that Moscow had meddled in the 2016 presidential election. He has since reversed his remarks following widespread anger.
The controversy coincided with the fourth anniversary of the MH17 tragedy.
Russia 'liable' for downing airliner
Empty chair protest marks MH17 dead
Baby joy for couple who lost children
In a Facebook post addressed to the US president, Mr Maslin called on Mr Trump to eschew talk of "fake news" in favour of "irrefutable facts".
"That passenger flight MH17 was shot out of the sky and 298 innocent people were murdered is an irrefutable fact," he wrote alongside a photo of his children Mo, Evie and Otis.
"That the plane was hit by a Russian missile has been proven to be an irrefutable fact.
"That this killed our 3 beautiful children and their grandfather, and destroyed our life and many other lives in the process, is an irrefutable fact."
He added: "That the man whose arse you've just been kissing did this, and continues to lie about it, is an irrefutable fact."
Russia has always insisted it played no part whatsoever in the downing of MH17.
Investigators say the missile which struck MH17 came from Russia
The victims of MH17 included 193 Dutch nationals, 43 people from Malaysia, and 27 from Australia. Others on board came from countries including Indonesia, the UK, Belgium, Germany and the Philippines.
In May, Australia and the Netherlands said they held Russia responsible for the shooting down of the plane, which had been en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.
The US, EU, Nato and the UK added their own calls for Russia to accept responsibility for the incident.
On Tuesday, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull described Mr Trump as an "American patriot" who was doing his best for the US.
However, Mr Turnbull reiterated that he did not believe Russia's stance on MH17.
"I certainly don't trust Vladimir Putin when he says he or the Russian Army had nothing to do with the downing of MH17," he told News Corp Australia.
His government has said it will continue to press Russia to take responsibility for the tragedy.
MH17 victims' father condemns Trump over Russian 'lie'
Anthony Maslin's children Evie, Mo and Otis died when MH17 was shot down
The father of three Australian children killed when a Malaysia Airlines jet was shot down has delivered a scathing attack on Donald Trump over his attitude to Russia.
Anthony Maslin's children were among 298 people who died when flight MH17 was downed over Ukraine in 2014.
Investigators found that Russia was responsible for the missile used in the strike - a conclusion denied by Moscow.
Mr Maslin has taken aim at the US president over Russia's "lie".
Earlier this week, Mr Trump declined to accept US intelligence agencies' conclusion that Moscow had meddled in the 2016 presidential election. He has since reversed his remarks following widespread anger.
The controversy coincided with the fourth anniversary of the MH17 tragedy.
Russia 'liable' for downing airliner
Empty chair protest marks MH17 dead
Baby joy for couple who lost children
In a Facebook post addressed to the US president, Mr Maslin called on Mr Trump to eschew talk of "fake news" in favour of "irrefutable facts".
"That passenger flight MH17 was shot out of the sky and 298 innocent people were murdered is an irrefutable fact," he wrote alongside a photo of his children Mo, Evie and Otis.
"That the plane was hit by a Russian missile has been proven to be an irrefutable fact.
"That this killed our 3 beautiful children and their grandfather, and destroyed our life and many other lives in the process, is an irrefutable fact."
He added: "That the man whose arse you've just been kissing did this, and continues to lie about it, is an irrefutable fact."
Russia has always insisted it played no part whatsoever in the downing of MH17.
Investigators say the missile which struck MH17 came from Russia
The victims of MH17 included 193 Dutch nationals, 43 people from Malaysia, and 27 from Australia. Others on board came from countries including Indonesia, the UK, Belgium, Germany and the Philippines.
In May, Australia and the Netherlands said they held Russia responsible for the shooting down of the plane, which had been en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.
The US, EU, Nato and the UK added their own calls for Russia to accept responsibility for the incident.
On Tuesday, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull described Mr Trump as an "American patriot" who was doing his best for the US.
However, Mr Turnbull reiterated that he did not believe Russia's stance on MH17.
"I certainly don't trust Vladimir Putin when he says he or the Russian Army had nothing to do with the downing of MH17," he told News Corp Australia.
His government has said it will continue to press Russia to take responsibility for the tragedy.
Trump Putin: US president reverses remark on Russia meddling - BBC News
July, 18, 2018
Trump Putin: US president reverses remark on Russia meddling
Trump sheds light on his crucial error at Putin summit
US President Donald Trump has said he accepts US intelligence agencies' conclusion that Russia interfered in the 2016 election - despite declining to do so just a day ago.
He said he had misspoken on Monday and had meant to say he saw no reason why it was not Russia that meddled.
The original comments, after he met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, drew a barrage of criticism.
Even some of Mr Trump's allies had urged him to clarify his stance.
Your toolkit to help understand the story
Trump's 'most serious mistake'
In his latest remarks, he added that he had "full faith and support" in US intelligence agencies.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is to appear before Congress next week to answer questions on what happened during Mr Trump's two-hour meeting with President Putin on Monday.
Damage done
By the BBC's Anthony Zurcher in Washington
Does Donald Trump believe in ominous metaphors? As he affirmed his support for US intelligence agencies, the lights went to black in the White House conference room.
Once order was restored, he said he had been in the dark as to why a storm had swirled around his presidency since his Helsinki summit with Vladimir Putin. It was, he said, because he had misspoken.
That is going to be hard for many of the president's critics to swallow, however. Even if he did mean to say, "I don't see a reason why it wouldn't be Russia", it is a pretty weak way to confront the head of a nation accused of targeting the heart of American democracy.
What is more, the context of the president's comments make a simple slip of the tongue seem less likely.
At the very least, the president gave his supporters some material to rally around.
The damage, however, has been done. Mr Trump can give as many White House statements as he likes, but on the biggest stage - standing beside the Russian president - he fumbled. All the explanations cannot change that.
What Trump said then...
The controversy centres on a response he gave to a question at a news conference on Monday following the summit with Mr Putin.
This is an extract from the transcript posted by the White House.
REPORTER: President Putin denied having anything to do with the election interference in 2016. Every US intelligence agency has concluded that Russia did. My first question for you, sir, is, who do you believe?
Schwarzenegger calls Trump a 'wet noodle'
'Double negative' is not not trending
TRUMP: My people came to me... they said they think it's Russia. I have President Putin; he just said it's not Russia. I will say this: I don't see any reason why it would be.
.... what he says now
Mr Trump said he had reviewed the transcript and realised he needed to clarify.
"In a key sentence in my remarks, I said the word 'would' instead of 'wouldn't," he said.
"The sentence should have been: 'I don't see any reason why I wouldn't' or 'why it wouldn't be Russia'. Sort of a double negative."
The US president added: "I accept our intelligence community's conclusion that Russia's meddling in the 2016 election took place. Could be other people also. A lot of people out there."
Media captionThe ways Trump and Putin see eye to eye
Mr Trump said that the interference had had no impact on the election, in which he defeated Hillary Clinton.
However, he did not respond when reporters asked him if he would condemn Mr Putin.
During the press conference with President Putin - in the same answer as the transcript above - Mr Trump went on to say: "President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today. And what he did is an incredible offer; he offered to have the people working on the case come and work with their investigators with respect to the 12 people. I think that's an incredible offer."
How great is the outrage?
Chuck Schumer, leader of the opposition Democrats in the Senate, said Mr Trump's retraction of his previous comments was a sign of weakness.
"He made a horrible statement, tried to back off, but couldn't even bring himself to back off," he told the Senate. "It shows the weakness of President Trump that he is afraid to confront Mr Putin directly."
July, 18, 2018
Steve Rosenberg
✔
@BBCSteveR
Even the Russian press is stunned by Donald Trump's performance in Helsinki. One paper today is shocked that, in Putin's presence, Trump "publicly expressed a lack of trust in his own intelligence agencies. You don't do things like that. He'll pay a high political price."
Republicans and Democrats alike were dumbfounded that Mr Trump had sided with Russia over his own intelligence officials after Monday's summit.
The US and Russia have been long-term adversaries and remain far apart on major issues. Some lawmakers were also upset that Mr Trump had refused to offer specific criticisms of Russia and Mr Putin, instead saying both countries were responsible for poor relations.
Even one of his most loyal Republican supporters, Newt Gingrich, said the comments were the "most serious mistake of his presidency".
House Republican Mike Turner accused Mr Trump of having damaged American foreign policy by failing to take Russia to task.
"He's given them a pass and is certainly not holding them accountable for what they're doing," he added.
Trump Putin: US president reverses remark on Russia meddling
Trump sheds light on his crucial error at Putin summit
US President Donald Trump has said he accepts US intelligence agencies' conclusion that Russia interfered in the 2016 election - despite declining to do so just a day ago.
He said he had misspoken on Monday and had meant to say he saw no reason why it was not Russia that meddled.
The original comments, after he met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, drew a barrage of criticism.
Even some of Mr Trump's allies had urged him to clarify his stance.
Your toolkit to help understand the story
Trump's 'most serious mistake'
In his latest remarks, he added that he had "full faith and support" in US intelligence agencies.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is to appear before Congress next week to answer questions on what happened during Mr Trump's two-hour meeting with President Putin on Monday.
Damage done
By the BBC's Anthony Zurcher in Washington
Does Donald Trump believe in ominous metaphors? As he affirmed his support for US intelligence agencies, the lights went to black in the White House conference room.
Once order was restored, he said he had been in the dark as to why a storm had swirled around his presidency since his Helsinki summit with Vladimir Putin. It was, he said, because he had misspoken.
That is going to be hard for many of the president's critics to swallow, however. Even if he did mean to say, "I don't see a reason why it wouldn't be Russia", it is a pretty weak way to confront the head of a nation accused of targeting the heart of American democracy.
What is more, the context of the president's comments make a simple slip of the tongue seem less likely.
At the very least, the president gave his supporters some material to rally around.
The damage, however, has been done. Mr Trump can give as many White House statements as he likes, but on the biggest stage - standing beside the Russian president - he fumbled. All the explanations cannot change that.
What Trump said then...
The controversy centres on a response he gave to a question at a news conference on Monday following the summit with Mr Putin.
This is an extract from the transcript posted by the White House.
REPORTER: President Putin denied having anything to do with the election interference in 2016. Every US intelligence agency has concluded that Russia did. My first question for you, sir, is, who do you believe?
Schwarzenegger calls Trump a 'wet noodle'
'Double negative' is not not trending
TRUMP: My people came to me... they said they think it's Russia. I have President Putin; he just said it's not Russia. I will say this: I don't see any reason why it would be.
.... what he says now
Mr Trump said he had reviewed the transcript and realised he needed to clarify.
"In a key sentence in my remarks, I said the word 'would' instead of 'wouldn't," he said.
"The sentence should have been: 'I don't see any reason why I wouldn't' or 'why it wouldn't be Russia'. Sort of a double negative."
The US president added: "I accept our intelligence community's conclusion that Russia's meddling in the 2016 election took place. Could be other people also. A lot of people out there."
Media captionThe ways Trump and Putin see eye to eye
Mr Trump said that the interference had had no impact on the election, in which he defeated Hillary Clinton.
However, he did not respond when reporters asked him if he would condemn Mr Putin.
During the press conference with President Putin - in the same answer as the transcript above - Mr Trump went on to say: "President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today. And what he did is an incredible offer; he offered to have the people working on the case come and work with their investigators with respect to the 12 people. I think that's an incredible offer."
How great is the outrage?
Chuck Schumer, leader of the opposition Democrats in the Senate, said Mr Trump's retraction of his previous comments was a sign of weakness.
"He made a horrible statement, tried to back off, but couldn't even bring himself to back off," he told the Senate. "It shows the weakness of President Trump that he is afraid to confront Mr Putin directly."
July, 18, 2018
Steve Rosenberg
✔
@BBCSteveR
Even the Russian press is stunned by Donald Trump's performance in Helsinki. One paper today is shocked that, in Putin's presence, Trump "publicly expressed a lack of trust in his own intelligence agencies. You don't do things like that. He'll pay a high political price."
Republicans and Democrats alike were dumbfounded that Mr Trump had sided with Russia over his own intelligence officials after Monday's summit.
The US and Russia have been long-term adversaries and remain far apart on major issues. Some lawmakers were also upset that Mr Trump had refused to offer specific criticisms of Russia and Mr Putin, instead saying both countries were responsible for poor relations.
Even one of his most loyal Republican supporters, Newt Gingrich, said the comments were the "most serious mistake of his presidency".
House Republican Mike Turner accused Mr Trump of having damaged American foreign policy by failing to take Russia to task.
"He's given them a pass and is certainly not holding them accountable for what they're doing," he added.
Tuesday, July 17, 2018
Donald Trump is cosying up to Vladimir Putin while cutting off Europe – we should be scared - Independent
July 17, 2018
Donald Trump is cosying up to Vladimir Putin while cutting off Europe – we should be scared
The US president has blamed bad relations with Russia on the investigation into the Kremlin’s interference in the US election, rather than the interference itself
Kim Sengupta
See what happened when Americans were asked to name countries on a map
Tim Cahill retires from international football at the age of 38
Tourist beaches in Mallorca and Menorca hit by 'meteotsunamis'
Car sales rose across the EU but fell in the UK
The most important and critical time in American foreign policy since the coming of the Trump administration has been unfolding over the last month with Vladimir Putin emerging as the clear and undisputed winner. Unfailingly and relentlessly, the actions and words of the president of the United States have weakened his Western allies while strengthening Russia.
What emerged at the Helsinki summit further illustrated the Russian leader’s winning position. He had, he said openly at their joint press conference, wanted Trump to win the US presidential election over Hillary Clinton, something he has now achieved. Trump, asked directly whether he believed his own country’s intelligence services, who have repeatedly accused the Kremlin of interfering in the election, or Putin, who denies this was the case, responded: “President Putin says it’s not Russia. I don’t see why it should be. President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial...”
Putin was directly asked whether the Kremlin has compromising material, “kompromat”, on Trump and prostitutes as has long been rumoured and claimed in one of the more salacious sections of former MI6 officer Christopher Steele’s dossier. The Russian leader answered: “I did hear these rumours. When President Trump visited Moscow back then, I didn’t even know he was in Moscow... Nobody informed me that he was in Moscow... Please disregard these issues.” The Russian president had the perfect opportunity to deny having embarrassing secrets about Trump: he failed to do so.
Trump, in his industrial size outpouring of tweets, has insulted and attacked people around the world. But the one person he has been extremely careful not to criticise is Putin. In fact, in his 18 months in office, Trump has praised the Russian leader 11 times publicly and there had been numerous other compliments before the election, when he was seeking business deals with Russia.
This has led, understandably, to Trump’s suspicious critics asking: “Just why is The Donald so afraid of offending Putin?” Nothing which came out of Helsinki dispelled those suspicions. The question was repeated by the Democrat senator Nancy Pelosi in the aftermath of the summit: “Seriously what does Putin have on Trump that he’s so afraid?” the senator asked.
Putin said he ‘told Trump several times’ he did not interfere in vote
Trump’s display at the press conference led to shock and anger in the US. John Brennan, the former CIA director, tweeted “Donald Trump’s press conference performance in Helsinki rises to and exceeds the threshold of ‘high crimes and misdemeanours’. It was nothing sort of treasonous. Not only were Trump’s comments imbecilic, he is wholly in the pocket of Putin. Republican patriots: where are you???”
One of those Republicans, Lindsay Graham, held that Trump’s failure to hold Moscow accountable for election interference and seemingly absolving them “will be seen by Russia as a sign of weakness and create far more problems than it solves”. The senator, who has turned from being a fierce Trump critic to cosying up to him, also suggested that a football Putin presented to the US president should be “checked for listening devices and never allowed into the White House”.
Another Republican senator, Jeff Flake, tweeted: “I never thought I would see the day when our American president would stand on the stage with the Russian president and place blame on the United States for Russian aggression. This is shameful.”
Trump had held his meeting with Putin days after Special Counsel Robert Mueller indicted 12 officers from the Russian military intelligence service, GRU, over attempts to suborn the election. The GRU or its former officers, it is claimed, may also have been responsible for the Salisbury novichok attack.
Donald Trump has virtually become Russia’s agent
The British government, it should be stressed has yet to put forward prosecutable evidence to back up this allegation. But we were told by Downing Street officials that Theresa May had asked Trump to raise the novichok issue with Putin. American officials were unaware that the president had done so.
But there should not have been that much of a surprise at Trump’s posture. Helsinki was the last leg in his three-point journey, one which he has stressed will be the easiest for him and most looked forward to. En route he had done his utmost to destabilise Nato at Brussels and then, in Britain, undermine Theresa May’s premiership.
The US president has called the European Union a "foe" and blamed bad relations with Russia on the investigation into the Kremlin’s interference in the US election, rather than the interference itself. And all this has happened after asking that Russia, expelled from the G7 over the annexation of Crimea, be allowed to rejoin the group, and pressurising Emmanuel Macron for France to leave the European Union.
It had been forecast ever since Trump’s unexpected election victory that he would try to shape a new world order. A combination of senior administration officials and the Republican Party hierarchy had so far stayed his hand. But now, with most of the moderate voices gone from the White House in its extraordinary churn, and the Republican Party being moulded to his image rather than the other way around, Trump is now free to pursue his aims.
A history of tense meetings between US and Russian presidents
Some of America’s European allies are now resigned to the changing status quo. Heiko Maas, the German foreign minister, complained about the US president’s “sharp verbal attacks” and “absurd tweets” and acknowledged “we can no longer completely rely on the White House”. European Council president Donald Tusk claimed Trump was spreading “fake news” by saying the European Union was a foe.
Trump’s regular attacks on Western allies, Nato and the European Union, and lack of criticism of the Kremlin has surprised even Russian analysts. “We are witnessing something surprising, something even the Soviet Union was not able to accomplish – divide the US and Western Europe”, Tatyana Parkhalina, president of the Russian Association for Euro-Atlantic Cooperation pointed out in a Russian state TV show. “It didn’t work then, but it seems to be working with Trump now.”
As the summit began the Kremlin run television channel, Rossiya 1, described the Helsinki summit as the “main political event” of the year, maintaining “the show is over. Now the work begins. After all he was just passing through Brussels and London on his way to Helsinki.”
But Trump was not just passing through Brussels and London, he was wreaking deliberate havoc on the way. The meeting with Putin may well have been the main political event of the journey, and maybe it is indeed the case that “now the work begins”. It is the nature of that work which will be of worry to America’s Western allies as they find themselves pushed away by the US president.
Donald Trump is cosying up to Vladimir Putin while cutting off Europe – we should be scared
The US president has blamed bad relations with Russia on the investigation into the Kremlin’s interference in the US election, rather than the interference itself
Kim Sengupta
See what happened when Americans were asked to name countries on a map
Tim Cahill retires from international football at the age of 38
Tourist beaches in Mallorca and Menorca hit by 'meteotsunamis'
Car sales rose across the EU but fell in the UK
The most important and critical time in American foreign policy since the coming of the Trump administration has been unfolding over the last month with Vladimir Putin emerging as the clear and undisputed winner. Unfailingly and relentlessly, the actions and words of the president of the United States have weakened his Western allies while strengthening Russia.
What emerged at the Helsinki summit further illustrated the Russian leader’s winning position. He had, he said openly at their joint press conference, wanted Trump to win the US presidential election over Hillary Clinton, something he has now achieved. Trump, asked directly whether he believed his own country’s intelligence services, who have repeatedly accused the Kremlin of interfering in the election, or Putin, who denies this was the case, responded: “President Putin says it’s not Russia. I don’t see why it should be. President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial...”
Putin was directly asked whether the Kremlin has compromising material, “kompromat”, on Trump and prostitutes as has long been rumoured and claimed in one of the more salacious sections of former MI6 officer Christopher Steele’s dossier. The Russian leader answered: “I did hear these rumours. When President Trump visited Moscow back then, I didn’t even know he was in Moscow... Nobody informed me that he was in Moscow... Please disregard these issues.” The Russian president had the perfect opportunity to deny having embarrassing secrets about Trump: he failed to do so.
Trump, in his industrial size outpouring of tweets, has insulted and attacked people around the world. But the one person he has been extremely careful not to criticise is Putin. In fact, in his 18 months in office, Trump has praised the Russian leader 11 times publicly and there had been numerous other compliments before the election, when he was seeking business deals with Russia.
This has led, understandably, to Trump’s suspicious critics asking: “Just why is The Donald so afraid of offending Putin?” Nothing which came out of Helsinki dispelled those suspicions. The question was repeated by the Democrat senator Nancy Pelosi in the aftermath of the summit: “Seriously what does Putin have on Trump that he’s so afraid?” the senator asked.
Putin said he ‘told Trump several times’ he did not interfere in vote
Trump’s display at the press conference led to shock and anger in the US. John Brennan, the former CIA director, tweeted “Donald Trump’s press conference performance in Helsinki rises to and exceeds the threshold of ‘high crimes and misdemeanours’. It was nothing sort of treasonous. Not only were Trump’s comments imbecilic, he is wholly in the pocket of Putin. Republican patriots: where are you???”
One of those Republicans, Lindsay Graham, held that Trump’s failure to hold Moscow accountable for election interference and seemingly absolving them “will be seen by Russia as a sign of weakness and create far more problems than it solves”. The senator, who has turned from being a fierce Trump critic to cosying up to him, also suggested that a football Putin presented to the US president should be “checked for listening devices and never allowed into the White House”.
Another Republican senator, Jeff Flake, tweeted: “I never thought I would see the day when our American president would stand on the stage with the Russian president and place blame on the United States for Russian aggression. This is shameful.”
Trump had held his meeting with Putin days after Special Counsel Robert Mueller indicted 12 officers from the Russian military intelligence service, GRU, over attempts to suborn the election. The GRU or its former officers, it is claimed, may also have been responsible for the Salisbury novichok attack.
Donald Trump has virtually become Russia’s agent
The British government, it should be stressed has yet to put forward prosecutable evidence to back up this allegation. But we were told by Downing Street officials that Theresa May had asked Trump to raise the novichok issue with Putin. American officials were unaware that the president had done so.
But there should not have been that much of a surprise at Trump’s posture. Helsinki was the last leg in his three-point journey, one which he has stressed will be the easiest for him and most looked forward to. En route he had done his utmost to destabilise Nato at Brussels and then, in Britain, undermine Theresa May’s premiership.
The US president has called the European Union a "foe" and blamed bad relations with Russia on the investigation into the Kremlin’s interference in the US election, rather than the interference itself. And all this has happened after asking that Russia, expelled from the G7 over the annexation of Crimea, be allowed to rejoin the group, and pressurising Emmanuel Macron for France to leave the European Union.
It had been forecast ever since Trump’s unexpected election victory that he would try to shape a new world order. A combination of senior administration officials and the Republican Party hierarchy had so far stayed his hand. But now, with most of the moderate voices gone from the White House in its extraordinary churn, and the Republican Party being moulded to his image rather than the other way around, Trump is now free to pursue his aims.
A history of tense meetings between US and Russian presidents
Some of America’s European allies are now resigned to the changing status quo. Heiko Maas, the German foreign minister, complained about the US president’s “sharp verbal attacks” and “absurd tweets” and acknowledged “we can no longer completely rely on the White House”. European Council president Donald Tusk claimed Trump was spreading “fake news” by saying the European Union was a foe.
Trump’s regular attacks on Western allies, Nato and the European Union, and lack of criticism of the Kremlin has surprised even Russian analysts. “We are witnessing something surprising, something even the Soviet Union was not able to accomplish – divide the US and Western Europe”, Tatyana Parkhalina, president of the Russian Association for Euro-Atlantic Cooperation pointed out in a Russian state TV show. “It didn’t work then, but it seems to be working with Trump now.”
As the summit began the Kremlin run television channel, Rossiya 1, described the Helsinki summit as the “main political event” of the year, maintaining “the show is over. Now the work begins. After all he was just passing through Brussels and London on his way to Helsinki.”
But Trump was not just passing through Brussels and London, he was wreaking deliberate havoc on the way. The meeting with Putin may well have been the main political event of the journey, and maybe it is indeed the case that “now the work begins”. It is the nature of that work which will be of worry to America’s Western allies as they find themselves pushed away by the US president.
Japan, EU sign trade deal to eliminate nearly all tariffs - CNBC News
July 17, 2018
Japan, EU sign trade deal to eliminate nearly all tariffs
The EU-Japan pact runs counter to President Donald Trump’s moves to hike tariffs on imports from many U.S. trading partners.
European Council President Donald Tusk praised the deal as “the largest bilateral trade deal ever.”
The measures will bring Japanese consumers lower prices for European wines, pork, handbags and pharmaceuticals.
The Associated Press
Koji Sasahara
The European Union and Japan signed a landmark deal on Tuesday that will eliminate nearly all tariffs on products they trade.
The ambitious pact signed in Tokyo runs counter to President Donald Trump’s moves to hike tariffs on imports from many U.S. trading partners. It covers a third of the global economy and markets of more than 600 million people.
“The EU and Japan showed an undeterred determination to lead the world as flag-bearers for free trade,” Abe said at a joint news conference with European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.
Tusk praised the deal as “the largest bilateral trade deal ever.” He said the partnership is being strengthened in various other areas, including defense, climate change and human exchange, and is “sending a clear message” against protectionism.
The leaders did not mention Trump by name, but they did little to mask what was on their minds — highlighting how Europe and Japan have been pushed closer by Trump’s actions.
The agreement was largely reached late last year. The ceremonial signing was delayed from earlier this month because Abe canceled going to Brussels over a disaster in southwestern Japan, caused by extremely heavy rainfall. More than 200 people died from flooding and landslides.
The measures won’t kick in right away and still require legislative approval. But they will bring Japanese consumers lower prices for European wines, pork, handbags and pharmaceuticals. Japanese machinery parts, tea and fish will become cheaper in Europe.
The deal eliminates about 99 percent of the tariffs on Japanese goods sold to the EU. About 94 percent of the tariffs on European exports to Japan will be lifted, rising to 99 percent in the future. The difference reflects exceptions on such products as rice, which enjoys strong political protection from imports in Japan.
Overall, European farmers will benefit, Juncker said, though European consumers will be able to more easily buy luscious Kobe beef and famous Yubari melons.
The EU said the trade liberalization will help raise European exports of chemicals, clothing, cosmetics and beer to Japan. Japanese will get cheaper cheeses, such as Parmesan, gouda and cheddar, as well as chocolate and biscuits.
The imported wine and cheese could hurt sales by Japanese wineries and dairies, but Japanese consumers have historically coveted such European products.
The major step toward liberalizing trade has been discussed since 2013.
Apart from its deal with the EU, Japan is working on other trade agreements, including a far-reaching trans-Pacific deal. The partnership includes Australia, Mexico, Vietnam and other nations, although the U.S. has withdrawn.
Abe praised the deal with the EU for helping his “Abenomics” policies, designed to wrest the economy out of stagnation despite a shrinking population and cautious spending. Japan’s growth remains heavily dependent on exports.
Japan, EU sign trade deal to eliminate nearly all tariffs
The EU-Japan pact runs counter to President Donald Trump’s moves to hike tariffs on imports from many U.S. trading partners.
European Council President Donald Tusk praised the deal as “the largest bilateral trade deal ever.”
The measures will bring Japanese consumers lower prices for European wines, pork, handbags and pharmaceuticals.
The Associated Press
Koji Sasahara
The European Union and Japan signed a landmark deal on Tuesday that will eliminate nearly all tariffs on products they trade.
The ambitious pact signed in Tokyo runs counter to President Donald Trump’s moves to hike tariffs on imports from many U.S. trading partners. It covers a third of the global economy and markets of more than 600 million people.
“The EU and Japan showed an undeterred determination to lead the world as flag-bearers for free trade,” Abe said at a joint news conference with European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.
Tusk praised the deal as “the largest bilateral trade deal ever.” He said the partnership is being strengthened in various other areas, including defense, climate change and human exchange, and is “sending a clear message” against protectionism.
The leaders did not mention Trump by name, but they did little to mask what was on their minds — highlighting how Europe and Japan have been pushed closer by Trump’s actions.
The agreement was largely reached late last year. The ceremonial signing was delayed from earlier this month because Abe canceled going to Brussels over a disaster in southwestern Japan, caused by extremely heavy rainfall. More than 200 people died from flooding and landslides.
The measures won’t kick in right away and still require legislative approval. But they will bring Japanese consumers lower prices for European wines, pork, handbags and pharmaceuticals. Japanese machinery parts, tea and fish will become cheaper in Europe.
The deal eliminates about 99 percent of the tariffs on Japanese goods sold to the EU. About 94 percent of the tariffs on European exports to Japan will be lifted, rising to 99 percent in the future. The difference reflects exceptions on such products as rice, which enjoys strong political protection from imports in Japan.
Overall, European farmers will benefit, Juncker said, though European consumers will be able to more easily buy luscious Kobe beef and famous Yubari melons.
The EU said the trade liberalization will help raise European exports of chemicals, clothing, cosmetics and beer to Japan. Japanese will get cheaper cheeses, such as Parmesan, gouda and cheddar, as well as chocolate and biscuits.
The imported wine and cheese could hurt sales by Japanese wineries and dairies, but Japanese consumers have historically coveted such European products.
The major step toward liberalizing trade has been discussed since 2013.
Apart from its deal with the EU, Japan is working on other trade agreements, including a far-reaching trans-Pacific deal. The partnership includes Australia, Mexico, Vietnam and other nations, although the U.S. has withdrawn.
Abe praised the deal with the EU for helping his “Abenomics” policies, designed to wrest the economy out of stagnation despite a shrinking population and cautious spending. Japan’s growth remains heavily dependent on exports.
EU signs its biggest free trade deal with Japan - BBC News
July 17, 2018
EU signs its biggest free trade deal with Japan
Dairy products are one of Europe's biggest exports to Japan
The European Union and Japan have signed one of the world's biggest free trade deals, covering nearly a third of the world's GDP and 600 million people.
One of the biggest EU exports to Japan is dairy goods, while cars are one of Japan's biggest exports.
The move contrasts sharply with actions by the US Trump administration, which has introduced steep import tariffs.
EU Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker said the deal underlined the "win-win" solutions offered by free trade.
Mr Juncker said: "[The] impact of today's agreement goes far beyond our shores. Together we are a making, by signing this agreement, a statement about the future of free and fair trade.
"We are showing that we are stronger and better off when we work together. And we are leading by example, showing that trade is about more than tariffs and barriers. It is about values, principles and finding win-win solutions for all those concerned."
US tariffs
The US was in talks with Japan and other Asian countries 18 months ago about a wide-ranging free-trade agreement, the Trans-Pacific trade agreement, but Donald Trump withdrew from this in one of his first moves after becoming president.
Since then, his "America First" policy has seen tariffs introduced on a range of items, including steel, which both Japan and the EU export to the US.
Firms in the EU, the world's biggest free-trade zone, currently export more than $100bn (£75bn) in goods and services to Japan, the world's third-biggest economy, every year.
Japan's Minister for Economic Revitalisation, Toshimitsu Motegi, said: "At a time when protectionist measures are gaining steam globally, the signing of the Japan-EU deal today will show the world once again our unwavering political will to promote free trade."
EU signs its biggest free trade deal with Japan
Dairy products are one of Europe's biggest exports to Japan
The European Union and Japan have signed one of the world's biggest free trade deals, covering nearly a third of the world's GDP and 600 million people.
One of the biggest EU exports to Japan is dairy goods, while cars are one of Japan's biggest exports.
The move contrasts sharply with actions by the US Trump administration, which has introduced steep import tariffs.
EU Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker said the deal underlined the "win-win" solutions offered by free trade.
Mr Juncker said: "[The] impact of today's agreement goes far beyond our shores. Together we are a making, by signing this agreement, a statement about the future of free and fair trade.
"We are showing that we are stronger and better off when we work together. And we are leading by example, showing that trade is about more than tariffs and barriers. It is about values, principles and finding win-win solutions for all those concerned."
US tariffs
The US was in talks with Japan and other Asian countries 18 months ago about a wide-ranging free-trade agreement, the Trans-Pacific trade agreement, but Donald Trump withdrew from this in one of his first moves after becoming president.
Since then, his "America First" policy has seen tariffs introduced on a range of items, including steel, which both Japan and the EU export to the US.
Firms in the EU, the world's biggest free-trade zone, currently export more than $100bn (£75bn) in goods and services to Japan, the world's third-biggest economy, every year.
Japan's Minister for Economic Revitalisation, Toshimitsu Motegi, said: "At a time when protectionist measures are gaining steam globally, the signing of the Japan-EU deal today will show the world once again our unwavering political will to promote free trade."
International Finance Watchdog In Surprise Bitcoin Backing As It Reveals Crypto Stocktake - Forbes
International Finance Watchdog In Surprise Bitcoin Backing As It Reveals Crypto Stocktake
Billy Bambrough
Contributor
Jul 17, 2018, 05:58am 125 views #Crypto
Bank of England Governor Mark Carney, who is also chair of the Financial Stability Board (FSB), gestures as he answers questions during a press conference in Tokyo on March 31, 2016. (Photo credit should read Toru Yamankaka/AFP/Getty Images)
International financial watchdog, the Financial Stability Board (FSB), has released a report that found bitcoin and cryptocurrencies do not currently pose a material risk to the global financial system.
According to a report published by the watchdog, cryptocurrencies "do not pose a material risk to global financial stability at this time."
Meanwhile, the FSB — which has members from the G20 major economies, the European Commission — said it planned to monitor cryptocurrency assets at banks and the world's largest financial systems.
The report also revealed the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) — which is part of the FSB — is gathering data on its member banks' direct and indirect exposure to cryptocurrency in an effort to quantify the potential impact of the technology.
The FSB, which is headed by Bank of England governor and bitcoin and crypto sceptic Mark Carney, earlier this year delivered a letter to the G20 finance ministers and central bank governors declaring that bitcoin does not post a "systemic risk" to the global financial system but has now doubled down on its earlier recommendation.
Earlier this year Carney warned bitcoin could be heading for a "pretty brutal reckoning," saying cryptocurrencies have "all the hallmarks of a bubble."
Carney said that bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies were "failing" in their key objectives and called for regulation of the space.
However, bitcoin and cryptocurrency were handed support from researchers at Imperial College London last week, who said digital currencies are primed for mass adoption.
The FSB report signals a move towards a global standard on bitcoin and cryptocurrnecy regualtion — something many digital currency companies have been calling for in recent years.
According to its report, the FSB will "help to identify and mitigate risks to consumer and investor protection, market integrity, and potentially to financial stability".
The bitcoin price, which has been struggling in recent months following its huge bull run last year, jumped on the release of the report yesterday.
bitcoin price chart
The bitcoin price climbed sharply on the release of the FSB reportCOINDESK
Meanwhile, the bitcoin price was given further support yesterday by the news that BlackRock, the world’s biggest asset management company, is looking to invest in the cryptocurrency.
Larry Fink, the chairman and CEO at BlackRock told Bloomberg:
We are looking at it and as I have said in the past, we are very excited about blockchain technology.
That is where we are looking at it even in the Aladdin universe with what we are trying to do there so we are looking at blockchain technologies.
We are studying it and we are looking at how they perform and we are looking at that type of data as we understand it as we think about other products but right now, worldwide I have not heard from one client that needs to be in it right now.
Billy Bambrough
Contributor
Jul 17, 2018, 05:58am 125 views #Crypto
Bank of England Governor Mark Carney, who is also chair of the Financial Stability Board (FSB), gestures as he answers questions during a press conference in Tokyo on March 31, 2016. (Photo credit should read Toru Yamankaka/AFP/Getty Images)
International financial watchdog, the Financial Stability Board (FSB), has released a report that found bitcoin and cryptocurrencies do not currently pose a material risk to the global financial system.
According to a report published by the watchdog, cryptocurrencies "do not pose a material risk to global financial stability at this time."
Meanwhile, the FSB — which has members from the G20 major economies, the European Commission — said it planned to monitor cryptocurrency assets at banks and the world's largest financial systems.
The report also revealed the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) — which is part of the FSB — is gathering data on its member banks' direct and indirect exposure to cryptocurrency in an effort to quantify the potential impact of the technology.
The FSB, which is headed by Bank of England governor and bitcoin and crypto sceptic Mark Carney, earlier this year delivered a letter to the G20 finance ministers and central bank governors declaring that bitcoin does not post a "systemic risk" to the global financial system but has now doubled down on its earlier recommendation.
Earlier this year Carney warned bitcoin could be heading for a "pretty brutal reckoning," saying cryptocurrencies have "all the hallmarks of a bubble."
Carney said that bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies were "failing" in their key objectives and called for regulation of the space.
However, bitcoin and cryptocurrency were handed support from researchers at Imperial College London last week, who said digital currencies are primed for mass adoption.
The FSB report signals a move towards a global standard on bitcoin and cryptocurrnecy regualtion — something many digital currency companies have been calling for in recent years.
According to its report, the FSB will "help to identify and mitigate risks to consumer and investor protection, market integrity, and potentially to financial stability".
The bitcoin price, which has been struggling in recent months following its huge bull run last year, jumped on the release of the report yesterday.
bitcoin price chart
The bitcoin price climbed sharply on the release of the FSB reportCOINDESK
Meanwhile, the bitcoin price was given further support yesterday by the news that BlackRock, the world’s biggest asset management company, is looking to invest in the cryptocurrency.
Larry Fink, the chairman and CEO at BlackRock told Bloomberg:
We are looking at it and as I have said in the past, we are very excited about blockchain technology.
That is where we are looking at it even in the Aladdin universe with what we are trying to do there so we are looking at blockchain technologies.
We are studying it and we are looking at how they perform and we are looking at that type of data as we understand it as we think about other products but right now, worldwide I have not heard from one client that needs to be in it right now.
Sen. Merkley says it's "likely" that Russians have dirt on Trump - CBS News
July 16, 2018, 1:20 PM
Sen. Merkley says it's "likely" that Russians have dirt on Trump
Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, said Monday that he believes that the Russian government may have "something close" to the long-rumored video of President Trump engaging in a sexual act with two prostitutes. When asked if footage of the alleged act exists on BuzzFeed's "AM to DM," Merkley responded that it is possible.
"Something close to that. Something close to that," Merkley said with a smirk. A dossier financed by Mr. Trump's opponents before the election and written by former British spy Christopher Steele asserted that such a video exists, although there is no known evidence that it does. Mr. Trump has also denied the existence of such a video.
If a blackmail tape of the specific sexual encounter does not exist, Merkley believes that the Russian government may still have some form of compromising content or information involving Mr. Trump.
"I think it's likely," Merkley responded when asked if Russian President Vladimir Putin has anything on Mr. Trump.
"It's the standard strategy of Russia when people visit there who are important, to try to get compromising information on them, to set them up with hookers, to tape everything that goes on in their room. So it's likely that they have that," he said.
Tom Namako
✔
@TomNamako
.@BuzzFeedBen: "Do you think Vladimir Putin has anything on him?"@SenJeffMerkley: "I think it's likely."
..
Smith: "Your view is that the pee tape is real?"
Merkley: "Something close to that. Something close to that."
From @AM2DM:
12:44 AM - Jul 17, 2018
Mr. Trump and Putin held a joint press conference as part of the U.S.-Russia summit in Helsinki on Monday. In the last question of the media event, the Associated Press asked Putin point-blank if he has compromising material on Mr. Trump.
"When President Trump visited Moscow back then I didn't even know that he was in Moscow," Putin said. "I treat President Trump with utmost respect. But back then, when he was a private individual, a businessman, nobody informed me that he was in Moscow."
Mr. Trump took the opportunity to respond as well.
"And I have to say if they had it, it would have been out long ago and if anybody watched Peter Strzok testify over the last couple of days and I was in Brussels watching it, it was a disgrace to the FBI, it was a disgrace to our country. And you would say that was a total witch hunt. Thank you very much everybody. Thank you," Mr. Trump said, ending the press event.
Sen. Merkley says it's "likely" that Russians have dirt on Trump
Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, said Monday that he believes that the Russian government may have "something close" to the long-rumored video of President Trump engaging in a sexual act with two prostitutes. When asked if footage of the alleged act exists on BuzzFeed's "AM to DM," Merkley responded that it is possible.
"Something close to that. Something close to that," Merkley said with a smirk. A dossier financed by Mr. Trump's opponents before the election and written by former British spy Christopher Steele asserted that such a video exists, although there is no known evidence that it does. Mr. Trump has also denied the existence of such a video.
If a blackmail tape of the specific sexual encounter does not exist, Merkley believes that the Russian government may still have some form of compromising content or information involving Mr. Trump.
"I think it's likely," Merkley responded when asked if Russian President Vladimir Putin has anything on Mr. Trump.
"It's the standard strategy of Russia when people visit there who are important, to try to get compromising information on them, to set them up with hookers, to tape everything that goes on in their room. So it's likely that they have that," he said.
Tom Namako
✔
@TomNamako
.@BuzzFeedBen: "Do you think Vladimir Putin has anything on him?"@SenJeffMerkley: "I think it's likely."
..
Smith: "Your view is that the pee tape is real?"
Merkley: "Something close to that. Something close to that."
From @AM2DM:
12:44 AM - Jul 17, 2018
Mr. Trump and Putin held a joint press conference as part of the U.S.-Russia summit in Helsinki on Monday. In the last question of the media event, the Associated Press asked Putin point-blank if he has compromising material on Mr. Trump.
"When President Trump visited Moscow back then I didn't even know that he was in Moscow," Putin said. "I treat President Trump with utmost respect. But back then, when he was a private individual, a businessman, nobody informed me that he was in Moscow."
Mr. Trump took the opportunity to respond as well.
"And I have to say if they had it, it would have been out long ago and if anybody watched Peter Strzok testify over the last couple of days and I was in Brussels watching it, it was a disgrace to the FBI, it was a disgrace to our country. And you would say that was a total witch hunt. Thank you very much everybody. Thank you," Mr. Trump said, ending the press event.
Revealed: What the colour of your urine can tell you about your health - and the exact shade when you need to reach for a bottle of water this summer - Daily Mail
Revealed: What the colour of your urine can tell you about your health - and the exact shade when you need to reach for a bottle of water this summer
Dark yellow or brown urine is a sign someone is not drinking enough water
Dehydration causes dizziness and headaches but can become more serious
Clear or pale yellow urine is ideal and means someone is drinking enough
By SAM BLANCHARD FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 02:09 AEST, 17 July 2018 | UPDATED: 05:52 AEST, 17 July 2018
The colour of your urine can tell you if you should be drinking more water, which is extra important during the hot summer months.
Urine is usually varying shades of yellow and, the darker it is, the more likely it is that you're becoming dehydrated.
Dehydration can be a serious health risk and is particularly dangerous for babies, children and elderly people.
The NHS says people in the UK should drink at least 1.2 litres of water a day – 2.4 pints – and more when the weather is hot.
And if your urine is consistently red or orange it could be a sign of a more serious underlying condition such as a urine infection, prostate problems or kidney disease.
Using a urine colour chart like the one below created by sports drink company iPro Sport, you can work out if you're drinking enough water.
The colour of urine can be an indicator of how well hydrated you are and can also point to more serious problems like kidney disease or cancer +2
The colour of urine can be an indicator of how well hydrated you are and can also point to more serious problems like kidney disease or cancer
Video playing bottom right...
The urine of someone who is properly hydrated should be a very pale yellow or clear, according to the sports drink company.
Whereas a darker yellow or more brownish colour could be a sign someone is getting dangerously dehydrated.
Dehydration can usually be easily avoided and treated by drinking enough water, but if left to get worse it can cause dizziness and tiredness or lead to more serious complications like heatstroke, muscle cramps or exhaustion.
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Someone's heatstroke could be severe or life-threatening if they are not sweating even though they are too hot, have a body temperature of 40C or more, becomes confused or short of breath, or has a seizure or passes out.
If this happens an ambulance should be called immediately.
Often dehydration is simple enough to avoid – just feeling thirsty is likely a sign that someone's body needs them to drink more water.
iPro Sport's chart explains that someone whose urine is brown is likely to be seriously dehydrated.
The symptom could be a sign of something more serious, however, and may need medical attention if it continues.
Yellow or dark yellow urine are signs of dehydration
Yellow or dark yellow urine are also both signs of dehydration, but it is not likely too severe – drinking more water immediately should be enough to rehydrate the body.
Some people are more at risk of dehydration, including those with diabetes, people who have been vomiting or suffering diarrhoea, and people who have been in the sun for a long time.
Exercising and sweating, drinking alcohol, and having a fever or taking medicines which make you pee more can all raise the risk of dehydration.
The colour chart produced by iPro Sport acts as a handy guide for people to check whether or not they are dehydrated +2
The colour chart produced by iPro Sport acts as a handy guide for people to check whether or not they are dehydrated
Red or orange could be a sign of something more serious
If urine is a colour other than yellow – such as red, orange or green – it is likely to be because of something you ate or drank.
For example, beetroot may turn urine red temporarily.
But urine that is consistently another colour for a long time could be a sign of something more serious.
Red urine can be caused by blood, which could be pointing towards kidney disease, cancer, an infection or prostate problems.
Meanwhile orange could signal a problem with the liver or bile duct.
DRINKING TOO MUCH WATER IS ALSO DANGEROUS
Drinking too much water can lead to just as severe problems as not drinking enough, but is far less likely.
American football player Tom Brady, the quarterback for New England Patriots in Boston, revealed in a book that he drinks a whopping 37 glasses of water a day – half of his own body weight.
Drinking too much water can dilute vital sodium supplies in the body and cause a condition called hyponatremia.
This is most common in endurance athletes or people who take drugs like ecstasy, which can make them feel thirstier than they really are.
If sodium in the body becomes too diluted, your cells start to swell.
This can cause headaches and confusion and fatigure, but can also lead to muscle weakness, cramps, seizures, and even a coma.
Dietitian Abbey Sharp said it was highly unlikely Brady needs to drink as much water as he claims to, and said: 'My recommendation is to forget all of the standards about how much you should be drinking each day.
'It's not half your body weight, it's not two liters, it's not that any one size fits all.
'Listen to your body's thirst cues and keep plain water near by at all times to hydrate. Check in with yourself regularly to see if you are indeed thirsty and don't deny those cues.'
Dark yellow or brown urine is a sign someone is not drinking enough water
Dehydration causes dizziness and headaches but can become more serious
Clear or pale yellow urine is ideal and means someone is drinking enough
By SAM BLANCHARD FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 02:09 AEST, 17 July 2018 | UPDATED: 05:52 AEST, 17 July 2018
The colour of your urine can tell you if you should be drinking more water, which is extra important during the hot summer months.
Urine is usually varying shades of yellow and, the darker it is, the more likely it is that you're becoming dehydrated.
Dehydration can be a serious health risk and is particularly dangerous for babies, children and elderly people.
The NHS says people in the UK should drink at least 1.2 litres of water a day – 2.4 pints – and more when the weather is hot.
And if your urine is consistently red or orange it could be a sign of a more serious underlying condition such as a urine infection, prostate problems or kidney disease.
Using a urine colour chart like the one below created by sports drink company iPro Sport, you can work out if you're drinking enough water.
The colour of urine can be an indicator of how well hydrated you are and can also point to more serious problems like kidney disease or cancer +2
The colour of urine can be an indicator of how well hydrated you are and can also point to more serious problems like kidney disease or cancer
Video playing bottom right...
The urine of someone who is properly hydrated should be a very pale yellow or clear, according to the sports drink company.
Whereas a darker yellow or more brownish colour could be a sign someone is getting dangerously dehydrated.
Dehydration can usually be easily avoided and treated by drinking enough water, but if left to get worse it can cause dizziness and tiredness or lead to more serious complications like heatstroke, muscle cramps or exhaustion.
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Someone's heatstroke could be severe or life-threatening if they are not sweating even though they are too hot, have a body temperature of 40C or more, becomes confused or short of breath, or has a seizure or passes out.
If this happens an ambulance should be called immediately.
Often dehydration is simple enough to avoid – just feeling thirsty is likely a sign that someone's body needs them to drink more water.
iPro Sport's chart explains that someone whose urine is brown is likely to be seriously dehydrated.
The symptom could be a sign of something more serious, however, and may need medical attention if it continues.
Yellow or dark yellow urine are signs of dehydration
Yellow or dark yellow urine are also both signs of dehydration, but it is not likely too severe – drinking more water immediately should be enough to rehydrate the body.
Some people are more at risk of dehydration, including those with diabetes, people who have been vomiting or suffering diarrhoea, and people who have been in the sun for a long time.
Exercising and sweating, drinking alcohol, and having a fever or taking medicines which make you pee more can all raise the risk of dehydration.
The colour chart produced by iPro Sport acts as a handy guide for people to check whether or not they are dehydrated +2
The colour chart produced by iPro Sport acts as a handy guide for people to check whether or not they are dehydrated
Red or orange could be a sign of something more serious
If urine is a colour other than yellow – such as red, orange or green – it is likely to be because of something you ate or drank.
For example, beetroot may turn urine red temporarily.
But urine that is consistently another colour for a long time could be a sign of something more serious.
Red urine can be caused by blood, which could be pointing towards kidney disease, cancer, an infection or prostate problems.
Meanwhile orange could signal a problem with the liver or bile duct.
DRINKING TOO MUCH WATER IS ALSO DANGEROUS
Drinking too much water can lead to just as severe problems as not drinking enough, but is far less likely.
American football player Tom Brady, the quarterback for New England Patriots in Boston, revealed in a book that he drinks a whopping 37 glasses of water a day – half of his own body weight.
Drinking too much water can dilute vital sodium supplies in the body and cause a condition called hyponatremia.
This is most common in endurance athletes or people who take drugs like ecstasy, which can make them feel thirstier than they really are.
If sodium in the body becomes too diluted, your cells start to swell.
This can cause headaches and confusion and fatigure, but can also lead to muscle weakness, cramps, seizures, and even a coma.
Dietitian Abbey Sharp said it was highly unlikely Brady needs to drink as much water as he claims to, and said: 'My recommendation is to forget all of the standards about how much you should be drinking each day.
'It's not half your body weight, it's not two liters, it's not that any one size fits all.
'Listen to your body's thirst cues and keep plain water near by at all times to hydrate. Check in with yourself regularly to see if you are indeed thirsty and don't deny those cues.'
Trump-Putin summit: After Helsinki, the fallout at home - BBC News
Trump-Putin summit: After Helsinki, the fallout at home
Anthony Zurcher
North America reporter
@awzurcher on Twitter
16 July 2018
The Helsinki summit between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump is over, and after nearly two hours behind closed doors and another hour in front of the press, there's plenty of material to sort through.
Leading into the meeting, Democrats were warning Mr Trump to be careful in dealing with his Russian counterpart - with some suggesting that it was unwise for the US president to even hold such an event, given Friday's indictments of 12 Russian military officers for conducting cyber-warfare against the US during the 2016 elections.
Many Republicans, on the other hand, were cautiously optimistic that the president would push back against Mr Putin on a range of issues. Congressman Steve Scalise, a Republican house leader, said that Mr Trump entered into the negotiations "from a position of American strength to combat Russian aggression".
Things went … a bit differently. Here are some key takeaways.
'We're all to blame'
Mr Trump, in his first question from an American reporter, was pressed to explain why earlier in the day he had tweeted out that US was to blame for the current tense state of US-Russia relations.
In his answer, he stood by his earlier comments and said he held "both countries responsible".
He said both sides had "made some mistakes" - but declined to specifically mention items like the Russian military involvement in Ukraine and its annexation of Crimea, the Novichok chemical attack in southern England and the indictment of Russians for meddling in the US election.
Media captionThe ways Trump and Putin see eye to eye
Instead, he insisted there was "no collusion at all" between his campaign and Russia, conflating charges of election meddling - for which there have been indictments of Russian nationals - with evidence of collusion, which the Mueller probe has not yet alleged.
When asked if he would directly condemn Russia and Mr Putin on election meddling, Mr Trump said his intelligence officials - including Director of Intelligence Dan Coats - have told him "they think it's Russia". Mr Putin, he continued, just told him it's not Russia.
"I don't see any reason why it would be," Mr Trump concluded, apparently leaning toward the Russian professions of innocence over the conclusions of his own government.
This has put the US intelligence community in a familiar bind, given Mr Trump's past criticisms. It's a bind, however, for which Trump-appointed leaders, in office for more than a year, are now accountable.
Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
As I said today and many times before, “I have GREAT confidence in MY intelligence people.” However, I also recognize that in order to build a brighter future, we cannot exclusively focus on the past – as the world’s two largest nuclear powers, we must get along! #HELSINKI2018
5:40 AM - Jul 17, 2018
Mr Coats has issued a statement saying his intelligence community stands by its "fact-based assessments" of Russian meddling and their "ongoing, pervasive efforts to undermine our democracy". Later on Monday, the president made an effort, via Twitter, to smooth over ruffled feathers.
Mr Mueller has indicted more than two dozen Russians, but Mr Trump still isn't convinced that they're to blame - raising instead questions about the security of Democratic computer servers and FBI bias.
The Trump Justice Department, and Mr Mueller's special counsel team, will grind on - Monday afternoon's announcement of a Russian woman indicted for being an undisclosed foreign operative is evidence of that. But Mr Trump's campaign to discredit their work will also continue undeterred.
Never Trumpers' outrage
Not surprisingly, Mr Trump's performance was greeted with a mix of condemnation and derision from the left. Senate Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called it a "shameful performance" that was "thoughtless, dangerous and weak". John Brennan, director of the CIA under Barack Obama, said Mr Trump was guilty of treason.
Meanwhile, never-Trump conservatives were quick with "I told you so-s". Political consultant (and Jeb Bush advisor) Mike Murphy called it a "dark day", after tweeting a string of invective. Former 2008 Republican presidential candidate John McCain said it was "one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president in memory".
"The damage inflicted by President Trump's naivete, egotism, false equivalence, and sympathy for autocrats is difficult to calculate," the Arizona Republican senator, and chair of the Armed Services committee, wrote in a statement. "But it is clear that the summit in Helsinki was a tragic mistake."
Image copyrightEPA
Conservative unease
Perhaps most noteworthy is how Mr Trump is being seen among Republicans who are - or were becoming - more sympathetic to Mr Trump. Abby Huntsman, a conservative commentator and daughter of US ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman, tweeted that "no negotiation is worth throwing your own people and country under the bus".
Newt Gingrich called Mr Trump's statements on intelligence agencies "the most serious mistake of his presidency". /bf]
Skip Twitter post by @newtgingrich
Newt Gingrich
✔
@newtgingrich
President Trump must clarify his statements in Helsinki on our intelligence system and Putin. It is the most serious mistake of his presidency and must be corrected—-immediately.
7:15 AM - Jul 17, 2018
Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who swings between Trump critic and Trump confidante, was back in the former camp, calling the summit a "missed opportunity", a "bad day for the US" that will be sign of weakness to Russia.
New York Post columnist Karol Markowicz, who several months ago had written about how pro- and anti-Trump conservatives had to dial back their rhetoric, was blunt.
"You can love Trump, you can be thrilled he vanquished Hillary, you can be right that Obama's foreign policy was clownish, but call it here: this was atrocious and no American president should ever behave this way."
The Drudge Report had a headline blaring that "Putin dominates" the summit. Even on the Fox News cable networks, which are normally Trump's biggest defender and echo chamber, commentators appeared uneasy. Neil Cavuto called the president's performance "disgraceful" and said it "sets us back a lot".
"There is a growing consensus across the land tonight ... that the president threw the United States under the bus," said Fox News White House correspondent John Roberts.
Mary Kissel, a member of the Wall Street Journal editorial board, told Fox News audience that "nothing was achieved" from the summit.
Axios
✔
@axios
Neil Cavuto of Fox Business calls Trump's press conference "disgusting", "That sets us back a lot."
2:23 AM - Jul 17, 2018
"The president came off as wanting to have more meetings and going to Putin and asking for Putin's help, when we should be in the position of Putin coming to us and asking us to ease up on him," she said. "Unfortunately, President Putin scored a great propaganda victory."
This could all blow over, of course. With domestic political battles on the horizon - a Supreme Court confirmation and mid-term election contests - the partisan battle lines could quickly re-form.
For a moment, however, there was a hint of doubt and concern and the possibility that, at some point in the future, when political expediency is no longer paramount, Mr Trump could face more significant dissention within his ranks.
'A first important step'
This isn't how Mr Trump and his supporters see it. For them, the summit should be framed as the beginning of a larger effort to repair relations between the world's two largest nuclear powers.
"From the earliest days of our republic, American leaders have understood that diplomacy and engagement is preferable to conflict and hostility," he said.
Mr Putin echoed those sentiments, calling the summit the "first important step".
With no tangible results from the summit, the two leaders are framing this as the first of many meetings to come
Given the American reaction from across the political spectrum, however, future meetings may be difficult to pull off.
After a week abroad, Mr Trump on Monday delivered the coup de grace for what has been a highly disruptive week in US foreign affairs.
European allies are uneasy. US-Russia relations are uncertain. And the US political world - and even the White House's own communications team - is unsettled.
What comes next? That's unknown.
Anthony Zurcher
North America reporter
@awzurcher on Twitter
16 July 2018
The Helsinki summit between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump is over, and after nearly two hours behind closed doors and another hour in front of the press, there's plenty of material to sort through.
Leading into the meeting, Democrats were warning Mr Trump to be careful in dealing with his Russian counterpart - with some suggesting that it was unwise for the US president to even hold such an event, given Friday's indictments of 12 Russian military officers for conducting cyber-warfare against the US during the 2016 elections.
Many Republicans, on the other hand, were cautiously optimistic that the president would push back against Mr Putin on a range of issues. Congressman Steve Scalise, a Republican house leader, said that Mr Trump entered into the negotiations "from a position of American strength to combat Russian aggression".
Things went … a bit differently. Here are some key takeaways.
'We're all to blame'
Mr Trump, in his first question from an American reporter, was pressed to explain why earlier in the day he had tweeted out that US was to blame for the current tense state of US-Russia relations.
In his answer, he stood by his earlier comments and said he held "both countries responsible".
He said both sides had "made some mistakes" - but declined to specifically mention items like the Russian military involvement in Ukraine and its annexation of Crimea, the Novichok chemical attack in southern England and the indictment of Russians for meddling in the US election.
Media captionThe ways Trump and Putin see eye to eye
Instead, he insisted there was "no collusion at all" between his campaign and Russia, conflating charges of election meddling - for which there have been indictments of Russian nationals - with evidence of collusion, which the Mueller probe has not yet alleged.
When asked if he would directly condemn Russia and Mr Putin on election meddling, Mr Trump said his intelligence officials - including Director of Intelligence Dan Coats - have told him "they think it's Russia". Mr Putin, he continued, just told him it's not Russia.
"I don't see any reason why it would be," Mr Trump concluded, apparently leaning toward the Russian professions of innocence over the conclusions of his own government.
This has put the US intelligence community in a familiar bind, given Mr Trump's past criticisms. It's a bind, however, for which Trump-appointed leaders, in office for more than a year, are now accountable.
Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
As I said today and many times before, “I have GREAT confidence in MY intelligence people.” However, I also recognize that in order to build a brighter future, we cannot exclusively focus on the past – as the world’s two largest nuclear powers, we must get along! #HELSINKI2018
5:40 AM - Jul 17, 2018
Mr Coats has issued a statement saying his intelligence community stands by its "fact-based assessments" of Russian meddling and their "ongoing, pervasive efforts to undermine our democracy". Later on Monday, the president made an effort, via Twitter, to smooth over ruffled feathers.
Mr Mueller has indicted more than two dozen Russians, but Mr Trump still isn't convinced that they're to blame - raising instead questions about the security of Democratic computer servers and FBI bias.
The Trump Justice Department, and Mr Mueller's special counsel team, will grind on - Monday afternoon's announcement of a Russian woman indicted for being an undisclosed foreign operative is evidence of that. But Mr Trump's campaign to discredit their work will also continue undeterred.
Never Trumpers' outrage
Not surprisingly, Mr Trump's performance was greeted with a mix of condemnation and derision from the left. Senate Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called it a "shameful performance" that was "thoughtless, dangerous and weak". John Brennan, director of the CIA under Barack Obama, said Mr Trump was guilty of treason.
Meanwhile, never-Trump conservatives were quick with "I told you so-s". Political consultant (and Jeb Bush advisor) Mike Murphy called it a "dark day", after tweeting a string of invective. Former 2008 Republican presidential candidate John McCain said it was "one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president in memory".
"The damage inflicted by President Trump's naivete, egotism, false equivalence, and sympathy for autocrats is difficult to calculate," the Arizona Republican senator, and chair of the Armed Services committee, wrote in a statement. "But it is clear that the summit in Helsinki was a tragic mistake."
Image copyrightEPA
Conservative unease
Perhaps most noteworthy is how Mr Trump is being seen among Republicans who are - or were becoming - more sympathetic to Mr Trump. Abby Huntsman, a conservative commentator and daughter of US ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman, tweeted that "no negotiation is worth throwing your own people and country under the bus".
Newt Gingrich called Mr Trump's statements on intelligence agencies "the most serious mistake of his presidency". /bf]
Skip Twitter post by @newtgingrich
Newt Gingrich
✔
@newtgingrich
President Trump must clarify his statements in Helsinki on our intelligence system and Putin. It is the most serious mistake of his presidency and must be corrected—-immediately.
7:15 AM - Jul 17, 2018
Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who swings between Trump critic and Trump confidante, was back in the former camp, calling the summit a "missed opportunity", a "bad day for the US" that will be sign of weakness to Russia.
New York Post columnist Karol Markowicz, who several months ago had written about how pro- and anti-Trump conservatives had to dial back their rhetoric, was blunt.
"You can love Trump, you can be thrilled he vanquished Hillary, you can be right that Obama's foreign policy was clownish, but call it here: this was atrocious and no American president should ever behave this way."
The Drudge Report had a headline blaring that "Putin dominates" the summit. Even on the Fox News cable networks, which are normally Trump's biggest defender and echo chamber, commentators appeared uneasy. Neil Cavuto called the president's performance "disgraceful" and said it "sets us back a lot".
"There is a growing consensus across the land tonight ... that the president threw the United States under the bus," said Fox News White House correspondent John Roberts.
Mary Kissel, a member of the Wall Street Journal editorial board, told Fox News audience that "nothing was achieved" from the summit.
Axios
✔
@axios
Neil Cavuto of Fox Business calls Trump's press conference "disgusting", "That sets us back a lot."
2:23 AM - Jul 17, 2018
"The president came off as wanting to have more meetings and going to Putin and asking for Putin's help, when we should be in the position of Putin coming to us and asking us to ease up on him," she said. "Unfortunately, President Putin scored a great propaganda victory."
This could all blow over, of course. With domestic political battles on the horizon - a Supreme Court confirmation and mid-term election contests - the partisan battle lines could quickly re-form.
For a moment, however, there was a hint of doubt and concern and the possibility that, at some point in the future, when political expediency is no longer paramount, Mr Trump could face more significant dissention within his ranks.
'A first important step'
This isn't how Mr Trump and his supporters see it. For them, the summit should be framed as the beginning of a larger effort to repair relations between the world's two largest nuclear powers.
"From the earliest days of our republic, American leaders have understood that diplomacy and engagement is preferable to conflict and hostility," he said.
Mr Putin echoed those sentiments, calling the summit the "first important step".
With no tangible results from the summit, the two leaders are framing this as the first of many meetings to come
Given the American reaction from across the political spectrum, however, future meetings may be difficult to pull off.
After a week abroad, Mr Trump on Monday delivered the coup de grace for what has been a highly disruptive week in US foreign affairs.
European allies are uneasy. US-Russia relations are uncertain. And the US political world - and even the White House's own communications team - is unsettled.
What comes next? That's unknown.
Trump-Putin summit: US president under fire over poll meddling comments - BBC News
July 17, 2018
Trump-Putin summit: US president under fire over poll meddling comments
The ways Trump and Putin see eye to eye
There has been a barrage of criticism in the US after President Donald Trump defended Russia over claims of interference in the 2016 elections.
At a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Finland, Mr Trump contradicted US intelligence agencies, saying Russia had no reason to meddle.
The top Republican in Congress, House Speaker Paul Ryan, said Mr Trump must see that "Russia is not our ally".
The president's own intelligence chief publicly broke with him.
Russia is responsible for "ongoing, pervasive attempts" to undermine US democracy, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats said in a statement.
Mr Putin denied the claim.
On Monday the US and Russian presidents held nearly two hours of one-on-one talks without their advisers in the Finnish capital Helsinki .
Trump's 'most serious mistake'
Russian praise for Putin after summit
Schwarzenegger calls Trump a 'wet noodle'
What did President Trump say?
At a news conference after the summit, he was asked if he believed his own intelligence agencies or the Russian president when it came to allegations of meddling in the election.
"President Putin says it's not Russia. I don't see any reason why it would be," he replied.
Mr Trump also blamed poor relations with Russia on past US administrations rather than Russian actions.
Media captionTrump: "There was nobody to collude with"
US intelligence agencies concluded in 2016 that Russia was behind an effort to tip the scale of the US election against Hillary Clinton, with a state-authorised campaign of cyber attacks and fake news stories planted on social media.
Mr Trump later backtracked, tweeting that he had "great confidence in my intelligence people".
Skip Twitter post by @realDonaldTrump
Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
As I said today and many times before, “I have GREAT confidence in MY intelligence people.” However, I also recognize that in order to build a brighter future, we cannot exclusively focus on the past – as the world’s two largest nuclear powers, we must get along! #HELSINKI2018
5:40 AM - Jul 17, 2018
97.7K
80.1K people are talking about this
Twitter Ads info and privacy
Report
End of Twitter post by @realDonaldTrump
How did it play at home?
Badly. In a strongly worded statement, Mr Ryan said: "There is no moral equivalence between the United States and Russia, which remains hostile to our most basic values and ideals.
He added that there was "no question" Moscow had interfered in the 2016 election.
Senator John McCain, a key member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said it was a "disgraceful performance".
"No prior president has ever abased himself more abjectly before a tyrant," Mr McCain said in a statement.
Another senior Republican, Sen Lindsey Graham, also a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, tweeted that it was a "missed opportunity... to firmly hold Russia accountable for 2016 meddling".
In a series of tweets, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said Mr Trump's actions had "strengthened our adversaries while weakening our defences and those of our allies".
Skip Twitter post by @SenSchumer
Chuck Schumer
✔
@SenSchumer
Replying to @SenSchumer
For the president of the United States to side with President Putin against American law enforcement, American defense officials, and American intelligence agencies is thoughtless, dangerous, and weak. The president is putting himself over our country.
2:56 AM - Jul 17, 2018
Former CIA director John Brennan said Mr Trump's news conference "was nothing short of treasonous".
"Not only were Trump's comments imbecilic, he is wholly in the pocket of Putin. Republican Patriots: Where are you???" he tweeted.
Meanwhile, Vice-President Mike Pence defended the summit and praised President Trump.
ABC News Politics
✔
@ABCPolitics
Vice Pres. Pence praises the Trump-Putin summit: "Disagreements between our countries were discussed at length, but what the world saw, what the American people saw, is that Pres. Donald Trump will always put the prosperity and security of America first." https://abcn.ws/2NhLSiC
4:58 AM - Jul 17, 2018
Some US politicians had called for the summit to be cancelled after 12 Russian military intelligence agents were indicted last week, accused of hacking Hillary Clinton's election campaign.
Putin laughs off Mueller indictment in Fox News interview
Speaking at the joint news conference, President Putin offered to allow US investigators to visit Russia to question the officers.
In a later interview with Fox News, Mr Putin said it was "ridiculous" that some people thought Russia could have influenced the US elections.
He said US-Russian relations should not be "held hostage" to an internal political struggle in America.
Mr Putin also denied longstanding reports that Russian intelligence may hold compromising material on Mr Trump.
The Russian president said that before the election Mr Trump was just a "rich person" and "of no interest for us".
And Mr Putin accused the UK of making "ungrounded accusations" over the recent poisoning of ex-Soviet spy Sergei Skripal and three other people with the "novichok" nerve agent.
One of those people has since died.
Novichok: Murder inquiry after Dawn Sturgess dies
Referring to the Skripal case, Mr Putin said Russia had received no evidence about it. "Nobody gives it to us, he said. "It's the same thing as the accusations with meddling into the election process in America."
With no tangible results from the summit, the two leaders are framing this as the first of many meetings to come
Given the American reaction from across the political spectrum, however, future meetings may be difficult to pull off.
After a week abroad, Mr Trump on Monday delivered the coup de grace for what has been a highly disruptive week in US foreign affairs.
European allies are uneasy. US-Russia relations are uncertain. And the US political world - and even the White House's own communications team - is unsettled.
Mr Putin described the Helsinki meeting as "candid and useful" while Mr Trump said there had been "deeply productive dialogue".
Mr Trump said US-Russia relations had "never been worse" than before they met, but that had now changed.
Relations between Russia and the West were severely strained by Moscow's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and Russia's support for separatists in eastern Ukraine.
Trump-Putin summit: US president under fire over poll meddling comments
The ways Trump and Putin see eye to eye
There has been a barrage of criticism in the US after President Donald Trump defended Russia over claims of interference in the 2016 elections.
At a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Finland, Mr Trump contradicted US intelligence agencies, saying Russia had no reason to meddle.
The top Republican in Congress, House Speaker Paul Ryan, said Mr Trump must see that "Russia is not our ally".
The president's own intelligence chief publicly broke with him.
Russia is responsible for "ongoing, pervasive attempts" to undermine US democracy, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats said in a statement.
Mr Putin denied the claim.
On Monday the US and Russian presidents held nearly two hours of one-on-one talks without their advisers in the Finnish capital Helsinki .
Trump's 'most serious mistake'
Russian praise for Putin after summit
Schwarzenegger calls Trump a 'wet noodle'
What did President Trump say?
At a news conference after the summit, he was asked if he believed his own intelligence agencies or the Russian president when it came to allegations of meddling in the election.
"President Putin says it's not Russia. I don't see any reason why it would be," he replied.
Mr Trump also blamed poor relations with Russia on past US administrations rather than Russian actions.
Media captionTrump: "There was nobody to collude with"
US intelligence agencies concluded in 2016 that Russia was behind an effort to tip the scale of the US election against Hillary Clinton, with a state-authorised campaign of cyber attacks and fake news stories planted on social media.
Mr Trump later backtracked, tweeting that he had "great confidence in my intelligence people".
Skip Twitter post by @realDonaldTrump
Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
As I said today and many times before, “I have GREAT confidence in MY intelligence people.” However, I also recognize that in order to build a brighter future, we cannot exclusively focus on the past – as the world’s two largest nuclear powers, we must get along! #HELSINKI2018
5:40 AM - Jul 17, 2018
97.7K
80.1K people are talking about this
Twitter Ads info and privacy
Report
End of Twitter post by @realDonaldTrump
How did it play at home?
Badly. In a strongly worded statement, Mr Ryan said: "There is no moral equivalence between the United States and Russia, which remains hostile to our most basic values and ideals.
He added that there was "no question" Moscow had interfered in the 2016 election.
Senator John McCain, a key member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said it was a "disgraceful performance".
"No prior president has ever abased himself more abjectly before a tyrant," Mr McCain said in a statement.
Another senior Republican, Sen Lindsey Graham, also a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, tweeted that it was a "missed opportunity... to firmly hold Russia accountable for 2016 meddling".
In a series of tweets, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said Mr Trump's actions had "strengthened our adversaries while weakening our defences and those of our allies".
Skip Twitter post by @SenSchumer
Chuck Schumer
✔
@SenSchumer
Replying to @SenSchumer
For the president of the United States to side with President Putin against American law enforcement, American defense officials, and American intelligence agencies is thoughtless, dangerous, and weak. The president is putting himself over our country.
2:56 AM - Jul 17, 2018
Former CIA director John Brennan said Mr Trump's news conference "was nothing short of treasonous".
"Not only were Trump's comments imbecilic, he is wholly in the pocket of Putin. Republican Patriots: Where are you???" he tweeted.
Meanwhile, Vice-President Mike Pence defended the summit and praised President Trump.
ABC News Politics
✔
@ABCPolitics
Vice Pres. Pence praises the Trump-Putin summit: "Disagreements between our countries were discussed at length, but what the world saw, what the American people saw, is that Pres. Donald Trump will always put the prosperity and security of America first." https://abcn.ws/2NhLSiC
4:58 AM - Jul 17, 2018
Some US politicians had called for the summit to be cancelled after 12 Russian military intelligence agents were indicted last week, accused of hacking Hillary Clinton's election campaign.
Putin laughs off Mueller indictment in Fox News interview
Speaking at the joint news conference, President Putin offered to allow US investigators to visit Russia to question the officers.
In a later interview with Fox News, Mr Putin said it was "ridiculous" that some people thought Russia could have influenced the US elections.
He said US-Russian relations should not be "held hostage" to an internal political struggle in America.
Mr Putin also denied longstanding reports that Russian intelligence may hold compromising material on Mr Trump.
The Russian president said that before the election Mr Trump was just a "rich person" and "of no interest for us".
And Mr Putin accused the UK of making "ungrounded accusations" over the recent poisoning of ex-Soviet spy Sergei Skripal and three other people with the "novichok" nerve agent.
One of those people has since died.
Novichok: Murder inquiry after Dawn Sturgess dies
Referring to the Skripal case, Mr Putin said Russia had received no evidence about it. "Nobody gives it to us, he said. "It's the same thing as the accusations with meddling into the election process in America."
With no tangible results from the summit, the two leaders are framing this as the first of many meetings to come
Given the American reaction from across the political spectrum, however, future meetings may be difficult to pull off.
After a week abroad, Mr Trump on Monday delivered the coup de grace for what has been a highly disruptive week in US foreign affairs.
European allies are uneasy. US-Russia relations are uncertain. And the US political world - and even the White House's own communications team - is unsettled.
Mr Putin described the Helsinki meeting as "candid and useful" while Mr Trump said there had been "deeply productive dialogue".
Mr Trump said US-Russia relations had "never been worse" than before they met, but that had now changed.
Relations between Russia and the West were severely strained by Moscow's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and Russia's support for separatists in eastern Ukraine.
Monday, July 16, 2018
Trump-Putin summit: Why is it a big deal? - BBC News
Trump-Putin summit: Why is it a big deal?
16 July 2018
The relations between the US and Russia have been far from smile-inducing recently
US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin are holding a summit in the Finnish capital, Helsinki. Why is this so hotly anticipated?
The US and Russia have long been adversaries but accusations that Moscow interfered in the US presidential election in 2016 have added an extra, bitter ingredient.
Let's take a look.
Why are there US-Russia tensions?
It goes back to the so-called Cold War (from 1945 to 1989) and the hostilities between the US and the then Soviet Union.
They never fought each other directly but differences remained even after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the consolidation of the US as the world's sole superpower.
Fast forward to now, and Mr Putin has made no secret of his determination to reassert Russian power after years of perceived humiliation, often putting his country on a collision course with the US.
How do Russia tensions compare to Soviet era?
Difficult at the best of times, bilateral relations have deteriorated significantly since Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. That led the US and others to impose a series of economic sanctions on Russia.
Why is a meeting between these men so important?
Their relationship has become one of the most scrutinised in global affairs, because of claims of Russian meddling in the 2016 US election, which has been denied by Moscow.
US intelligence agencies believe Russia tried to sway the election in Mr Trump's favour.
An investigation into what Russia did and whether any of the Trump team helped them is the subject of an investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, dismissed by the president as a "witch hunt".
Repeatedly he has called it a Democratic conspiracy driven by bitterness at losing the election.
Read more about Crimea
Trump Russia affair: Key questions answered
Since taking office in January 2017, President Trump has sought to improve ties, a stance at odds with traditional Republican party policy.
Last month, he supported Russia's re-admission to the group of industrialised nations - now called G7 - after its suspension following the annexation of Crimea.
What have they said about each other?
Mr Trump has made several comments praising Mr Putin. "Very much of a leader," he said in 2016, "far more than our president has been a leader," in reference to Barack Obama.
Last year, he called Mr Putin a "tough cookie".
In March, he congratulated Mr Putin for his controversial election victory, despite warnings from his advisers not to do so.
Putin and Trump in their own words
Mr Putin has been more guarded in his views about Mr Trump, but has called him a "very bright person, talented" and a "colourful" man in the past.
What will they discuss?
Official statements have lacked details but the talks are likely to include:
Arms control: Both leaders have bragged about their nuclear capabilities and experts say this is one of the key points to watch. US and Russia have a deal called New Start, aimed at reducing and limiting the size of their nuclear arsenals, the two largest in the world. It is in effect until 2021 and any progress in extending it will be seen as a good sign. They are also likely to discuss a missiles treaty signed in 1987 amid mutual accusations of breaches
US sanctions: Those were imposed on companies and individuals over Russia's annexation of Crimea, its support to separatists in eastern Ukraine, its role in the conflict in Syria and its alleged interference in the 2016 election. Congress needs to approve the easing of restrictions but observers say Mr Trump can indicate that the list of those sanctioned will not be expanded, a move that would be welcomed by Russia
Ukraine: The US has given military aid to Ukraine and Mr Putin would be happy to see it scrapped. This, as well as a recognition of Russia's annexation of Crimea, is unlikely to happen. But both leaders can agree to allow international peacekeepers to patrol eastern Ukraine, where a conflict has killed more than 10,000 people
Syria: Israel, a key US ally, wants to see Iran and Iranian-backed forces away from south-west Syria, in the area next to its border. Mr Trump is likely to raise the issue but analysts say it is not clear whether Mr Putin can make any offer that includes limiting Iran's activities in the country, for example
Why are Trump's allies worried?
During a summit with Nato countries last week, Mr Trump signed a joint statement condemning "Russian aggression".
The question many now ask is whether he will raise the concerns of the allies directly with the Russian president.
It has been widely reported that the European partners have not been briefed about what Mr Trump is really trying to achieve in Helsinki.
What is Nato?
Can Nato survive Trump?
There is a fear that after a tumultuous trip to Europe he will have some warm words for Mr Putin.
Mr Trump bashed Nato allies over their defence spending, said Germany was "controlled by Russia" because of its gas imports and criticised UK Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit plan.
What to expect?
It's hard to say. Mr Trump's unorthodox approach to such talks makes any prediction look more like a guessing game, but US advisers have downplayed any chance of major announcements.
Adding an air of mystery is the fact that both will speak in private during their meeting, with only their interpreters expected to be present.
Mr Putin and Mr Trump have met before on the sidelines of summits
As a gesture of a restart in relations, they could agree to restore their countries' diplomatic presence after tit-for-tat expulsions in the last few years, most recently over the poisoning of a former Russian spy in England.
What does it mean for the rest of the world?
A lot. US and Russia have been in different, or even opposing sides on many critical issues - Syria, Ukraine, Crimea, to name a few - that have a global impact.
Add to that the Western sanctions in Russia that Mr Putin says are "harmful for everyone".
But European countries, perhaps more than others, will be watching it very closely. They are in an uncomfortable situation as they fear the Russian threat, but are to some degree dependent on Russian energy supplies.
Mr Trump singled out Germany over the controversial Nord Stream 2 project that will boost Russian gas deliveries to Central and Western Europe across the Baltic Sea. The route bypasses not only Ukraine but also the Baltic states and Poland - all of those countries oppose it.
This all leaves little doubt that the world will be watching to see what happens on Monday.
16 July 2018
The relations between the US and Russia have been far from smile-inducing recently
US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin are holding a summit in the Finnish capital, Helsinki. Why is this so hotly anticipated?
The US and Russia have long been adversaries but accusations that Moscow interfered in the US presidential election in 2016 have added an extra, bitter ingredient.
Let's take a look.
Why are there US-Russia tensions?
It goes back to the so-called Cold War (from 1945 to 1989) and the hostilities between the US and the then Soviet Union.
They never fought each other directly but differences remained even after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the consolidation of the US as the world's sole superpower.
Fast forward to now, and Mr Putin has made no secret of his determination to reassert Russian power after years of perceived humiliation, often putting his country on a collision course with the US.
How do Russia tensions compare to Soviet era?
Difficult at the best of times, bilateral relations have deteriorated significantly since Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. That led the US and others to impose a series of economic sanctions on Russia.
Why is a meeting between these men so important?
Their relationship has become one of the most scrutinised in global affairs, because of claims of Russian meddling in the 2016 US election, which has been denied by Moscow.
US intelligence agencies believe Russia tried to sway the election in Mr Trump's favour.
An investigation into what Russia did and whether any of the Trump team helped them is the subject of an investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, dismissed by the president as a "witch hunt".
Repeatedly he has called it a Democratic conspiracy driven by bitterness at losing the election.
Read more about Crimea
Trump Russia affair: Key questions answered
Since taking office in January 2017, President Trump has sought to improve ties, a stance at odds with traditional Republican party policy.
Last month, he supported Russia's re-admission to the group of industrialised nations - now called G7 - after its suspension following the annexation of Crimea.
What have they said about each other?
Mr Trump has made several comments praising Mr Putin. "Very much of a leader," he said in 2016, "far more than our president has been a leader," in reference to Barack Obama.
Last year, he called Mr Putin a "tough cookie".
In March, he congratulated Mr Putin for his controversial election victory, despite warnings from his advisers not to do so.
Putin and Trump in their own words
Mr Putin has been more guarded in his views about Mr Trump, but has called him a "very bright person, talented" and a "colourful" man in the past.
What will they discuss?
Official statements have lacked details but the talks are likely to include:
Arms control: Both leaders have bragged about their nuclear capabilities and experts say this is one of the key points to watch. US and Russia have a deal called New Start, aimed at reducing and limiting the size of their nuclear arsenals, the two largest in the world. It is in effect until 2021 and any progress in extending it will be seen as a good sign. They are also likely to discuss a missiles treaty signed in 1987 amid mutual accusations of breaches
US sanctions: Those were imposed on companies and individuals over Russia's annexation of Crimea, its support to separatists in eastern Ukraine, its role in the conflict in Syria and its alleged interference in the 2016 election. Congress needs to approve the easing of restrictions but observers say Mr Trump can indicate that the list of those sanctioned will not be expanded, a move that would be welcomed by Russia
Ukraine: The US has given military aid to Ukraine and Mr Putin would be happy to see it scrapped. This, as well as a recognition of Russia's annexation of Crimea, is unlikely to happen. But both leaders can agree to allow international peacekeepers to patrol eastern Ukraine, where a conflict has killed more than 10,000 people
Syria: Israel, a key US ally, wants to see Iran and Iranian-backed forces away from south-west Syria, in the area next to its border. Mr Trump is likely to raise the issue but analysts say it is not clear whether Mr Putin can make any offer that includes limiting Iran's activities in the country, for example
Why are Trump's allies worried?
During a summit with Nato countries last week, Mr Trump signed a joint statement condemning "Russian aggression".
The question many now ask is whether he will raise the concerns of the allies directly with the Russian president.
It has been widely reported that the European partners have not been briefed about what Mr Trump is really trying to achieve in Helsinki.
What is Nato?
Can Nato survive Trump?
There is a fear that after a tumultuous trip to Europe he will have some warm words for Mr Putin.
Mr Trump bashed Nato allies over their defence spending, said Germany was "controlled by Russia" because of its gas imports and criticised UK Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit plan.
What to expect?
It's hard to say. Mr Trump's unorthodox approach to such talks makes any prediction look more like a guessing game, but US advisers have downplayed any chance of major announcements.
Adding an air of mystery is the fact that both will speak in private during their meeting, with only their interpreters expected to be present.
Mr Putin and Mr Trump have met before on the sidelines of summits
As a gesture of a restart in relations, they could agree to restore their countries' diplomatic presence after tit-for-tat expulsions in the last few years, most recently over the poisoning of a former Russian spy in England.
What does it mean for the rest of the world?
A lot. US and Russia have been in different, or even opposing sides on many critical issues - Syria, Ukraine, Crimea, to name a few - that have a global impact.
Add to that the Western sanctions in Russia that Mr Putin says are "harmful for everyone".
But European countries, perhaps more than others, will be watching it very closely. They are in an uncomfortable situation as they fear the Russian threat, but are to some degree dependent on Russian energy supplies.
Mr Trump singled out Germany over the controversial Nord Stream 2 project that will boost Russian gas deliveries to Central and Western Europe across the Baltic Sea. The route bypasses not only Ukraine but also the Baltic states and Poland - all of those countries oppose it.
This all leaves little doubt that the world will be watching to see what happens on Monday.
Putin arrives late for Helsinki summit with Trump - live updates - Guardian
Putin arrives late for Helsinki summit with Trump - live updates
US president Donald Trump says relations with Russia have ‘never been worse as he arrives in Helsinki for high-stakes summit with Vladimir Putin
LIVE Updated 3m ago
Matthew Weaver
Mon 16 Jul 2018 20.18 AEST First published on Mon 16 Jul 2018 17.07 AEST
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1,575
23m ago Putin arrives in Helsinki
1h ago Putin running late
7m ago
20:18
White House pool reporter Annie Karni, confirms that Trump has delayed leaving the Hilton Helsinki Kalastajatorppa, en route to the Presidential Palace.
He was due to depart at 12.40 local time (10.40 BST).
The hold up appears to be on Putin’s end as he has just this moment landed in Helsinki.
There has been no response from Trump’s press secretary Sarah Sanders when she was asked about the delay.
Facebook Twitter Google plus
11m ago
20:15
Putin briskly stepped off his plane, before being greeted on the tarmac. He took of his jacket and waved for the cameras. And then got into his huge new limo.
William Gallo
✔
@GalloVOA
· 25m
Replying to @GalloVOA
Putin is running a bit late, but he's arrived here in Helsinki. pic.twitter.com/JROj8ou7HT
William Gallo
✔
@GalloVOA
He's here: pic.twitter.com/WRGGzEkXNu
8:09 PM - Jul 16, 2018
View image on Twitter
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The Washington Post’s Philip Rucker reminds us that the summit was due to start at 1pm local time (11am BST).
Philip Rucker
✔
@PhilipRucker
Summit was set to begin 11 minutes ago, but leaders are not at the palace yet. It appears Putin is holding up Trump. Keeping people waiting is the Russian president’s MO to assert dominance.
8:12 PM - Jul 16, 2018
294
190 people are talking about this
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11m ago
20:15
Since you’re here … we have a small favour to ask. More people are reading the Guardian than ever but advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. And unlike many news organisations, we haven’t put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as open as we can. So you can see why we need to ask for your help.
If everyone who reads our reporting, who likes it, helps fund it, our future would be much more secure. For as little as $1, you can support the Guardian – and it only takes a minute. Make a contribution. - Guardian HQ
16m ago
20:09
The diplomatic gamesmanship continues.
Kaitlan Collins
✔
@kaitlancollins
President Trump and Melania were scheduled to leave their hotel 26 minutes ago. Pool says they are still waiting, presumably on Putin.
Kaitlan Collins
✔
@kaitlancollins
Vladimir Putin — notorious for making people wait — still hasn’t landed in Helsinki. He’s supposed to have his official greeting with President Trump....in 17 minutes.
8:08 PM - Jul 16, 2018
49
35 people are talking about this
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23m ago
20:03
Putin arrives in Helsinki
Vladimir Putin’s plane has touched down in the Helsinki almost an hour late.
View image on Twitter
View image on Twitter
William Gallo
✔
@GalloVOA
Replying to @GalloVOA
Putin is running a bit late, but he's arrived here in Helsinki.
8:01 PM - Jul 16, 2018
See William Gallo's other Tweets
Andrew Roth
@Andrew__Roth
Wondering how Donald Trump stacks up on being made to wait by Putin?Putin is current about 55 minutes late landing in Helsinki, taking him past Pope Francis (50 mins) and approaching Modi (1 hour). Things get bad at Lukashenka (3 hours) and Merkel (4 hours 15 min).
7:55 PM - Jul 16, 2018
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26m ago
20:00
Dmitry Peskov
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman says he hopes the summit will be a “baby step” toward fixing exceptionally bad US-Russian relations, AP reports.
Ahead of Monday’s meeting, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told broadcaster RT that the men had no strict agenda but recognize their “special responsibility” for global stability.
He said European countries shouldn’t be worried about a possible US-Russian rapprochement or decisions about Europe made “over the heads of Europeans.”
Peskov said the Russian leader respects Trump’s “America first” stance because Putin puts Russia first, but said the only way to make progress at the summit is if both sides are open to finding areas of mutual benefit.
Russian officials say Putin is expected to reiterate denials of meddling in the 2016 US presidential campaign.
Facebook Twitter Google plus
30m ago
19:56
Andrew Roth
President of Russia Vladimir Putin touches the World Cup trophy after the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Final
President of Russia Vladimir Putin touches the World Cup trophy after the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Final Photograph: Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images
The United States is not the only side complaining about cyberattacks ahead of Monday’s summit.
Vladimir Putin told law enforcement officials on Sunday evening that the country had seen a sharp rise in cyberattacks during the World Cup as he thanked Russian law enforcement in person for providing security during the tournament.
“Almost 25 million cyberattacks and other situations of criminal impact on the Russian information infrastructure associated with the organization of the World Cup were neutralized during the championship,” Putin said In Moscow on Sunday evening. The remarks were reported on Monday morning.
Russian officials have pushed the idea of a joint agreement on cybersecurity with the United States for several years. Putin will likely use that fact as a defence when Trump asks about Russia’s election meddling during the 2016 elections, which he said he would “certainly” do in a television interview.
Russia would like an agreement on “informational security,” and includes limits on content that may be objectionable to governments.
That may permit countries to eliminate content from social media sites like Facebook or Twitter that call for protests.
The United States has traditionally defined the issue more closely as cybersecurity, which concerns the use of hacking technology but not content on social media.
Updated at 7.56pm AEST
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33m ago
19:52
Andrew Roth
Putin’s trip to Helsinki marks the first foreign trip for the Russian president’s new Cortege limousine, which was unveiled with great fanfare at his inauguration in May.
The Kremlin pool reporter for Komsomolskaya Pravda, Dmitry Smirnov, snapped a picture of the limousine at Helsinki’s airport where Putin is expected to land more than 45 minutes late.
Дмитрий Смирнов
✔
@dimsmirnov175
Первый зарубежный выезд «Кортежа»: Лимузин ждет Путина в аэропорту Хельсинки
7:32 PM - Jul 16, 2018
The Kremlin pool arrived earlier in a separate plan and have some time on their hands.
At Putin’s inauguration, the limousine drove him about 200m from the Kremlin’s Senate Building to the Andreevsky Hall.
Monday’s route will be slightly more arduous, usually about a 25-minute ride to the city’s Presidential Palace where he will meet one-on-one with Trump.
He has also shown off the limousine to the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Mohammed bin Zayed.
The domestically produced luxury car was a point of pride for Putin, who used a Mercedes until this year. The state news agency Sputnik wrote that the car was the first domestically produced limousine for a head of state since Mikhail Gorbachev’s Zil-41052 in 1985.
36m ago
19:50
Putin’s lateness is being interpreted as diplomatic gamesmanship. Speaking to CNN while we still wait for Putin’s plane to land in Helsinki, Thomas Pickering, former US ambassador to the UN, said:
Obviously the lateness is something he could have avoided, so it has some intent. That intent obviously is in some ways to level the playing field of publicity about this meeting so that it isn’t all Trump, whatever he’s saying.
Facebook Twitter Google plus
50m ago
19:36
Newspaper billboards in Helsinki attack the record of both Putin and Trump on free speech.
Huff Post UK reports:
Helsingin Sanomat, one of the country’s top news outlets, unveiled nearly 300 billboards calling out the leaders’ respective records of rocky relations with the media. The billboards were placed along the leaders’ route to the summit.
Aside from the welcome billboard which reads “Mr. President, Welcome to the Land of Free Press,” most of the others feature headlines published in the newspaper over the years, according to a press release.
“The headlines highlight the presidents’ turbulent relations with the media and were published between the years 2000 and 2018,” the statement said.
Editor-in-chief Kaius Nieme also explained that the banners are intended as a display of support for “colleagues who have to fight in ever toughening circumstances on a daily basis both in the U.S. and Russia,” noting that both countries sit pretty far down on the 2018 World Press Freedom Index. Russia is ranked 148 and the U.S. sits at 45. Finland is ranked fourth.
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1h ago
19:27
Putin running late
Putin already has the edge in pre-summit posturing by keeping Trump waiting. His plane to Helsinki is reported to be running late.
Norah O'Donnell🇺🇸
✔
@NorahODonnell
Looks like Putin will keep Trump waiting. He’s landing about 45 minutes late at 5:47 EST, just about the time he was supposed to be arriving at the Presidential Palace. #HelsinkiSummit
7:03 PM - Jul 16, 2018
1h ago
19:19
European Council president Donald Tusk has suggested that Trump is spreading fake news by telling CBS that the European Union is a foe of the US.
Donald Tusk
(@eucopresident)
America and the EU are best friends. Whoever says we are foes is spreading fake news.
July 15, 2018
1:26
Donald Trump calls the EU a foe during interview in Scotland - video
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1h ago
19:14
Trump is confident of getting on with Putin, he told Piers Morgan for ITV’s Good Morning Britain on board air force one.
Trump accepted that Putin “probably is” a ruthless person, but couldn’t tell yet.
Good Morning Britain quoted him saying: “I don’t know him… I met him a couple of times… I think we could probably get along very well”
Good Morning Britain
✔
@GMB
'I don’t know him… I met him a couple of times… I think we could probably get along very well'
President Trump confessed to @GMB he didn’t know Vladimir Putin well.
3:24 PM - Jul 16, 2018
101
63 people are talking about this
US president Donald Trump says relations with Russia have ‘never been worse as he arrives in Helsinki for high-stakes summit with Vladimir Putin
LIVE Updated 3m ago
Matthew Weaver
Mon 16 Jul 2018 20.18 AEST First published on Mon 16 Jul 2018 17.07 AEST
Shares
125
Comments
1,575
23m ago Putin arrives in Helsinki
1h ago Putin running late
7m ago
20:18
White House pool reporter Annie Karni, confirms that Trump has delayed leaving the Hilton Helsinki Kalastajatorppa, en route to the Presidential Palace.
He was due to depart at 12.40 local time (10.40 BST).
The hold up appears to be on Putin’s end as he has just this moment landed in Helsinki.
There has been no response from Trump’s press secretary Sarah Sanders when she was asked about the delay.
Facebook Twitter Google plus
11m ago
20:15
Putin briskly stepped off his plane, before being greeted on the tarmac. He took of his jacket and waved for the cameras. And then got into his huge new limo.
William Gallo
✔
@GalloVOA
· 25m
Replying to @GalloVOA
Putin is running a bit late, but he's arrived here in Helsinki. pic.twitter.com/JROj8ou7HT
William Gallo
✔
@GalloVOA
He's here: pic.twitter.com/WRGGzEkXNu
8:09 PM - Jul 16, 2018
View image on Twitter
See William Gallo's other Tweets
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The Washington Post’s Philip Rucker reminds us that the summit was due to start at 1pm local time (11am BST).
Philip Rucker
✔
@PhilipRucker
Summit was set to begin 11 minutes ago, but leaders are not at the palace yet. It appears Putin is holding up Trump. Keeping people waiting is the Russian president’s MO to assert dominance.
8:12 PM - Jul 16, 2018
294
190 people are talking about this
Twitter Ads info and privacy
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11m ago
20:15
Since you’re here … we have a small favour to ask. More people are reading the Guardian than ever but advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. And unlike many news organisations, we haven’t put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as open as we can. So you can see why we need to ask for your help.
If everyone who reads our reporting, who likes it, helps fund it, our future would be much more secure. For as little as $1, you can support the Guardian – and it only takes a minute. Make a contribution. - Guardian HQ
16m ago
20:09
The diplomatic gamesmanship continues.
Kaitlan Collins
✔
@kaitlancollins
President Trump and Melania were scheduled to leave their hotel 26 minutes ago. Pool says they are still waiting, presumably on Putin.
Kaitlan Collins
✔
@kaitlancollins
Vladimir Putin — notorious for making people wait — still hasn’t landed in Helsinki. He’s supposed to have his official greeting with President Trump....in 17 minutes.
8:08 PM - Jul 16, 2018
49
35 people are talking about this
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23m ago
20:03
Putin arrives in Helsinki
Vladimir Putin’s plane has touched down in the Helsinki almost an hour late.
View image on Twitter
View image on Twitter
William Gallo
✔
@GalloVOA
Replying to @GalloVOA
Putin is running a bit late, but he's arrived here in Helsinki.
8:01 PM - Jul 16, 2018
See William Gallo's other Tweets
Andrew Roth
@Andrew__Roth
Wondering how Donald Trump stacks up on being made to wait by Putin?Putin is current about 55 minutes late landing in Helsinki, taking him past Pope Francis (50 mins) and approaching Modi (1 hour). Things get bad at Lukashenka (3 hours) and Merkel (4 hours 15 min).
7:55 PM - Jul 16, 2018
Facebook Twitter Google plus
26m ago
20:00
Dmitry Peskov
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman says he hopes the summit will be a “baby step” toward fixing exceptionally bad US-Russian relations, AP reports.
Ahead of Monday’s meeting, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told broadcaster RT that the men had no strict agenda but recognize their “special responsibility” for global stability.
He said European countries shouldn’t be worried about a possible US-Russian rapprochement or decisions about Europe made “over the heads of Europeans.”
Peskov said the Russian leader respects Trump’s “America first” stance because Putin puts Russia first, but said the only way to make progress at the summit is if both sides are open to finding areas of mutual benefit.
Russian officials say Putin is expected to reiterate denials of meddling in the 2016 US presidential campaign.
Facebook Twitter Google plus
30m ago
19:56
Andrew Roth
President of Russia Vladimir Putin touches the World Cup trophy after the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Final
President of Russia Vladimir Putin touches the World Cup trophy after the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Final Photograph: Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images
The United States is not the only side complaining about cyberattacks ahead of Monday’s summit.
Vladimir Putin told law enforcement officials on Sunday evening that the country had seen a sharp rise in cyberattacks during the World Cup as he thanked Russian law enforcement in person for providing security during the tournament.
“Almost 25 million cyberattacks and other situations of criminal impact on the Russian information infrastructure associated with the organization of the World Cup were neutralized during the championship,” Putin said In Moscow on Sunday evening. The remarks were reported on Monday morning.
Russian officials have pushed the idea of a joint agreement on cybersecurity with the United States for several years. Putin will likely use that fact as a defence when Trump asks about Russia’s election meddling during the 2016 elections, which he said he would “certainly” do in a television interview.
Russia would like an agreement on “informational security,” and includes limits on content that may be objectionable to governments.
That may permit countries to eliminate content from social media sites like Facebook or Twitter that call for protests.
The United States has traditionally defined the issue more closely as cybersecurity, which concerns the use of hacking technology but not content on social media.
Updated at 7.56pm AEST
Facebook Twitter Google plus
33m ago
19:52
Andrew Roth
Putin’s trip to Helsinki marks the first foreign trip for the Russian president’s new Cortege limousine, which was unveiled with great fanfare at his inauguration in May.
The Kremlin pool reporter for Komsomolskaya Pravda, Dmitry Smirnov, snapped a picture of the limousine at Helsinki’s airport where Putin is expected to land more than 45 minutes late.
Дмитрий Смирнов
✔
@dimsmirnov175
Первый зарубежный выезд «Кортежа»: Лимузин ждет Путина в аэропорту Хельсинки
7:32 PM - Jul 16, 2018
The Kremlin pool arrived earlier in a separate plan and have some time on their hands.
At Putin’s inauguration, the limousine drove him about 200m from the Kremlin’s Senate Building to the Andreevsky Hall.
Monday’s route will be slightly more arduous, usually about a 25-minute ride to the city’s Presidential Palace where he will meet one-on-one with Trump.
He has also shown off the limousine to the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Mohammed bin Zayed.
The domestically produced luxury car was a point of pride for Putin, who used a Mercedes until this year. The state news agency Sputnik wrote that the car was the first domestically produced limousine for a head of state since Mikhail Gorbachev’s Zil-41052 in 1985.
36m ago
19:50
Putin’s lateness is being interpreted as diplomatic gamesmanship. Speaking to CNN while we still wait for Putin’s plane to land in Helsinki, Thomas Pickering, former US ambassador to the UN, said:
Obviously the lateness is something he could have avoided, so it has some intent. That intent obviously is in some ways to level the playing field of publicity about this meeting so that it isn’t all Trump, whatever he’s saying.
Facebook Twitter Google plus
50m ago
19:36
Newspaper billboards in Helsinki attack the record of both Putin and Trump on free speech.
Huff Post UK reports:
Helsingin Sanomat, one of the country’s top news outlets, unveiled nearly 300 billboards calling out the leaders’ respective records of rocky relations with the media. The billboards were placed along the leaders’ route to the summit.
Aside from the welcome billboard which reads “Mr. President, Welcome to the Land of Free Press,” most of the others feature headlines published in the newspaper over the years, according to a press release.
“The headlines highlight the presidents’ turbulent relations with the media and were published between the years 2000 and 2018,” the statement said.
Editor-in-chief Kaius Nieme also explained that the banners are intended as a display of support for “colleagues who have to fight in ever toughening circumstances on a daily basis both in the U.S. and Russia,” noting that both countries sit pretty far down on the 2018 World Press Freedom Index. Russia is ranked 148 and the U.S. sits at 45. Finland is ranked fourth.
Facebook Twitter Google plus
1h ago
19:27
Putin running late
Putin already has the edge in pre-summit posturing by keeping Trump waiting. His plane to Helsinki is reported to be running late.
Norah O'Donnell🇺🇸
✔
@NorahODonnell
Looks like Putin will keep Trump waiting. He’s landing about 45 minutes late at 5:47 EST, just about the time he was supposed to be arriving at the Presidential Palace. #HelsinkiSummit
7:03 PM - Jul 16, 2018
1h ago
19:19
European Council president Donald Tusk has suggested that Trump is spreading fake news by telling CBS that the European Union is a foe of the US.
Donald Tusk
(@eucopresident)
America and the EU are best friends. Whoever says we are foes is spreading fake news.
July 15, 2018
1:26
Donald Trump calls the EU a foe during interview in Scotland - video
Facebook Twitter Google plus
1h ago
19:14
Trump is confident of getting on with Putin, he told Piers Morgan for ITV’s Good Morning Britain on board air force one.
Trump accepted that Putin “probably is” a ruthless person, but couldn’t tell yet.
Good Morning Britain quoted him saying: “I don’t know him… I met him a couple of times… I think we could probably get along very well”
Good Morning Britain
✔
@GMB
'I don’t know him… I met him a couple of times… I think we could probably get along very well'
President Trump confessed to @GMB he didn’t know Vladimir Putin well.
3:24 PM - Jul 16, 2018
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Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin summit: Everything you need to know - Daily Mail
Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin summit: Everything you need to know
Donald Trump will head to Helsinki, Finland for a summit with Vladimir Putin
Trump is expected to question Putin over the presidential election meddling
Syria's Bashar al-Assad and annexation of Crimea in Ukraine may be discussed
By MADHVI MAVADIYA
PUBLISHED: 05:17 AEST, 14 July 2018 | UPDATED: 05:17 AEST, 14 July 2018
After Donald Trump’s sojourn in Scotland, the US President is expected to head to Helsinki, Finland where he and Vladimir Putin will hold their first official summit since he was inaugurated in hopes to strike a ‘peace deal’.
Reports have revealed that Trump may question the Russian President about the 2016 presidential election meddling, as well as discuss conflicts in Syria and Ukraine and sanctions that have been imposed by both countries against each other.
At a joint press conference with Theresa May, Trump said that he had been ‘tougher on Russia than anybody. We have been extremely tough on Russia.’
President Donald Trump meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 Summit +2
President Donald Trump meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 Summit
He then went on to mention how 60 intelligence officers were expelled from the Russian embassy in Washington in response to the nerve agent attack on former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia Skripal.
Speaking to reporters at Chequers, Trump spoke about how Russia have denied any involvement in the attack and Putin is expected to do the same at the Helsinki summit when the 2016 election is discussed in relation to the country’s influence against Hillary Clinton.
‘I’m not going in with high expectations but we may come out with very surprising things,’ Trump said, and added that building a relationship with the Russian President was his priority, because it would be ‘good for Russia, good for everybody’.
‘That would be a tremendous achievement if we could do something on nuclear proliferation,’ he said. May highlighted that Trump would be entering a negotiation with the 29-strong NATO military alliance united behind him.
May said: ‘We agree that it is important to engage Russia from a position of strength and unity and that we should continue to deter and counter all efforts to undermine our democracies.’
Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump talk during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit +2
Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump talk during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit
Here’s everything you need to know about the summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.
When is the Trump Putin summit in Helsinki?
The Helsinki summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will be held in Finland’s capital on July 16, 2018, as has been announced by the White House and Kremlin.
What will be discussed during the Helsinki summit?
While the main topics of conversation will be foreign policy and Russian interference in 2016 as Vice President Mike Pence confirmed, other subjects such as Russia’s support of the regime of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and the 2014 annexation of Crimea region of Ukraine may also be discussed, as reported in Time.
Pence said: ‘There are a broad range of issues the President’s going to talk about that need to be addressed.’ He added that this would include the ‘economic relationship with the United States and Russia and countries of the world'.
When questioned whether or not this discussion of the relationship between countries would include election meddling, Pence said: ‘I think there will be a lot of stuff that comes up. He’s discussed that with President Putin before. I would anticipate that he will discuss that with him again.’
Unlike Trump, Putin does not need a big deal out of this meeting in order to feel as if the summit has been a success, as is explained in RFE/RL. Analysis in the Russian newspaper Vedomosti echoed these claims.
‘For Putin, everything that is not a clear failure will seem like a success, while for Trump everything that's not an obvious victory will be interpreted by his critics as a failure, so there will be no firm commitments.
‘Of course, we cannot expect breakthroughs like at the meeting of the heads of the U.S.A. and U.S.S.R. in Reykjavik in 1986 (and Putin and Trump are not Gorbachev and Reagan),’ the article read. Trump will need to identify whether or not Russia is misbehaving, while also thawing tensions.
With American relations with Russia being as strained since the Cold War, both Presidents will need to ensure that they are on the same page, especially when it comes to speaking about nuclear arsenals and arms control.
This will be the third face-to-face meeting between the world leaders but the first full summit. Trump and Putin first met at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany and the second was in Vietnam during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit.
By repeatedly denying that Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election was an attempt to delegitimize him, Trump has tried to thaw tensions between both countries on Twitter.
‘Russia continues to say they had nothing to do with Meddling in our Election! Where is the DNC Server, and why didn’t Shady James Comey and the now disgraced FBI agents take and closely examine it? Why isn’t Hillary/Russia being looked at? So many questions, so much corruption!,’ Trump tweeted.
Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
Russia continues to say they had nothing to do with Meddling in our Election! Where is the DNC Server, and why didn’t Shady James Comey and the now disgraced FBI agents take and closely examine it? Why isn’t Hillary/Russia being looked at? So many questions, so much corruption!
9:25 PM - Jun 28, 2018
Donald Trump will head to Helsinki, Finland for a summit with Vladimir Putin
Trump is expected to question Putin over the presidential election meddling
Syria's Bashar al-Assad and annexation of Crimea in Ukraine may be discussed
By MADHVI MAVADIYA
PUBLISHED: 05:17 AEST, 14 July 2018 | UPDATED: 05:17 AEST, 14 July 2018
After Donald Trump’s sojourn in Scotland, the US President is expected to head to Helsinki, Finland where he and Vladimir Putin will hold their first official summit since he was inaugurated in hopes to strike a ‘peace deal’.
Reports have revealed that Trump may question the Russian President about the 2016 presidential election meddling, as well as discuss conflicts in Syria and Ukraine and sanctions that have been imposed by both countries against each other.
At a joint press conference with Theresa May, Trump said that he had been ‘tougher on Russia than anybody. We have been extremely tough on Russia.’
President Donald Trump meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 Summit +2
President Donald Trump meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 Summit
He then went on to mention how 60 intelligence officers were expelled from the Russian embassy in Washington in response to the nerve agent attack on former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia Skripal.
Speaking to reporters at Chequers, Trump spoke about how Russia have denied any involvement in the attack and Putin is expected to do the same at the Helsinki summit when the 2016 election is discussed in relation to the country’s influence against Hillary Clinton.
‘I’m not going in with high expectations but we may come out with very surprising things,’ Trump said, and added that building a relationship with the Russian President was his priority, because it would be ‘good for Russia, good for everybody’.
‘That would be a tremendous achievement if we could do something on nuclear proliferation,’ he said. May highlighted that Trump would be entering a negotiation with the 29-strong NATO military alliance united behind him.
May said: ‘We agree that it is important to engage Russia from a position of strength and unity and that we should continue to deter and counter all efforts to undermine our democracies.’
Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump talk during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit +2
Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump talk during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit
Here’s everything you need to know about the summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.
When is the Trump Putin summit in Helsinki?
The Helsinki summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will be held in Finland’s capital on July 16, 2018, as has been announced by the White House and Kremlin.
What will be discussed during the Helsinki summit?
While the main topics of conversation will be foreign policy and Russian interference in 2016 as Vice President Mike Pence confirmed, other subjects such as Russia’s support of the regime of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and the 2014 annexation of Crimea region of Ukraine may also be discussed, as reported in Time.
Pence said: ‘There are a broad range of issues the President’s going to talk about that need to be addressed.’ He added that this would include the ‘economic relationship with the United States and Russia and countries of the world'.
When questioned whether or not this discussion of the relationship between countries would include election meddling, Pence said: ‘I think there will be a lot of stuff that comes up. He’s discussed that with President Putin before. I would anticipate that he will discuss that with him again.’
Unlike Trump, Putin does not need a big deal out of this meeting in order to feel as if the summit has been a success, as is explained in RFE/RL. Analysis in the Russian newspaper Vedomosti echoed these claims.
‘For Putin, everything that is not a clear failure will seem like a success, while for Trump everything that's not an obvious victory will be interpreted by his critics as a failure, so there will be no firm commitments.
‘Of course, we cannot expect breakthroughs like at the meeting of the heads of the U.S.A. and U.S.S.R. in Reykjavik in 1986 (and Putin and Trump are not Gorbachev and Reagan),’ the article read. Trump will need to identify whether or not Russia is misbehaving, while also thawing tensions.
With American relations with Russia being as strained since the Cold War, both Presidents will need to ensure that they are on the same page, especially when it comes to speaking about nuclear arsenals and arms control.
This will be the third face-to-face meeting between the world leaders but the first full summit. Trump and Putin first met at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany and the second was in Vietnam during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit.
By repeatedly denying that Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election was an attempt to delegitimize him, Trump has tried to thaw tensions between both countries on Twitter.
‘Russia continues to say they had nothing to do with Meddling in our Election! Where is the DNC Server, and why didn’t Shady James Comey and the now disgraced FBI agents take and closely examine it? Why isn’t Hillary/Russia being looked at? So many questions, so much corruption!,’ Trump tweeted.
Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
Russia continues to say they had nothing to do with Meddling in our Election! Where is the DNC Server, and why didn’t Shady James Comey and the now disgraced FBI agents take and closely examine it? Why isn’t Hillary/Russia being looked at? So many questions, so much corruption!
9:25 PM - Jun 28, 2018
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