Jack Ma Embraces Blockchain for Ant But Warns of Bitcoin Bubble
By Lulu Yilun Chen
June 25, 2018, 6:19 PM GMT+10
The Alibaba chairman remains an advocate of blockchain tech
Ant Financial starts a blockchain-based remittance service
Billionaire Jack Ma has declared Bitcoin a potential bubble, reiterating his caution over the volatile crypto-currency as his Ant Financial on Monday launched blockchain-based money transfers between Hong Kong and the Philippines.
The founder and chairman of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. extolled the possibilities of the decentralized ledger on which Bitcoin is based but warned that the digital currency itself may be driven by torrid speculation. Ma made his comments after officially launching a blockchain-based remittance service with Standard Chartered Plc and GCash, Ant’s venture with the Philippines’ Globe Telecom Inc.
Bitcoin set a 2018 low on Sunday before bouncing back a tad, underscoring the volatility that stems from increased scrutiny by regulators even as global central bankers and business chiefs raise questions about its viability.
“Blockchain technology could change our world more than people imagine,” Ma told reporters in the former British colony, home to a large population of Filipino workers and domestic helpers who send money home regularly. “Bitcoin however could be a bubble.”
Read more: Ant Financial Raises $14 Billion as Funding Round Closes
Ant Financial, an affiliate of Alibaba’s backed by some of the biggest names in global finance and investment, has explored blockchain technology for years, including to clean up China’s murky charities. But the remittance service marks one of the first instances of the internet giant using the technology in mainstream finance.
On Monday, Ma also took potshots at the traditional banking industry, saying financial institutions were over-charging for overseas payments. Ant Financial, blocked from buying Moneygram International Inc., now wants to build something better and take blockchain-based remittances beyond just Hong Kong to the Philippines. He didn’t elaborate.
“Traditional financial institutions serve 20 percent of people and make 80 percent of profits. New financial institutions should service 80 percent of people, and make 20 percent of profit,” said Ma.
Sunday, July 1, 2018
Judicial adviser Leonard Leo on what Trump is looking for in a Supreme Court nominee - CBS News
June 28, 2018, 1:49 PM
Judicial adviser Leonard Leo on what Trump is looking for in a Supreme Court nominee
After Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement on Wednesday, President Trump said his replacement would come from a list of 25 possible nominees released by the White House last November. Leonard Leo, executive vice president of the Federalist Society, advises Mr. Trump on judicial nominations and spoke to the president following Kennedy's announcement. Leo, whose group consists of conservative lawyers who want judges to interpret the law as it was written, said Mr. Trump was looking for three things when he created the list:
"One, extraordinarily well qualified. Two, people who are, in his words, not weak. And thirdly, people who are going to interpret the Constitution the way the framers meant it to be, which is the way he put it, which I thought was an interesting way to do it," Leo said Thursday on "CBS This Morning."
Leo said Mr. Trump met with him and suggested the idea of the list.
"It was a novel idea. I told him that no one had ever done it before, but it was an interesting idea because it would tell people where the president stood on the issue of judicial selection. And so he went ahead and decided to do the list," Leo said.
Asked whether he had a leading contender from the list in mind, Leo repeatedly said no.
"The list is really good," Leo said, adding, "You can throw a dart at that list and in my view you would be fine."
A writer in the National Review once wrote, "No one has been more dedicated to the enterprise of building a Supreme Court that will overturn Roe v. Wade than the Federalist Society's Leonard Leo…" But Leo denied the description, saying "it's not about Roe v. Wade" for him.
What does Anthony Kennedy's retirement mean for Roe v. Wade?
"For constitutional conservatives, that's not what it's about. It's about interpreting the Constitution as it's written and basically interpreting the limits on government power because that's really the way to preserve human dignity in our country," Leo said.
He said Roe v. Wade has been used as a "scare tactic" that's gone decades back to the days of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor nomination.
"And nothing has happened to Roe in that period of time," Leo said.
He said people should not be worried about Roe v. Wade "or any other particular case."
Kennedy, a conservative justice, has sided with liberal members of the court from time to time. Leo said he was "personally disappointed" when Kennedy voted with liberals on abortion rights.
"But the fact of the matter is that Justice Kennedy has been a very important conservative member of the court on many very key issues. Obamacare, gun rights, Citizens United. And in many of those instances I think he understood that the Constitution needed to be interpreted as it's written," Leo said. "So he parted company with conservatives on a few key areas, but he understands the importance of the Constitution and the way it's written."
Kennedy will step down effective July 31.
Judicial adviser Leonard Leo on what Trump is looking for in a Supreme Court nominee
After Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement on Wednesday, President Trump said his replacement would come from a list of 25 possible nominees released by the White House last November. Leonard Leo, executive vice president of the Federalist Society, advises Mr. Trump on judicial nominations and spoke to the president following Kennedy's announcement. Leo, whose group consists of conservative lawyers who want judges to interpret the law as it was written, said Mr. Trump was looking for three things when he created the list:
"One, extraordinarily well qualified. Two, people who are, in his words, not weak. And thirdly, people who are going to interpret the Constitution the way the framers meant it to be, which is the way he put it, which I thought was an interesting way to do it," Leo said Thursday on "CBS This Morning."
Leo said Mr. Trump met with him and suggested the idea of the list.
"It was a novel idea. I told him that no one had ever done it before, but it was an interesting idea because it would tell people where the president stood on the issue of judicial selection. And so he went ahead and decided to do the list," Leo said.
Asked whether he had a leading contender from the list in mind, Leo repeatedly said no.
"The list is really good," Leo said, adding, "You can throw a dart at that list and in my view you would be fine."
A writer in the National Review once wrote, "No one has been more dedicated to the enterprise of building a Supreme Court that will overturn Roe v. Wade than the Federalist Society's Leonard Leo…" But Leo denied the description, saying "it's not about Roe v. Wade" for him.
What does Anthony Kennedy's retirement mean for Roe v. Wade?
"For constitutional conservatives, that's not what it's about. It's about interpreting the Constitution as it's written and basically interpreting the limits on government power because that's really the way to preserve human dignity in our country," Leo said.
He said Roe v. Wade has been used as a "scare tactic" that's gone decades back to the days of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor nomination.
"And nothing has happened to Roe in that period of time," Leo said.
He said people should not be worried about Roe v. Wade "or any other particular case."
Kennedy, a conservative justice, has sided with liberal members of the court from time to time. Leo said he was "personally disappointed" when Kennedy voted with liberals on abortion rights.
"But the fact of the matter is that Justice Kennedy has been a very important conservative member of the court on many very key issues. Obamacare, gun rights, Citizens United. And in many of those instances I think he understood that the Constitution needed to be interpreted as it's written," Leo said. "So he parted company with conservatives on a few key areas, but he understands the importance of the Constitution and the way it's written."
Kennedy will step down effective July 31.
Report: Merkel secures deal with 14 EU nations on migrants - ABC News
Report: Merkel secures deal with 14 EU nations on migrants
By DAVID RISING, ASSOCIATED PRESS BERLIN — Jun 30, 2018, 12:56 PM ET
German Chancellor Angela Merkel speaks during a media conference at an EU summit in Brussels, Friday, June 29, 2018. European Union leaders cried victory Friday, claiming to have set aside major differences over how best to handle migrant arrivals. (The Associated Press
German Chancellor Angela Merkel speaks during a media conference at an EU summit in Brussels, Friday, June 29, 2018. European Union leaders cried victory Friday, claiming to have set aside major differences over how best to handle migrant arrivals. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)more +
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German Chancellor Angela Merkel has reportedly secured agreements with 14 European Union countries to rapidly return some asylum seekers as she seeks to end a schism in her government over migration policy.
Merkel also says she also wants to establish "anchor centers" to process migrants at Germany's borders, the dpa news agency reported Saturday.
The announcements came in a letter Merkel wrote to leaders of her Christian Democratic Union's Bavaria-only sister party, the Christian Social Union, as well as to her junior coalition government partner, the Social Democrats, after she attended a two-day EU summit in Brussels.
Merkel is seeking to end a three-week standoff with her hard-line Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, who heads the CSU.
Seehofer, whose party faces a state election in the fall, has been threatening to turn away migrants at Germany's border who have already been rejected by the country or who have registered for asylum elsewhere in the EU.
Merkel has rejected that approach, instead insisting on a European-wide solution to migration issues to preserve EU unity. The dispute has raised the possibility of an end to Germany's decades-old conservative alliance between the CSU and Merkel's CDU if Seehofer goes ahead with the unilateral move, which could bring down her government.
Both the CDU and the CSU are holding separate meetings Sunday to discuss Merkel's latest efforts on migration and plot their next steps.
Merkel on Friday came away from an EU summit with agreements from Greece and Spain to take back migrants previously registered in those countries, and an overall agreement by the 28-nation bloc to ease the pressures of migration into Europe.
In the eight-page letter obtained Saturday by dpa, the chancellor said that she had also secured agreement with half of the EU nations to return migrants to them if they'd first registered in those countries.
The countries included Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic, which have all been harsh critics of Merkel's welcoming stance to migrants, as well as Belgium, France, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Lithuania, Latvia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal and Sweden.
Officials in Hungary and the Czech Republic, however, both said later Saturday that they had not signed any deal on migrants.
Asked about the Czech comment, Merkel's spokesman told dpa that the country "had expressed a willingness to negotiate an administrative agreement on improved cooperation on repatriation."
In the letter, the chancellor threw her support behind establishing large collection centers in Germany for migrants as their cases are processed. Dpa reported the centers would be used for migrants who attempt to bypass border controls and for those whose cases don't fall under bilateral return agreements.
Whether the combination of the bilateral measures and EU agreement is enough to placate the CSU is not yet clear.
Top CSU lawmaker Markus Soeder, Bavaria's governor, on Saturday praised the EU agreement as more than his party had expected, but at the same time suggested that it left open the possibility of unilateral national measures as well.
Merkel's office told dpa, however, that interpretation was wrong, saying "unilateral measures at the expense of other countries are not what is meant."
In neighboring Austria, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz again urged a European solution to migration, warning in the Bild newspaper that if the southern German region of Bavaria undertook unilateral measures it would create a "domino effect" as Austria and other EU nations then closed their borders one-by-one.
"Our goal remains a joint European solution with orderly protection of the exterior borders, and centers in third countries,' said Kurz, whose nation took over the rotating EU presidency on Saturday. "That way we can also preserve a Europe without internal borders."
By DAVID RISING, ASSOCIATED PRESS BERLIN — Jun 30, 2018, 12:56 PM ET
German Chancellor Angela Merkel speaks during a media conference at an EU summit in Brussels, Friday, June 29, 2018. European Union leaders cried victory Friday, claiming to have set aside major differences over how best to handle migrant arrivals. (The Associated Press
German Chancellor Angela Merkel speaks during a media conference at an EU summit in Brussels, Friday, June 29, 2018. European Union leaders cried victory Friday, claiming to have set aside major differences over how best to handle migrant arrivals. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)more +
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has reportedly secured agreements with 14 European Union countries to rapidly return some asylum seekers as she seeks to end a schism in her government over migration policy.
Merkel also says she also wants to establish "anchor centers" to process migrants at Germany's borders, the dpa news agency reported Saturday.
The announcements came in a letter Merkel wrote to leaders of her Christian Democratic Union's Bavaria-only sister party, the Christian Social Union, as well as to her junior coalition government partner, the Social Democrats, after she attended a two-day EU summit in Brussels.
Merkel is seeking to end a three-week standoff with her hard-line Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, who heads the CSU.
Seehofer, whose party faces a state election in the fall, has been threatening to turn away migrants at Germany's border who have already been rejected by the country or who have registered for asylum elsewhere in the EU.
Merkel has rejected that approach, instead insisting on a European-wide solution to migration issues to preserve EU unity. The dispute has raised the possibility of an end to Germany's decades-old conservative alliance between the CSU and Merkel's CDU if Seehofer goes ahead with the unilateral move, which could bring down her government.
Both the CDU and the CSU are holding separate meetings Sunday to discuss Merkel's latest efforts on migration and plot their next steps.
Merkel on Friday came away from an EU summit with agreements from Greece and Spain to take back migrants previously registered in those countries, and an overall agreement by the 28-nation bloc to ease the pressures of migration into Europe.
In the eight-page letter obtained Saturday by dpa, the chancellor said that she had also secured agreement with half of the EU nations to return migrants to them if they'd first registered in those countries.
The countries included Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic, which have all been harsh critics of Merkel's welcoming stance to migrants, as well as Belgium, France, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Lithuania, Latvia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal and Sweden.
Officials in Hungary and the Czech Republic, however, both said later Saturday that they had not signed any deal on migrants.
Asked about the Czech comment, Merkel's spokesman told dpa that the country "had expressed a willingness to negotiate an administrative agreement on improved cooperation on repatriation."
In the letter, the chancellor threw her support behind establishing large collection centers in Germany for migrants as their cases are processed. Dpa reported the centers would be used for migrants who attempt to bypass border controls and for those whose cases don't fall under bilateral return agreements.
Whether the combination of the bilateral measures and EU agreement is enough to placate the CSU is not yet clear.
Top CSU lawmaker Markus Soeder, Bavaria's governor, on Saturday praised the EU agreement as more than his party had expected, but at the same time suggested that it left open the possibility of unilateral national measures as well.
Merkel's office told dpa, however, that interpretation was wrong, saying "unilateral measures at the expense of other countries are not what is meant."
In neighboring Austria, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz again urged a European solution to migration, warning in the Bild newspaper that if the southern German region of Bavaria undertook unilateral measures it would create a "domino effect" as Austria and other EU nations then closed their borders one-by-one.
"Our goal remains a joint European solution with orderly protection of the exterior borders, and centers in third countries,' said Kurz, whose nation took over the rotating EU presidency on Saturday. "That way we can also preserve a Europe without internal borders."
Migrant crisis: Italy minister Salvini closes ports to NGO boats - BBC News
Migrant crisis: Italy minister Salvini closes ports to NGO boats
30 June 2018
Why is the Aquarius migrant rescue ship empty?
Migrants saved by boats run by non-governmental organisations will not be allowed into Italy, rightwing Interior Minister Matteo Salvini says.
Mr Salvini has often accused the NGOs of encouraging the trafficking of migrants. He told Corriere della Sera these NGOs were no longer "legitimate".
He also hailed the agreement reached by European Union leaders in Brussels that Italy hopes will lessen its burden.
Thousands of migrants, mainly from African countries, have reached Italy.
Gruelling migration talks end in draw
Reality Check: Is Italy taking in thousands of migrants?
The number is 95% lower than at the peak of the crisis in 2015, the EU says, but started to rise again recently.
What did leaders agree on Thursday?
Several Central European states have so far rejected an EU scheme to relocate 160,000 refugees from overcrowded camps in Greece and Italy.
Mr Salvini posted an image on his Facebook, showing one of the rescue boats, with the hashtag #closetheports.
His message read: "Halt the mafia of human trafficking: the fewer that depart, the fewer will perish."
Italy has complained about the lack of solidarity and its new government sparked a crisis earlier this month when it did not allow a boat full of migrants, the Aquarius, to disembark. Spain agreed to take them after days at sea.
The Brussels summit agreement foresees the creation of secure centres to receive migrants in EU countries on a voluntary basis - but it does not specify where.
President Emmanuel Macron of France, for instance, said hours after the deal that they would be in countries where migrants arrived first - such as Italy and Greece, but not France.
Italy insists these may be set up anywhere in the EU.
What did Merkel negotiate?
The migration procedure, known as the Dublin Regulation, means migrants should register in the first EU country they arrive. Front-line countries want this changed.
The deal will likely help to stabilise Angela Merkel's rocky coalition
The issue has destabilised the governing coalition led by German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Mrs Merkel's key ally, Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, has threatened to start turning away migrants who have already registered elsewhere.
So the German chancellor says she has struck bilateral agreements with 14 countries to return migrants registered there if their claims to asylum in Germany have been rejected.
Spain and Greece have also agreed to take back migrants, but not Italy or Austria - both run by populist governments.
And Hungary, one of the countries listed by the German media, said no such agreement had been reached, either.
European press says migrant deal 'fragile'
Merkel's Bavarian ally threatens migrant mutiny
Trapped in a country everyone wants to leave
Migrant crisis: EU border force Frontex explained
What do aid agencies say?
NGOs have fiercely condemned the Brussels deal, saying it betrays vulnerable people and those trying to stop them dying in the Mediterranean.
The deal also aimed to "demonise non-governmental search and rescue operations", MSF's emergencies chief Karline Kleijer said.
On Friday, around 100 people were said to have drowned off the Libyan coast, with 16 rescued.
30 June 2018
Why is the Aquarius migrant rescue ship empty?
Migrants saved by boats run by non-governmental organisations will not be allowed into Italy, rightwing Interior Minister Matteo Salvini says.
Mr Salvini has often accused the NGOs of encouraging the trafficking of migrants. He told Corriere della Sera these NGOs were no longer "legitimate".
He also hailed the agreement reached by European Union leaders in Brussels that Italy hopes will lessen its burden.
Thousands of migrants, mainly from African countries, have reached Italy.
Gruelling migration talks end in draw
Reality Check: Is Italy taking in thousands of migrants?
The number is 95% lower than at the peak of the crisis in 2015, the EU says, but started to rise again recently.
What did leaders agree on Thursday?
Several Central European states have so far rejected an EU scheme to relocate 160,000 refugees from overcrowded camps in Greece and Italy.
Mr Salvini posted an image on his Facebook, showing one of the rescue boats, with the hashtag #closetheports.
His message read: "Halt the mafia of human trafficking: the fewer that depart, the fewer will perish."
Italy has complained about the lack of solidarity and its new government sparked a crisis earlier this month when it did not allow a boat full of migrants, the Aquarius, to disembark. Spain agreed to take them after days at sea.
The Brussels summit agreement foresees the creation of secure centres to receive migrants in EU countries on a voluntary basis - but it does not specify where.
President Emmanuel Macron of France, for instance, said hours after the deal that they would be in countries where migrants arrived first - such as Italy and Greece, but not France.
Italy insists these may be set up anywhere in the EU.
What did Merkel negotiate?
The migration procedure, known as the Dublin Regulation, means migrants should register in the first EU country they arrive. Front-line countries want this changed.
The deal will likely help to stabilise Angela Merkel's rocky coalition
The issue has destabilised the governing coalition led by German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Mrs Merkel's key ally, Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, has threatened to start turning away migrants who have already registered elsewhere.
So the German chancellor says she has struck bilateral agreements with 14 countries to return migrants registered there if their claims to asylum in Germany have been rejected.
Spain and Greece have also agreed to take back migrants, but not Italy or Austria - both run by populist governments.
And Hungary, one of the countries listed by the German media, said no such agreement had been reached, either.
European press says migrant deal 'fragile'
Merkel's Bavarian ally threatens migrant mutiny
Trapped in a country everyone wants to leave
Migrant crisis: EU border force Frontex explained
What do aid agencies say?
NGOs have fiercely condemned the Brussels deal, saying it betrays vulnerable people and those trying to stop them dying in the Mediterranean.
The deal also aimed to "demonise non-governmental search and rescue operations", MSF's emergencies chief Karline Kleijer said.
On Friday, around 100 people were said to have drowned off the Libyan coast, with 16 rescued.
Trump urges Saudis to raise oil output 'by two million barrels' - BBC News
Trump urges Saudis to raise oil output 'by two million barrels'
30 June 2018
President Trump and King Salman of Saudi Arabia discussed oil production by phone
US President Donald Trump has urged Saudi Arabia to sharply increase its oil production to combat the rising cost of fuel.
Mr Trump tweeted that he had asked Saudi ruler King Salman to raise oil output by up to two million barrels a day.
"Prices to [sic] high! He has agreed!" the president added.
Mr Trump said the move was needed due to "turmoil and dysfunction in Iran and Venezuela".
Oil prices rose last week, partly due to US plans to reimpose sanctions on Iran, a major oil producer.
The Opec oil producers' group agreed to increase output, as did Russia, but this failed to reassure markets.
US tells allies to halt Iran oil imports
The impact of Iran sanctions - in charts
Oil hits $75 as Iran sanction fears mount
The Saudi Press Agency confirmed that President Trump and King Salman had spoken by phone, giving few details. It said they had discussed the need to "preserve the stability of the oil market".
The statement did not confirm that Saudi Arabia had agreed to the two million barrels a day figure.
Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
Just spoke to King Salman of Saudi Arabia and explained to him that, because of the turmoil & disfunction in Iran and Venezuela, I am asking that Saudi Arabia increase oil production, maybe up to 2,000,000 barrels, to make up the difference...Prices to high! He has agreed!
9:37 PM - Jun 30, 2018
Saudi Arabia is the world's biggest exporter of oil and produced about 10 million barrels a day in May. It is reported to have between 1.5 million and two million barrels a day of spare capacity - but experts told The Wall Street Journal it might not be keen to meet the president's request.
"Saudi Arabia does not really like going beyond 11 million barrels a day and has no intention of expanding its current production capacity. It is expensive," a Saudi official told the paper.
Mr Trump has repeatedly criticised Opec even though US ally Saudi Arabia is a core member.
On 20 April he tweeted that oil prices were "artificially very high", saying this was "no good" and "will not be accepted!"
Skip Twitter post 2 by @realDonaldTrump
Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
Looks like OPEC is at it again. With record amounts of Oil all over the place, including the fully loaded ships at sea, Oil prices are artificially Very High! No good and will not be accepted!
Trump targets Opec over high oil prices
Iran, another Opec member, has accused Mr Trump of trying to politicise the group and has blamed Riyadh for doing his bidding.
On Saturday, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the US was trying to drive a wedge between Iranians and their government using "economic pressure".
"Six US presidents before him tried this and had to give up," Mr Khamenei cautioned on his website.
The value of Iran's currency, the rial, has tumbled since Washington backed out of the Iran nuclear deal in May.
Earlier this week, thousands of traders at Tehran's Grand Bazaar marched in protest against rising prices and the plummeting value of the rial. It was the biggest protest the city has seen since 2012.
30 June 2018
President Trump and King Salman of Saudi Arabia discussed oil production by phone
US President Donald Trump has urged Saudi Arabia to sharply increase its oil production to combat the rising cost of fuel.
Mr Trump tweeted that he had asked Saudi ruler King Salman to raise oil output by up to two million barrels a day.
"Prices to [sic] high! He has agreed!" the president added.
Mr Trump said the move was needed due to "turmoil and dysfunction in Iran and Venezuela".
Oil prices rose last week, partly due to US plans to reimpose sanctions on Iran, a major oil producer.
The Opec oil producers' group agreed to increase output, as did Russia, but this failed to reassure markets.
US tells allies to halt Iran oil imports
The impact of Iran sanctions - in charts
Oil hits $75 as Iran sanction fears mount
The Saudi Press Agency confirmed that President Trump and King Salman had spoken by phone, giving few details. It said they had discussed the need to "preserve the stability of the oil market".
The statement did not confirm that Saudi Arabia had agreed to the two million barrels a day figure.
Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
Just spoke to King Salman of Saudi Arabia and explained to him that, because of the turmoil & disfunction in Iran and Venezuela, I am asking that Saudi Arabia increase oil production, maybe up to 2,000,000 barrels, to make up the difference...Prices to high! He has agreed!
9:37 PM - Jun 30, 2018
Saudi Arabia is the world's biggest exporter of oil and produced about 10 million barrels a day in May. It is reported to have between 1.5 million and two million barrels a day of spare capacity - but experts told The Wall Street Journal it might not be keen to meet the president's request.
"Saudi Arabia does not really like going beyond 11 million barrels a day and has no intention of expanding its current production capacity. It is expensive," a Saudi official told the paper.
Mr Trump has repeatedly criticised Opec even though US ally Saudi Arabia is a core member.
On 20 April he tweeted that oil prices were "artificially very high", saying this was "no good" and "will not be accepted!"
Skip Twitter post 2 by @realDonaldTrump
Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
Looks like OPEC is at it again. With record amounts of Oil all over the place, including the fully loaded ships at sea, Oil prices are artificially Very High! No good and will not be accepted!
Trump targets Opec over high oil prices
Iran, another Opec member, has accused Mr Trump of trying to politicise the group and has blamed Riyadh for doing his bidding.
On Saturday, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the US was trying to drive a wedge between Iranians and their government using "economic pressure".
"Six US presidents before him tried this and had to give up," Mr Khamenei cautioned on his website.
The value of Iran's currency, the rial, has tumbled since Washington backed out of the Iran nuclear deal in May.
Earlier this week, thousands of traders at Tehran's Grand Bazaar marched in protest against rising prices and the plummeting value of the rial. It was the biggest protest the city has seen since 2012.
Saturday, June 30, 2018
A Korean janitor who found seven gold bars worth $325,000 in the trash could be allowed to keep them - CNBC News
A Korean janitor who found seven gold bars worth $325,000 in the trash could be allowed to keep them
The unidentified male cleaner found the thrown away gold bars at Incheon International Airport on Thursday, according to local media reports.
The owner of the bullion is a Korean man, according to Yonhap News Agency, and two other men ditched the bars out of fear of being searched at customs.
Ryan Browne | @Ryan_Browne_
Published 6:39 AM ET Thu, 3 May 2018 Updated 10:46 PM ET Thu, 3 May 2018
CNBC.com
Gold bars on display in Tokyo on September 27, 2010.
Yoshikazu Tsuno | AFP | Getty Images
Gold bars on display in Tokyo on September 27, 2010.
A janitor in South Korea who discovered seven gold bars in a garbage bin could keep them if no-one else claims ownership.
The unidentified male cleaner found the discarded gold bars, that each weighed 1 kilogram and were wrapped in newspaper, at Seoul's Incheon International Airport on Thursday, according to local media reports. Altogether, the bars are worth 350 million won ($325,000).
The owner of the bullion is a Korean man, according to Seoul-based Yonhap News Agency, and two other men ditched the bars at the request of the owner out of fear of being searched at customs.
According to Yonhap, police said that the men were traveling from Hong Kong to Japan, and went through South Korea in the belief that it would be easier to bypass customs searches.
Whether the owner makes a claim for the discarded gold or not, the janitor will still be able to keep 5 to 20 percent of its market price, amounting to between 17.5 million won ($16,250) and 70 million won ($65,000), in accordance with South Korean law, The Korea Times reported. But he could also lose it all if the items are found to be tainted or linked to criminal activity.
Correction: This report has been updated to reflect a proper conversion of 350 million won into U.S. dollars.
The unidentified male cleaner found the thrown away gold bars at Incheon International Airport on Thursday, according to local media reports.
The owner of the bullion is a Korean man, according to Yonhap News Agency, and two other men ditched the bars out of fear of being searched at customs.
Ryan Browne | @Ryan_Browne_
Published 6:39 AM ET Thu, 3 May 2018 Updated 10:46 PM ET Thu, 3 May 2018
CNBC.com
Gold bars on display in Tokyo on September 27, 2010.
Yoshikazu Tsuno | AFP | Getty Images
Gold bars on display in Tokyo on September 27, 2010.
A janitor in South Korea who discovered seven gold bars in a garbage bin could keep them if no-one else claims ownership.
The unidentified male cleaner found the discarded gold bars, that each weighed 1 kilogram and were wrapped in newspaper, at Seoul's Incheon International Airport on Thursday, according to local media reports. Altogether, the bars are worth 350 million won ($325,000).
The owner of the bullion is a Korean man, according to Seoul-based Yonhap News Agency, and two other men ditched the bars at the request of the owner out of fear of being searched at customs.
According to Yonhap, police said that the men were traveling from Hong Kong to Japan, and went through South Korea in the belief that it would be easier to bypass customs searches.
Whether the owner makes a claim for the discarded gold or not, the janitor will still be able to keep 5 to 20 percent of its market price, amounting to between 17.5 million won ($16,250) and 70 million won ($65,000), in accordance with South Korean law, The Korea Times reported. But he could also lose it all if the items are found to be tainted or linked to criminal activity.
Correction: This report has been updated to reflect a proper conversion of 350 million won into U.S. dollars.
Canada 'will not back down' over US metals tariffs - BBC News
Canada 'will not back down' over US metals tariffs
29 June 2018
Canada will "not back down" in the face of new US tariffs on steel and aluminium, according to the country's foreign minister.
Chrystia Freeland spoke as officials unveiled a C$2bn (US$1.5bn; £1.15bn) package to support the country's steel and aluminium industries.
Retaliatory tariffs on C$16.6bn worth of US products are due to come into effect on 1 July.
Ms Freeland said US tariffs left Canada "no choice" but to respond.
Canada's tariffs target US steel and aluminium products.
It also includes items such as yoghurt, ketchup and orange juice, which are made in key political battlegrounds such as Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Florida.
Where does Trump's 'America First' leave Canada?
G7 summit: Trump's Trudeau jibes bring Canadians and Americans together
The list of products is intended to match "dollar for dollar" the US tariffs, which came into effect on 1 June, Ms Freeland said.
"Our approach is we will not escalate but equally we will not back down," she said.
'Too much at stake'
The US and Canada are among each other's top trade partners, exchanging nearly US$700bn in goods and services last year.
But trade relations between the two countries have grown tense, amid disputes over issues such as lumber, dairy and wine.
Dairy wars: Why is Trump threatening Canada over milk?
The two countries, with Mexico, are also locked in negotiations over the North American Free Trade Agreement.
In May, when the US said it would not extend exemptions from the tariffs to Canada and Mexico, it said those talks were moving too slowly.
Ms Freeland said the discussions continue and will heat up again after the Mexican election on Sunday. She said she is confident that "common sense" will prevail.
"There's too much at stake," she said.
'A good first step'
The US is the top foreign market for Canada's steel and aluminium, while Canada is the destination for more than half of US steel exports.
In Canada, the steel and aluminium industries employ more than 33,500 people, according to the government.
About 6,000 jobs in Canada are at risk due to the US tariffs, the CD Howe Institute has estimated.
President Donald Trump has complained about Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Twitter
Ken Neumann, director in Canada for the United Steelworkers union, said the aid package, which includes loan assistance, should help companies, but the support for workers is more "modest".
The package "a good first step that will need to be expanded if the trade dispute continues beyond the short-term", he said.
The US is also exposed to thousands of potential job losses, as higher costs for steel and aluminium hurt US firms and trigger retaliation from Canada and elsewhere.
In addition to Canada, the European Union and Mexico are among those that have announced tariffs on US goods in response.
US tariffs: Allies retaliate with levies on jam, lamps and sleeping bags
Who is losing out from Trump's tariffs?
The Trump administration has said the tariffs are necessary to protect the steel and aluminium industries, arguing that their success is vital to America's national security.
Several countries, including Canada, are challenging that rationale with complaints against the US to the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
29 June 2018
Canada will "not back down" in the face of new US tariffs on steel and aluminium, according to the country's foreign minister.
Chrystia Freeland spoke as officials unveiled a C$2bn (US$1.5bn; £1.15bn) package to support the country's steel and aluminium industries.
Retaliatory tariffs on C$16.6bn worth of US products are due to come into effect on 1 July.
Ms Freeland said US tariffs left Canada "no choice" but to respond.
Canada's tariffs target US steel and aluminium products.
It also includes items such as yoghurt, ketchup and orange juice, which are made in key political battlegrounds such as Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Florida.
Where does Trump's 'America First' leave Canada?
G7 summit: Trump's Trudeau jibes bring Canadians and Americans together
The list of products is intended to match "dollar for dollar" the US tariffs, which came into effect on 1 June, Ms Freeland said.
"Our approach is we will not escalate but equally we will not back down," she said.
'Too much at stake'
The US and Canada are among each other's top trade partners, exchanging nearly US$700bn in goods and services last year.
But trade relations between the two countries have grown tense, amid disputes over issues such as lumber, dairy and wine.
Dairy wars: Why is Trump threatening Canada over milk?
The two countries, with Mexico, are also locked in negotiations over the North American Free Trade Agreement.
In May, when the US said it would not extend exemptions from the tariffs to Canada and Mexico, it said those talks were moving too slowly.
Ms Freeland said the discussions continue and will heat up again after the Mexican election on Sunday. She said she is confident that "common sense" will prevail.
"There's too much at stake," she said.
'A good first step'
The US is the top foreign market for Canada's steel and aluminium, while Canada is the destination for more than half of US steel exports.
In Canada, the steel and aluminium industries employ more than 33,500 people, according to the government.
About 6,000 jobs in Canada are at risk due to the US tariffs, the CD Howe Institute has estimated.
President Donald Trump has complained about Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Twitter
Ken Neumann, director in Canada for the United Steelworkers union, said the aid package, which includes loan assistance, should help companies, but the support for workers is more "modest".
The package "a good first step that will need to be expanded if the trade dispute continues beyond the short-term", he said.
The US is also exposed to thousands of potential job losses, as higher costs for steel and aluminium hurt US firms and trigger retaliation from Canada and elsewhere.
In addition to Canada, the European Union and Mexico are among those that have announced tariffs on US goods in response.
US tariffs: Allies retaliate with levies on jam, lamps and sleeping bags
Who is losing out from Trump's tariffs?
The Trump administration has said the tariffs are necessary to protect the steel and aluminium industries, arguing that their success is vital to America's national security.
Several countries, including Canada, are challenging that rationale with complaints against the US to the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
Donald Trump gets prank call on Air Force One - BBC News
June 30, 2018
Donald Trump gets prank call on Air Force One
President Trump spoke to a prank comedian while on board Air Force One
US President Donald Trump was fooled by a comedian into taking a prank call while on board Air Force One.
Comedian John Melendez posed as Senator Bob Menendez. He says he spoke to the president's son-in-law Jared Kushner and received a call back from Mr Trump.
Mr Melendez said he claimed to be Senator Menendez and a fake assistant.
"Sometimes the [President's] channels are open too widely and mistakes like this happen," a White House official told CNN.
Senator Menendez is a Democratic senator from New Jersey and a long-time campaigner for immigration reform.
The US government has come under fire in recent weeks over its policy of separating migrant children from their parents at the border with Mexico.
Mr Melendez, who goes by the stage name Stuttering John, recorded his conversations with the US president and uploaded on his podcast.
On the recording, the voice that is purportedly Mr Trump congratulates Mr Menendez for his 2017 acquittal in a bribery case.
He was accused of accepting gifts from a Florida eye doctor in exchange for political influence.
The two voices on Mr Melendez's podcast recording also talked about the Supreme Court vacancy following Anthony Kennedy's decision to step down next month.
The voice said to be Mr Trump says he will nominate a new judge to the Supreme Court in "10 to 14 days".
Trump narrows down Supreme Court candidates
Why is the US Supreme Court so important?
When the White House made inquiries with Mr Menendez's office about the conversation Mr Trump thought he had with him on Thursday, the senator's staff were befuddled, US media report.
The prank caller said that his plan could have easily gone wrong.
"All they had to ask me is what party affiliation is Senator Menendez, or what state is he a senator of, and I would not have known. But they didn't ask me any of this," Mr Melendez told CNN.
Donald Trump gets prank call on Air Force One
President Trump spoke to a prank comedian while on board Air Force One
US President Donald Trump was fooled by a comedian into taking a prank call while on board Air Force One.
Comedian John Melendez posed as Senator Bob Menendez. He says he spoke to the president's son-in-law Jared Kushner and received a call back from Mr Trump.
Mr Melendez said he claimed to be Senator Menendez and a fake assistant.
"Sometimes the [President's] channels are open too widely and mistakes like this happen," a White House official told CNN.
Senator Menendez is a Democratic senator from New Jersey and a long-time campaigner for immigration reform.
The US government has come under fire in recent weeks over its policy of separating migrant children from their parents at the border with Mexico.
Mr Melendez, who goes by the stage name Stuttering John, recorded his conversations with the US president and uploaded on his podcast.
On the recording, the voice that is purportedly Mr Trump congratulates Mr Menendez for his 2017 acquittal in a bribery case.
He was accused of accepting gifts from a Florida eye doctor in exchange for political influence.
The two voices on Mr Melendez's podcast recording also talked about the Supreme Court vacancy following Anthony Kennedy's decision to step down next month.
The voice said to be Mr Trump says he will nominate a new judge to the Supreme Court in "10 to 14 days".
Trump narrows down Supreme Court candidates
Why is the US Supreme Court so important?
When the White House made inquiries with Mr Menendez's office about the conversation Mr Trump thought he had with him on Thursday, the senator's staff were befuddled, US media report.
The prank caller said that his plan could have easily gone wrong.
"All they had to ask me is what party affiliation is Senator Menendez, or what state is he a senator of, and I would not have known. But they didn't ask me any of this," Mr Melendez told CNN.
US ambassador to Estonia resigns 'over Trump comments' - BBC News
June 30, 2018
US ambassador to Estonia resigns 'over Trump comments'
James D Melville is a career diplomat who has held senior posts in several European countries
The US ambassador to Estonia is resigning, reportedly in frustration at remarks made by President Donald Trump about America's European allies.
James D Melville revealed in a Facebook post that Mr Trump's comments had brought forward his decision to retire, Foreign Policy magazine reported.
The US president has imposed trade tariffs on some EU industries and strongly criticised Nato allies.
Other US diplomats have also left their posts early in recent months.
In January, US ambassador to Panama John Feeley resigned saying he was no longer able to serve under President Trump.
A month earlier, Elizabeth Shackelford resigned from her post in Nairobi where she worked for the US mission to Somalia.
In her letter of resignation to then Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, she said she was quitting because the US had abandoned human rights as a priority, Foreign Policy reported.
US tariffs a dangerous game, says EU
Trump lashes out at key US allies
In the private Facebook post seen by Foreign Policy, Mr Melville reportedly told friends: "For the president to say the EU was 'set up to take advantage of the United States, to attack our piggy bank', or that 'Nato is as bad as Nafta [the North American Free Trade Agreement]' is not only factually wrong, but proves to me that it's time to go."
Mr Melville is a career diplomat and took up his position as ambassador in Estonia in 2015 after being nominated by then President Barack Obama.
He had previously held senior diplomatic posts in several European countries and speaks Russian, German and French, according to his biography on the US State Department website.
A State Department spokesperson confirmed Mr Melville's departure on Friday, saying: "Earlier today, the United States' Ambassador to Estonia, Jim Melville, announced his intent to retire from the Foreign Service effective July 29 after 33 years of public service."
President Trump reiterated his criticism of fellow Nato members on Friday while on a flight from Washington to his private golf club in New Jersey.
He told reporters on board Air Force One that countries including Germany, Spain and France had to increase their financial contributions to the bloc.
"It's not fair what they've done to the United States," he said. "The United States is paying much more disproportionately to anyone else."
His remarks come less than two weeks before a Nato summit in Brussels.
US ambassador to Estonia resigns 'over Trump comments'
James D Melville is a career diplomat who has held senior posts in several European countries
The US ambassador to Estonia is resigning, reportedly in frustration at remarks made by President Donald Trump about America's European allies.
James D Melville revealed in a Facebook post that Mr Trump's comments had brought forward his decision to retire, Foreign Policy magazine reported.
The US president has imposed trade tariffs on some EU industries and strongly criticised Nato allies.
Other US diplomats have also left their posts early in recent months.
In January, US ambassador to Panama John Feeley resigned saying he was no longer able to serve under President Trump.
A month earlier, Elizabeth Shackelford resigned from her post in Nairobi where she worked for the US mission to Somalia.
In her letter of resignation to then Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, she said she was quitting because the US had abandoned human rights as a priority, Foreign Policy reported.
US tariffs a dangerous game, says EU
Trump lashes out at key US allies
In the private Facebook post seen by Foreign Policy, Mr Melville reportedly told friends: "For the president to say the EU was 'set up to take advantage of the United States, to attack our piggy bank', or that 'Nato is as bad as Nafta [the North American Free Trade Agreement]' is not only factually wrong, but proves to me that it's time to go."
Mr Melville is a career diplomat and took up his position as ambassador in Estonia in 2015 after being nominated by then President Barack Obama.
He had previously held senior diplomatic posts in several European countries and speaks Russian, German and French, according to his biography on the US State Department website.
A State Department spokesperson confirmed Mr Melville's departure on Friday, saying: "Earlier today, the United States' Ambassador to Estonia, Jim Melville, announced his intent to retire from the Foreign Service effective July 29 after 33 years of public service."
President Trump reiterated his criticism of fellow Nato members on Friday while on a flight from Washington to his private golf club in New Jersey.
He told reporters on board Air Force One that countries including Germany, Spain and France had to increase their financial contributions to the bloc.
"It's not fair what they've done to the United States," he said. "The United States is paying much more disproportionately to anyone else."
His remarks come less than two weeks before a Nato summit in Brussels.
Political War Over Replacing Kennedy on Supreme Court Is Underway - New York Times
Political War Over Replacing Kennedy on Supreme Court Is Underway
The Supreme Court building in Washington. A battle for the future of the court is underway after Justice Anthony M. Kennedy’s announcement on Wednesday that he will retire.CreditErin Schaff for The New York Times
By Michael D. Shear and Thomas Kaplan
June 28, 2018
WASHINGTON — A political war over replacing Justice Anthony M. Kennedy roared to life on Thursday in Washington, the start of an election-season clash over a Supreme Court retirement that will reshape the country’s judicial future.
Hours after Justice Kennedy’s announcement on Wednesday that he will step down July 31, conservative organizations were mobilizing to support the Republican-controlled Senate in a quick confirmation of a justice who would be expected to vote against the court’s liberal precedents. One group, the Judicial Crisis Network, has already started a $1 million ad campaign urging people to support the president’s choice.
Democrats and liberal advocacy organizations face enormous challenges if they hope to prevent President Trump and the Republicans from installing a conservative justice who would shift the ideological balance of the court for generations. Mr. Trump has promised to pick from a list of highly conservative jurists, and Republicans control the Senate, which can confirm the president’s choice by a simple majority.
Mr. Trump began wooing senators late Thursday night, meeting at the White House separately with three Republicans and with the three Democrats — Joe Donnelly of Indiana, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota and Joe Manchin III of West Virginia — who broke party ranks last year and voted to confirm Judge Neil M. Gorsuch, the president’s first Supreme Court pick.
After the meeting, Ms. Heitkamp said in a statement that she urged the president to appoint someone who is “pragmatic, fair, compassionate, committed to justice, and above politics.”
But the effect of Justice Kennedy’s departure has already ignited opposition from many Democratic lawmakers, party strategists and liberal activists, who vowed a fierce battle to try to preserve decades of liberal court precedents on abortion, civil rights, gay rights, affirmative action and the death penalty.
“I think it has sunk in very quickly that this is the biggest fight of them all,” said Brian Fallon, a veteran Democratic operative whose organization, Demand Justice, is leading the charge against Mr. Trump’s pick. “If we don’t succeed in this fight, Trumpism will be here for 40 years, not just four years.”
Democratic strategists say the party needs to model its resistance to the successful fight Democratic senators waged in 1987 against Judge Robert H. Bork, President Ronald Reagan’s pick for the Supreme Court. After they defeated Judge Bork, Mr. Reagan eventually settled on Justice Kennedy, who was seen as a more moderate choice.
If they can mobilize Democrats and liberals, lawmakers say they hope to demand a more moderate justice from the current president, as well.
“There are people who have had to withdraw over the years because you get information out and you question them and the public is focused on it and galvanized by it,” said Senator Amy Klobuchar, Democrat of Minnesota and a member of the Judiciary Committee.
Demand Justice has begun running online ads against three of Mr. Trump’s possible picks and expects to spend more than $1 million on television ads once the president selects a nominee.
One ad targets Judge Amy Coney Barrett, who is on the president’s list of possible justices, for saying that the Affordable Care Act should have been held unconstitutional. Another ad is aimed at Judge Brett Kavanaugh, another possible pick, for saying that a president should be able to “decide whether and when he can be investigated.”
Democrats say they will focus on two main issues, abortion and health care. Mr. Fallon, who worked for President Barack Obama and was a top spokesman for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, said the challenge will be convincing people that a Trump justice poses a threat to both issues.
“We have to do the work and spend the money to communicate the consequences of what a 5-4 court with a newly installed justice looks like,” Mr. Fallon said.
Democratic lawmakers gathered on the steps of the Supreme Court Thursday morning, flanked by members of progressive groups, to declare their opposition to all of the potential candidates on Mr. Trump’s public list of 25 possible jurists.
Video
Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, both moderate Republicans who favor abortion rights, are facing pressure from liberal activists to defend Roe v. Wade in the impending confirmation battle over President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee.Published OnJune 28, 2018CreditImage by Tom Brenner/The New York Times
At the Capitol, Representative Nancy Pelosi of California, the House Democratic leader, warned of the high stakes in filling the vacancy.
“Make no mistake: Republicans now have the opportunity to erase a generation of progress for women’s rights, L.G.B.T.Q. rights, civil rights, workers’ rights and health care,” Ms. Pelosi declared.
Strategists say Democrats must demand that Mr. Trump’s pick for the court affirmatively say whether he or she would uphold Roe v. Wade, the landmark case establishing a right to abortion. Saying that it is “settled law,” as some conservatives concede, is not enough, the strategists say.
Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the majority leader, has vowed to move swiftly once Mr. Trump announces his choice, but Democratic lawmakers are demanding that a replacement for Justice Kennedy not be confirmed until after the midterm elections in the fall. They argue that voters should be given the opportunity to select the members of Congress they want to vote on the vital selection.
Democrats have angrily pointed out that Republicans, led by Mr. McConnell, used exactly that argument in 2016, before the presidential election, as they blocked Judge Merrick B. Garland, President Barack Obama’s pick to fill the seat left vacant after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia.
With Kennedy’s Retirement, the Supreme Court Loses Its Center
The swing vote in many decisions, Justice Anthony M. Kennedy shifted toward more conservative opinions in the final months of his 30-year justice tenure.
June 27, 2018
On Thursday Mr. McConnell defended his decision to move forward with filling the vacancy this year.
“This is not 2016,” he said on the Senate floor. “There aren’t the final months of a second-term constitutionally lame-duck presidency with a presidential election fast approaching. We’re right in the middle of this president’s very first term.”
Mr. McConnell pointed to the Supreme Court confirmations of Justices Elena Kagan in 2010, Stephen G. Breyer in 1994 and David H. Souter in 1990 — all midterm election years in a president’s first term.
“To my knowledge, nobody on either side has ever suggested before yesterday that the Senate should only process Supreme Court nominations in odd-numbered years,” Mr. McConnell said.
Chad Griffin, the president of the Human Rights Campaign, said that “the 2018 midterm elections just became the most consequential election of our lifetime.”
“We must keep organizing, mobilizing and holding lawmakers to account every single day — and then we need turn out like never before this November,” he said.
Conservatives in Charge, the Supreme Court Moved Right
Justice Anthony M. Kennedy’s last Supreme Court term contained hints of his retirement and foreshadowed a lasting rightward shift.
June 28, 2018
Senator Tim Kaine, Democrat of Virginia, echoed that message in an email to his supporters seeking signatures on a petition.
“We should not vote on a new Supreme Court Justice before the American people vote in November,” Mr. Kaine wrote. “Sign my petition if you agree: No Supreme Court vote until the American people vote.”
There is little chance of that happening, given that Mr. Trump and his allies in Congress want to make sure to act on the court vacancy before the fall elections, when Democrats could regain control of the Senate.
To that end, conservative organizations are planning campaigns to support a speedy confirmation.
“Concerned Women for America is gearing up for our biggest and perhaps most important confirmation battle in our almost 40-year history,” said Penny Nance, the group’s president. “We plan to devote considerable resources to this effort, and we expect to win. Our happy warrior/activist ladies relish the fight and shine in these historic moments.”
Carrie Severino, the chief counsel and policy director of the Judicial Crisis Network, said her organization is already running ads targeting Democratic senators in states where Mr. Trump won during the presidential election.
One ad says: “Like they did before, extremists will lie and attack the nominee. But don’t be fooled. President Trump’s list includes the best of the best.”
Ms. Severino said that she expects liberals to aggressively criticize the president’s pick for the court, no matter who that person is.
“It’s the war on women. Or this person hates the little guy,” she said. “Without even knowing the nominee, we know the directions they will go. Some of these scaremongering tactics have been used since Reagan’s appointees. We are expecting that and we are absolutely prepared.”
Carl Hulse and Sheryl Gay Stolberg contributed reporting.
The Supreme Court building in Washington. A battle for the future of the court is underway after Justice Anthony M. Kennedy’s announcement on Wednesday that he will retire.CreditErin Schaff for The New York Times
By Michael D. Shear and Thomas Kaplan
June 28, 2018
WASHINGTON — A political war over replacing Justice Anthony M. Kennedy roared to life on Thursday in Washington, the start of an election-season clash over a Supreme Court retirement that will reshape the country’s judicial future.
Hours after Justice Kennedy’s announcement on Wednesday that he will step down July 31, conservative organizations were mobilizing to support the Republican-controlled Senate in a quick confirmation of a justice who would be expected to vote against the court’s liberal precedents. One group, the Judicial Crisis Network, has already started a $1 million ad campaign urging people to support the president’s choice.
Democrats and liberal advocacy organizations face enormous challenges if they hope to prevent President Trump and the Republicans from installing a conservative justice who would shift the ideological balance of the court for generations. Mr. Trump has promised to pick from a list of highly conservative jurists, and Republicans control the Senate, which can confirm the president’s choice by a simple majority.
Mr. Trump began wooing senators late Thursday night, meeting at the White House separately with three Republicans and with the three Democrats — Joe Donnelly of Indiana, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota and Joe Manchin III of West Virginia — who broke party ranks last year and voted to confirm Judge Neil M. Gorsuch, the president’s first Supreme Court pick.
After the meeting, Ms. Heitkamp said in a statement that she urged the president to appoint someone who is “pragmatic, fair, compassionate, committed to justice, and above politics.”
But the effect of Justice Kennedy’s departure has already ignited opposition from many Democratic lawmakers, party strategists and liberal activists, who vowed a fierce battle to try to preserve decades of liberal court precedents on abortion, civil rights, gay rights, affirmative action and the death penalty.
“I think it has sunk in very quickly that this is the biggest fight of them all,” said Brian Fallon, a veteran Democratic operative whose organization, Demand Justice, is leading the charge against Mr. Trump’s pick. “If we don’t succeed in this fight, Trumpism will be here for 40 years, not just four years.”
Democratic strategists say the party needs to model its resistance to the successful fight Democratic senators waged in 1987 against Judge Robert H. Bork, President Ronald Reagan’s pick for the Supreme Court. After they defeated Judge Bork, Mr. Reagan eventually settled on Justice Kennedy, who was seen as a more moderate choice.
If they can mobilize Democrats and liberals, lawmakers say they hope to demand a more moderate justice from the current president, as well.
“There are people who have had to withdraw over the years because you get information out and you question them and the public is focused on it and galvanized by it,” said Senator Amy Klobuchar, Democrat of Minnesota and a member of the Judiciary Committee.
Demand Justice has begun running online ads against three of Mr. Trump’s possible picks and expects to spend more than $1 million on television ads once the president selects a nominee.
One ad targets Judge Amy Coney Barrett, who is on the president’s list of possible justices, for saying that the Affordable Care Act should have been held unconstitutional. Another ad is aimed at Judge Brett Kavanaugh, another possible pick, for saying that a president should be able to “decide whether and when he can be investigated.”
Democrats say they will focus on two main issues, abortion and health care. Mr. Fallon, who worked for President Barack Obama and was a top spokesman for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, said the challenge will be convincing people that a Trump justice poses a threat to both issues.
“We have to do the work and spend the money to communicate the consequences of what a 5-4 court with a newly installed justice looks like,” Mr. Fallon said.
Democratic lawmakers gathered on the steps of the Supreme Court Thursday morning, flanked by members of progressive groups, to declare their opposition to all of the potential candidates on Mr. Trump’s public list of 25 possible jurists.
Video
Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, both moderate Republicans who favor abortion rights, are facing pressure from liberal activists to defend Roe v. Wade in the impending confirmation battle over President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee.Published OnJune 28, 2018CreditImage by Tom Brenner/The New York Times
At the Capitol, Representative Nancy Pelosi of California, the House Democratic leader, warned of the high stakes in filling the vacancy.
“Make no mistake: Republicans now have the opportunity to erase a generation of progress for women’s rights, L.G.B.T.Q. rights, civil rights, workers’ rights and health care,” Ms. Pelosi declared.
Strategists say Democrats must demand that Mr. Trump’s pick for the court affirmatively say whether he or she would uphold Roe v. Wade, the landmark case establishing a right to abortion. Saying that it is “settled law,” as some conservatives concede, is not enough, the strategists say.
Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the majority leader, has vowed to move swiftly once Mr. Trump announces his choice, but Democratic lawmakers are demanding that a replacement for Justice Kennedy not be confirmed until after the midterm elections in the fall. They argue that voters should be given the opportunity to select the members of Congress they want to vote on the vital selection.
Democrats have angrily pointed out that Republicans, led by Mr. McConnell, used exactly that argument in 2016, before the presidential election, as they blocked Judge Merrick B. Garland, President Barack Obama’s pick to fill the seat left vacant after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia.
With Kennedy’s Retirement, the Supreme Court Loses Its Center
The swing vote in many decisions, Justice Anthony M. Kennedy shifted toward more conservative opinions in the final months of his 30-year justice tenure.
June 27, 2018
On Thursday Mr. McConnell defended his decision to move forward with filling the vacancy this year.
“This is not 2016,” he said on the Senate floor. “There aren’t the final months of a second-term constitutionally lame-duck presidency with a presidential election fast approaching. We’re right in the middle of this president’s very first term.”
Mr. McConnell pointed to the Supreme Court confirmations of Justices Elena Kagan in 2010, Stephen G. Breyer in 1994 and David H. Souter in 1990 — all midterm election years in a president’s first term.
“To my knowledge, nobody on either side has ever suggested before yesterday that the Senate should only process Supreme Court nominations in odd-numbered years,” Mr. McConnell said.
Chad Griffin, the president of the Human Rights Campaign, said that “the 2018 midterm elections just became the most consequential election of our lifetime.”
“We must keep organizing, mobilizing and holding lawmakers to account every single day — and then we need turn out like never before this November,” he said.
Conservatives in Charge, the Supreme Court Moved Right
Justice Anthony M. Kennedy’s last Supreme Court term contained hints of his retirement and foreshadowed a lasting rightward shift.
June 28, 2018
Senator Tim Kaine, Democrat of Virginia, echoed that message in an email to his supporters seeking signatures on a petition.
“We should not vote on a new Supreme Court Justice before the American people vote in November,” Mr. Kaine wrote. “Sign my petition if you agree: No Supreme Court vote until the American people vote.”
There is little chance of that happening, given that Mr. Trump and his allies in Congress want to make sure to act on the court vacancy before the fall elections, when Democrats could regain control of the Senate.
To that end, conservative organizations are planning campaigns to support a speedy confirmation.
“Concerned Women for America is gearing up for our biggest and perhaps most important confirmation battle in our almost 40-year history,” said Penny Nance, the group’s president. “We plan to devote considerable resources to this effort, and we expect to win. Our happy warrior/activist ladies relish the fight and shine in these historic moments.”
Carrie Severino, the chief counsel and policy director of the Judicial Crisis Network, said her organization is already running ads targeting Democratic senators in states where Mr. Trump won during the presidential election.
One ad says: “Like they did before, extremists will lie and attack the nominee. But don’t be fooled. President Trump’s list includes the best of the best.”
Ms. Severino said that she expects liberals to aggressively criticize the president’s pick for the court, no matter who that person is.
“It’s the war on women. Or this person hates the little guy,” she said. “Without even knowing the nominee, we know the directions they will go. Some of these scaremongering tactics have been used since Reagan’s appointees. We are expecting that and we are absolutely prepared.”
Carl Hulse and Sheryl Gay Stolberg contributed reporting.
Supreme Court: Trump to name nominee on 9 July - BBC News
June 30, 2018
Supreme Court: Trump to name nominee on 9 July
President Trump spoke to journalists during a flight to his private golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey
US President Donald Trump says he plans to announce his nominee for a new Supreme Court judge on 9 July.
He told reporters on board the presidential aircraft Air Force One he had narrowed the choice down to "about five" candidates, including two women.
The vacancy arose when Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement earlier this week.
It gives President Trump the opportunity to solidify a conservative majority on the top court.
His nominee will need to be confirmed by the Senate where the president's Republican Party holds a narrow majority.
In other comments to reporters on Friday, Mr Trump:
Said he would discuss allegations of election tampering when he met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki next month
Called on Germany and other European nations to spend more on Nato, adding: "The United States is paying much more, disproportionately to anyone else"
Said the World Trade Organization (WTO) had treated the US "very badly" but insisted he was "not talking about pulling out"
'I like them all'
Speaking on a flight from Washington to New Jersey on Friday, President Trump said he would not ask Supreme Court candidates about their position on the landmark 1973 Roe v Wade decision which legalised abortion across the US.
During his campaign, Mr Trump promised to deliver "pro-life" judges to the Supreme Court - a prospect that has alarmed women's rights groups.
Women fear abortion rights under threat
Analysis: Why a fight over US abortion law looms
Why is the US Supreme Court so important?
"I've got it narrowed to about five [candidates]," he told reporters, adding: "I like them all."
Mr Trump said he planned to interview one or two of the candidates over the weekend while staying at his golf club in Bedminster.
Justice Kennedy, 81, is the second-oldest justice on the nine-member US Supreme Court.
The court plays a key role in US society and is often the final word on highly contentious laws, disputes between states and the federal government, and final appeals to stay executions.
In recent years it has expanded gay marriage to all 50 states, stopped President Barack Obama's immigration orders and delayed a US plan to cut carbon emissions while appeals went forward.
Justice Anthony Kennedy will retire on 31 July
Although a conservative, Justice Kennedy has sided with liberals on previous decisions, including the 5-4 rulings that decided same-sex marriage and upheld abortion rights.
US media have reported several front runners who could replace him:
Brett Kavanaugh, who is at the top of most lists, is an appeals court judge in Washington DC and was a former clerk to Justice Kennedy
Amul Thapar, a Kentucky judge handpicked by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, and Amy Comey Barrett, a former professor at Catholic university Notre Dame, are both likely nominees
Raymond Kethledge, a judge on the 6th US Circuit Court of Appeals and also a former clerk to Justice Kennedy, is another possible contender.
Meet the Supremes - the nine judges on US top court
Putin summit agenda
In other remarks to reporters, President Trump said he would raise the issue of alleged Russian election meddling when he met President Putin in Finland on 16 July.
"We'll be talking about elections... we don't want anybody tampering with elections," he said.
US intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia tried to sway the 2016 US election in Mr Trump's favour, a claim the Kremlin has consistently denied.
US punishes Russians over vote meddling
All you need to know about Trump Russia story
Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, which led to US and EU sanctions, and the war in Syria, would also be discussed, Mr Trump confirmed.
A short guide to the Syrian civil war
He refused to rule out accepting the annexation when he met Mr Putin, saying: "We're going to have to see."
When asked whether US sanctions on Russia might be lifted, he said: "We'll see what Russia does."
Supreme Court: Trump to name nominee on 9 July
President Trump spoke to journalists during a flight to his private golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey
US President Donald Trump says he plans to announce his nominee for a new Supreme Court judge on 9 July.
He told reporters on board the presidential aircraft Air Force One he had narrowed the choice down to "about five" candidates, including two women.
The vacancy arose when Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement earlier this week.
It gives President Trump the opportunity to solidify a conservative majority on the top court.
His nominee will need to be confirmed by the Senate where the president's Republican Party holds a narrow majority.
In other comments to reporters on Friday, Mr Trump:
Said he would discuss allegations of election tampering when he met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki next month
Called on Germany and other European nations to spend more on Nato, adding: "The United States is paying much more, disproportionately to anyone else"
Said the World Trade Organization (WTO) had treated the US "very badly" but insisted he was "not talking about pulling out"
'I like them all'
Speaking on a flight from Washington to New Jersey on Friday, President Trump said he would not ask Supreme Court candidates about their position on the landmark 1973 Roe v Wade decision which legalised abortion across the US.
During his campaign, Mr Trump promised to deliver "pro-life" judges to the Supreme Court - a prospect that has alarmed women's rights groups.
Women fear abortion rights under threat
Analysis: Why a fight over US abortion law looms
Why is the US Supreme Court so important?
"I've got it narrowed to about five [candidates]," he told reporters, adding: "I like them all."
Mr Trump said he planned to interview one or two of the candidates over the weekend while staying at his golf club in Bedminster.
Justice Kennedy, 81, is the second-oldest justice on the nine-member US Supreme Court.
The court plays a key role in US society and is often the final word on highly contentious laws, disputes between states and the federal government, and final appeals to stay executions.
In recent years it has expanded gay marriage to all 50 states, stopped President Barack Obama's immigration orders and delayed a US plan to cut carbon emissions while appeals went forward.
Justice Anthony Kennedy will retire on 31 July
Although a conservative, Justice Kennedy has sided with liberals on previous decisions, including the 5-4 rulings that decided same-sex marriage and upheld abortion rights.
US media have reported several front runners who could replace him:
Brett Kavanaugh, who is at the top of most lists, is an appeals court judge in Washington DC and was a former clerk to Justice Kennedy
Amul Thapar, a Kentucky judge handpicked by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, and Amy Comey Barrett, a former professor at Catholic university Notre Dame, are both likely nominees
Raymond Kethledge, a judge on the 6th US Circuit Court of Appeals and also a former clerk to Justice Kennedy, is another possible contender.
Meet the Supremes - the nine judges on US top court
Putin summit agenda
In other remarks to reporters, President Trump said he would raise the issue of alleged Russian election meddling when he met President Putin in Finland on 16 July.
"We'll be talking about elections... we don't want anybody tampering with elections," he said.
US intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia tried to sway the 2016 US election in Mr Trump's favour, a claim the Kremlin has consistently denied.
US punishes Russians over vote meddling
All you need to know about Trump Russia story
Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, which led to US and EU sanctions, and the war in Syria, would also be discussed, Mr Trump confirmed.
A short guide to the Syrian civil war
He refused to rule out accepting the annexation when he met Mr Putin, saying: "We're going to have to see."
When asked whether US sanctions on Russia might be lifted, he said: "We'll see what Russia does."
Friday, June 29, 2018
11 quotes from US politicians who are not fans of socialism - Independent
11 quotes from US politicians who are not fans of socialism
Posted on June 27, 2018 by Greg Evans in news
UPVOTE
Tuesday saw one of the most surprising political results in American history as 28-year-old Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez defeated veteran Democrat Joe Crowley in the party's congressional primary in New York City.
Ms Ocasio-Cortez, who is of Puerto Rican descent, is a former Bernie Sanders volunteer and describes herself as a socialist Democrat. She was also the first person from the part to challenge Crowley in 14 years.
She received a huge amount of support from the ethnic minority districts in the Bronx and Queens, receiving 42.5 per cent of the vote from that particular demographic, winning with an overall 57.5 per cent of the vote.
According to BBC News, Crowley had been tipped as a potential leader for the Democrats in the future, or even Speaker of the House, but now he'll have to look on as his younger successor will now face Republican Anthony Pappas in the November mid-terms.
Should she win, she'll become the youngest woman to ever be elected to Congress.
This could be a significant moment for American politics, especially on the left, which Ocasio-Cortez echoed in a Twitter thread.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
✔
@Ocasio2018
Almost two years ago, I started what was then a completely ‘impossible’ bid for Congress.
Since then, everything has changed.
Now, there’s only 20 minutes left.
And it feels great.
10:47 AM - Jun 27, 2018
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7,008 people are talking about this
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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
✔
@Ocasio2018
Replying to @Ocasio2018
I have spent today criss-crossing the district my family has called home for generations. I have met strangers who knew my dad, and knew stories about my loved ones.
I have touched the hands of people who have felt ignored and invisible for a long, long time. And they felt seen.
10:50 AM - Jun 27, 2018
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1,132 people are talking about this
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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
✔
@Ocasio2018
Replying to @Ocasio2018
Today I saw people voting that are almost never seen in an off-year midterm primary.
Just now, as I’m typing this with 8 minutes left, two young men of color, 20 years old, just walked up to me and said they just voted.
2 yrs ago, the “experts” told me not to bother with them.
10:55 AM - Jun 27, 2018
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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
✔
@Ocasio2018
Replying to @Ocasio2018
But I knew that in refusing to engage with non-voters, we were churning a cycle of neglect and cynicism.
So I reached out. And we have been embraced. We have built power. We have organized.
What we have built is permanent. No. Matter. What.
11:00 AM - Jun 27, 2018
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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
✔
@Ocasio2018
This is the start of a movement.
Thank you all.
2:21 PM - Jun 27, 2018
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Although Bernie Sanders was ultimately unsuccessful in his attempts to become the Democrat's presidential candidate in 2016, his philosophy seems to have continued to resonate with the American people - or at least those in New York.
Ocasio-Cortez's victory might seem minor at the moment, but it flies in the face of what many US politicians would want their public to believe socialism is about.
For instance, the current President, Donald Trump has gone on record to unsurprisingly denounce socialism with a bad 'joke'.
Last year, during a speech at the United Nations, Trump highlighted countries like Venezuela and Cuba as examples of where socialism has failed. He said:
The problem... is not that socialism has been poorly implemented but that socialism has been faithfully implemented.
From the Soviet Union to Cuba to Venezuela, wherever true socialism or communism has been adopted, it has delivered anguish and devastation and failure.
Trump's comments were met with silence and laughter from his fellow world leaders.
Luckily for him, Sarah Sanders was there to back him up.
Sarah Sanders
✔
@PressSec
"The problem in Venezuela is not that socialism has been poorly implemented, but that socialism has been faithfully implemented." @POTUS
12:41 AM - Sep 20, 2017
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It would appear that a firm grasp of the ideals of socialism does not run deep in the Trump family as Donald Trump Jr proved with this tweet on Halloween.
View image on Twitter
View image on Twitter
Donald Trump Jr.
✔
@DonaldJTrumpJr
I’m going to take half of Chloe’s candy tonight & give it to some kid who sat at home. It’s never to early to teach her about socialism.
8:53 AM - Nov 1, 2017
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Trump's vice president Mike Pence has also said a few choice words about socialism in the past too.
At a presidential campaign rally at Georgia State Fairgrounds in August 2016, he quoted Margaret Thatcher when criticising Hillary Clinton.
We should probably point out that Hillary Clinton almost never defined herself as a socialist, or at least not as broadly as Sanders did.
Earlier this year, the former First Lady spoke at the Shared Values Leadership Summit, where she admitted that being a capitalist probably hurt her position among Democrats.
I mean, it’s hard to know, but if you’re in the Iowa caucuses and 41 per cent of Democrats are socialists, or self-described socialists, and I’m asked, ‘Are you a capitalist’, and I say ‘Yes, but with appropriate regulation and accountability,’ that probably gets lost in the ‘Oh my God, she’s a capitalist!’
Her husband, former president Bill Clinton, also shares these values. Speaking at a health care rally in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, Clinton highlighted his belief in a private health care system in America.
He said:
Socialism is when the government runs a health care system.
We don't have socialized medicine in this country, and my plan is for private insurance and private doctors.
[The 20 century marked] the victory of democracy over totalitarianism, of free enterprise over state socialism.
This isn't a current trend, however.
Back in 2008, then-Republican presidential candidate John McCain referenced the infamous Joe the Plumber incident in a speech about Barack's Obama's proposed policies.
He said:
Joe, in his plainspoken way, said this sounded a lot like socialism.
And a lot of Americans are thinking along those same lines. In the best case, ‘spreading the wealth around’ is a familiar idea from the American left.
And that kind of class warfare sure doesn't sound like a ‘new kind of politics'.
McCain's former vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin also branded Obama a socialist during the 2008 campaign.
Citing the same Joe the Plumber incident, she said:
Obama is a socialist/Marxist. Joe suggested that that sounded a little bit like socialism.
Whatever you call it, I call it bad medicine for an ailing economy, and it's what Barack Obama will do to those who want to create jobs, and we're willing to call Barack Obama on it.
Another one of Barack Obama's opponents, Mitt Romney, also criticised the former President's seemingly socialist approach.
In a September 2011 speech, the Republican said:
Barack Obama is a big-spending liberal. He takes his inspiration from Europe and the socialist democrats in Europe.
Europe isn't working in Europe. It's not going to work here. I believe in America.
I believe in the opportunity and the freedom that is American opportunity and freedom. I believe in free enterprise and capitalism.
That being said, Obama was hardly an outstanding advocate for socialism.
Speaking at the 2013 CEO Council, Obama addressed the claims that he was a socialist. He said:
People call me a socialist sometimes, but you've got to meet real socialists, you'll have a real sense of what a socialist is. I'm talking about lowering the corporate tax rate, my health care reform is based on the private marketplace, the stock market is doing pretty good the last time I checked and it is true that I am concerned about growing inequality in the system, but nobody questions the efficacy of a market economy in terms of producing wealth and innovation and keeping us competitive.
In addition in a speech made in Argentina in March 2016, Obama encouraged young people to find their own way in politics and not feel like they have to conform to either a socialist or capitalist theory.
[S]o often in the past there’s been a sharp division between left and right, between capitalist and communist or socialist.
And especially in the Americas, that’s been a big debate, right? Oh, you know, you’re a capitalist Yankee dog, and oh, you know, you’re some crazy communist that’s going to take away everybody’s property.
And I mean, those are interesting intellectual arguments, but I think for your generation, you should be practical and just choose from what works.
You don’t have to worry about whether it neatly fits into socialist theory or capitalist theory — you should just decide what works.
Melania Trump makes second solo trip to border - CBS News
June 28, 2018, 2:17 PM
Melania Trump makes second solo trip to border
Last Updated Jun 28, 2018 2:17 PM EDT
First Lady Melania Trump is making her second solo trip to the southern border to visit immigration facilities. The first lady, who visited children and federal immigration authorities in Texas last week, landed in Tucson, Arizona, Thursday.
The first lady, her spokeswoman said, is eager to see what has changed since her last visit. Melania Trump — who President Trump said raised the issue of family separation with him — continues to discuss the border situation with the president, said her communications director, Stephanie Grisham. Grisham did not elaborate on those discussions.
"This is a complex issue. She recognizes that," Grisham told reporters, according to the White House press pool.
While in Tucson, Melania Trump is touring a U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility, where she is expected to have a roundtable discussion with officials from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the U.S. Marshals Service. Then, according to the White House press pool, she will tour the Tucson Coordinating Center, a short-term holding facilities. The first lady will also do a closed-press tour of an intelligence center.
Grisham said the trip to Tucson was planned last week, after the first lady's trip to Texas was cut short due to flooding.
"She wasn't able to visit a DHS facility, and she wants to learn from the people on the front lines at the border," Grisham told reporters.
On her last trip to the border, the first lady made headlines when she sported a jacket that said, "I don't care, do you?" The first lady didn't wear the jacket when she was with the children, and although her spokesperson said there was no "hidden message," President Trump claimed the jacket was an attempt to hit back at the media. On Thursday when she boarded the plane in D.C., the White House press pool observed nothing unusual about her attire.
Melania Trump makes second solo trip to border
Last Updated Jun 28, 2018 2:17 PM EDT
First Lady Melania Trump is making her second solo trip to the southern border to visit immigration facilities. The first lady, who visited children and federal immigration authorities in Texas last week, landed in Tucson, Arizona, Thursday.
The first lady, her spokeswoman said, is eager to see what has changed since her last visit. Melania Trump — who President Trump said raised the issue of family separation with him — continues to discuss the border situation with the president, said her communications director, Stephanie Grisham. Grisham did not elaborate on those discussions.
"This is a complex issue. She recognizes that," Grisham told reporters, according to the White House press pool.
While in Tucson, Melania Trump is touring a U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility, where she is expected to have a roundtable discussion with officials from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the U.S. Marshals Service. Then, according to the White House press pool, she will tour the Tucson Coordinating Center, a short-term holding facilities. The first lady will also do a closed-press tour of an intelligence center.
Grisham said the trip to Tucson was planned last week, after the first lady's trip to Texas was cut short due to flooding.
"She wasn't able to visit a DHS facility, and she wants to learn from the people on the front lines at the border," Grisham told reporters.
On her last trip to the border, the first lady made headlines when she sported a jacket that said, "I don't care, do you?" The first lady didn't wear the jacket when she was with the children, and although her spokesperson said there was no "hidden message," President Trump claimed the jacket was an attempt to hit back at the media. On Thursday when she boarded the plane in D.C., the White House press pool observed nothing unusual about her attire.
Bill Gates: Everyone should know these 3 facts - CNBC
June 29, 2018
Bill Gates: Everyone should know these 3 facts
Catherine Clifford
Bill Gates
Adam Galica | CNBC
Bill Gates
Billionaire Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates says you need to know three facts to better understand the world.
Those statistics are the global rate of childhood deaths, the fertility rate and the number of people who escape extreme poverty.
The facts come from Oxford economist Max Roser, the founder of the data and statistics website, OurWorldInData.org.
“One of my favorite websites is OurWorldInData.org. Based at the University of Oxford, it uses statistics — on everything from health and population growth to war, the environment, and energy — to give you phenomenal insight into how living conditions are changing around the world,” says Gates in a post published on his blog Tuesday. “I asked its founder, Oxford economist Max Roser, to share three facts from the site that everyone should know.”
Roser says memorizing a few statistics gives you a framework to more accurately understand the world.
“Yes, for some details, it makes sense to just search for them when you need them. But for the large global developments, it is important to know some basic statistics that describe living conditions currently and the direction of change that we have seen over the past few decades,” says Roser in a piece published on the Gates Notes blog.
“Knowing the facts on global changes gives you the context for the daily news and allows you to make sense of new information that you learn. And it must be the basis for political debate, so that we can discuss what we should and shouldn’t do as a society.”
Here's what Gates and Roser say you need to know:
1. Annual childhood deaths have fallen by more than half since 1960
Each year, 5.6 million children under the age of five die. That’s 15,500 deaths per day and 11 deaths of children per minute, according to data from the UN. In the 1950s and 1960s, 20 million children were dying every year, according to the same data set.
“One key reason why we struggle to see progress in the world today is that we do not know how very bad the past was. Both are true at the same time: The world is much better than in the past and it is still awful,” says Roser.
Bill Gates
✔
@BillGates
· 27 Jun
Replying to @BillGates
Here are three facts from the site that Max thinks everyone should know…
Bill Gates
✔
@BillGates
Fact #1: Fewer children are dying before the age of 5. pic.twitter.com/RNcCNcBTFz
3:21 AM - Jun 27, 2018
“To bring this to mind I need to know both statistics: When someone says we can sit back and relax because the world is in a much better place, I point out that 11 children are still dying every minute. We cannot accept the world as it is today. And when I feel hopeless in the face of this tragedy, I remember that we reduced annual child deaths from 20 million to 5.6 million in the last 50 years," writes Roser.
2. The average number of children born per woman per year is falling
In the last 50 years, the global fertility rate, or the average number of children every woman in the world has, has fallen from five to less than 2.5, Roser says. That means the rate of population growth has gone from 2 percent a year to just over 1 percent per year.
Availability of contraceptives and access to education and higher quality jobs affect fertility rates, says Roser. So too does child mortality rates.
Bill Gates
✔
@BillGates
· 27 Jun
Replying to @BillGates
Fact #1: Fewer children are dying before the age of 5. pic.twitter.com/RNcCNcBTFz
Bill Gates
✔
@BillGates
Fact #2: Since 1960, the number of children born per woman has fallen by half. pic.twitter.com/BzCFzdwdWE
3:21 AM - Jun 27, 2018
“Improvements in conditions for women and the health of children have driven a rapid reduction in fertility rates across the world,” says Roser. “The statistic that I remember on population growth is the one that tells me that rapid population growth is coming to an end in this century.”
Why is that important? "The problem is that the population is growing the fastest where people are less able to deal with it," Gates explained in a 2012 blog post, so there is an inability to feed, educate, employ and protect the environment.
3. More than 100,000 people a day have escaped extreme poverty in recent decades
Between 1990 and 2015, 137,000 people left “extreme poverty” each day, says Roser.
Someone is defined as living in "extreme poverty" if they live on the equivalent of less than about $1.90 per person per day, as determined by the World Bank.
Today, 706 million people in the world live in extreme poverty. In 1990, 1.86 billion people lived in extreme poverty. That means the number of people living in extreme poverty has fallen to one in 10 people from one in three.
Bill Gates
✔
@BillGates
· 27 Jun
Replying to @BillGates
Fact #2: Since 1960, the number of children born per woman has fallen by half. pic.twitter.com/BzCFzdwdWE
Bill Gates
✔
@BillGates
Fact #3: The world is making progress against extreme poverty. pic.twitter.com/PCH6aMzxfd
3:21 AM - Jun 27, 2018
“When you ask people whether the world is making progress against extreme poverty, the majority of us believe things are getting worse — that the number of people in extreme poverty in the world is rising,” says Roser. “The opposite is true. Both the number and the share of people in extreme poverty is falling.”
Though the number of people living in extreme poverty is still “unacceptably large," says Roser, "we should also know that the trend is moving in the right direction. The number of people in extreme poverty is falling. It is possible to end extreme poverty.”
Knowing these statistics is a reason feel optimistic, says Roser. “The statistics on global change over time tell us that it is possible to work for a better world. The number of child deaths is dropping. The challenges of rapid population growth will not continue indefinitely. And the number of people in extreme poverty is falling,” he says. “Our past successes should encourage us to work for more progress.”
Gates also advocates holding onto an optimistic view of the world.
“I’m not trying to downplay the work that remains. Being an optimist doesn’t mean you ignore tragedy and injustice. It means you’re inspired to look for people making progress on those fronts, and to help spread that progress,” Gates wrote as the guest editor for Time magazine in January.
“To some extent, it is good that bad news gets attention. If you want to improve the world, you need something to be mad about," he said. "But it has to be balanced by upsides. When you see good things happening, you can channel your energy into driving even more progress."
Bill Gates: Everyone should know these 3 facts
Catherine Clifford
Bill Gates
Adam Galica | CNBC
Bill Gates
Billionaire Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates says you need to know three facts to better understand the world.
Those statistics are the global rate of childhood deaths, the fertility rate and the number of people who escape extreme poverty.
The facts come from Oxford economist Max Roser, the founder of the data and statistics website, OurWorldInData.org.
“One of my favorite websites is OurWorldInData.org. Based at the University of Oxford, it uses statistics — on everything from health and population growth to war, the environment, and energy — to give you phenomenal insight into how living conditions are changing around the world,” says Gates in a post published on his blog Tuesday. “I asked its founder, Oxford economist Max Roser, to share three facts from the site that everyone should know.”
Roser says memorizing a few statistics gives you a framework to more accurately understand the world.
“Yes, for some details, it makes sense to just search for them when you need them. But for the large global developments, it is important to know some basic statistics that describe living conditions currently and the direction of change that we have seen over the past few decades,” says Roser in a piece published on the Gates Notes blog.
“Knowing the facts on global changes gives you the context for the daily news and allows you to make sense of new information that you learn. And it must be the basis for political debate, so that we can discuss what we should and shouldn’t do as a society.”
Here's what Gates and Roser say you need to know:
1. Annual childhood deaths have fallen by more than half since 1960
Each year, 5.6 million children under the age of five die. That’s 15,500 deaths per day and 11 deaths of children per minute, according to data from the UN. In the 1950s and 1960s, 20 million children were dying every year, according to the same data set.
“One key reason why we struggle to see progress in the world today is that we do not know how very bad the past was. Both are true at the same time: The world is much better than in the past and it is still awful,” says Roser.
Bill Gates
✔
@BillGates
· 27 Jun
Replying to @BillGates
Here are three facts from the site that Max thinks everyone should know…
Bill Gates
✔
@BillGates
Fact #1: Fewer children are dying before the age of 5. pic.twitter.com/RNcCNcBTFz
3:21 AM - Jun 27, 2018
“To bring this to mind I need to know both statistics: When someone says we can sit back and relax because the world is in a much better place, I point out that 11 children are still dying every minute. We cannot accept the world as it is today. And when I feel hopeless in the face of this tragedy, I remember that we reduced annual child deaths from 20 million to 5.6 million in the last 50 years," writes Roser.
2. The average number of children born per woman per year is falling
In the last 50 years, the global fertility rate, or the average number of children every woman in the world has, has fallen from five to less than 2.5, Roser says. That means the rate of population growth has gone from 2 percent a year to just over 1 percent per year.
Availability of contraceptives and access to education and higher quality jobs affect fertility rates, says Roser. So too does child mortality rates.
Bill Gates
✔
@BillGates
· 27 Jun
Replying to @BillGates
Fact #1: Fewer children are dying before the age of 5. pic.twitter.com/RNcCNcBTFz
Bill Gates
✔
@BillGates
Fact #2: Since 1960, the number of children born per woman has fallen by half. pic.twitter.com/BzCFzdwdWE
3:21 AM - Jun 27, 2018
“Improvements in conditions for women and the health of children have driven a rapid reduction in fertility rates across the world,” says Roser. “The statistic that I remember on population growth is the one that tells me that rapid population growth is coming to an end in this century.”
Why is that important? "The problem is that the population is growing the fastest where people are less able to deal with it," Gates explained in a 2012 blog post, so there is an inability to feed, educate, employ and protect the environment.
3. More than 100,000 people a day have escaped extreme poverty in recent decades
Between 1990 and 2015, 137,000 people left “extreme poverty” each day, says Roser.
Someone is defined as living in "extreme poverty" if they live on the equivalent of less than about $1.90 per person per day, as determined by the World Bank.
Today, 706 million people in the world live in extreme poverty. In 1990, 1.86 billion people lived in extreme poverty. That means the number of people living in extreme poverty has fallen to one in 10 people from one in three.
Bill Gates
✔
@BillGates
· 27 Jun
Replying to @BillGates
Fact #2: Since 1960, the number of children born per woman has fallen by half. pic.twitter.com/BzCFzdwdWE
Bill Gates
✔
@BillGates
Fact #3: The world is making progress against extreme poverty. pic.twitter.com/PCH6aMzxfd
3:21 AM - Jun 27, 2018
“When you ask people whether the world is making progress against extreme poverty, the majority of us believe things are getting worse — that the number of people in extreme poverty in the world is rising,” says Roser. “The opposite is true. Both the number and the share of people in extreme poverty is falling.”
Though the number of people living in extreme poverty is still “unacceptably large," says Roser, "we should also know that the trend is moving in the right direction. The number of people in extreme poverty is falling. It is possible to end extreme poverty.”
Knowing these statistics is a reason feel optimistic, says Roser. “The statistics on global change over time tell us that it is possible to work for a better world. The number of child deaths is dropping. The challenges of rapid population growth will not continue indefinitely. And the number of people in extreme poverty is falling,” he says. “Our past successes should encourage us to work for more progress.”
Gates also advocates holding onto an optimistic view of the world.
“I’m not trying to downplay the work that remains. Being an optimist doesn’t mean you ignore tragedy and injustice. It means you’re inspired to look for people making progress on those fronts, and to help spread that progress,” Gates wrote as the guest editor for Time magazine in January.
“To some extent, it is good that bad news gets attention. If you want to improve the world, you need something to be mad about," he said. "But it has to be balanced by upsides. When you see good things happening, you can channel your energy into driving even more progress."
BAE wins multi-billion pound Australian warship contract - BBC News
June 29, 2018
BAE wins multi-billion pound Australian warship contract
British defence giant BAE Systems has won a multi-billion pound contract from the Australian government to build nine new warships, marking a significant victory for British military exports.
BAE beat Italian and Spanish rivals to win a large slice of the £19.6bn ($25.7bn; A$35bn) spending programme.
The ships will be based on anti-submarine frigates that BAE is building for the UK's Royal Navy.
However, the new warships will be built in Australia by a local workforce.
BAE's Australian arm said the construction of the ships locally would make a significant contribution to Australia's economy "creating thousands of jobs, supporting new industries and boosting the national supply chain for decades to come".
"We are proud to have been selected as preferred tenderer to provide the Royal Australian Navy with a world-class ship, equipped with the latest technologies and designed specifically to meet its needs," BAE Systems Australia chief executive, Gabby Costigan said.
UK Prime Minister Theresa May said the deal was also an "enormous boost" for the UK economy and reflected the government's strategy to "build on our close relationships with allies like Australia" as the UK prepares to leave the EU.
It is the first export of a British design for new-build frigates since the 1970s, the UK government said.
The ships to be built will be based on BAE Systems' Type 26 frigate, and will be called the "Hunter class".
Production in Australia is expected to commence in 2020.
Australian jobs
The Hunter class ships will be built in Adelaide, South Australia, by government-owned ASC Shipbuilding and the programme is expected to create at least 5,000 local jobs across about 30 years.
"The Hunter class will provide the Australian Defence Force with the highest levels of lethality and deterrence our major surface combatants need in periods of global uncertainty," the Australian government said.
The ships will be fitted with long-range anti-missile defence systems.
The Type 26 currently being built for the Royal Navy forms the basis of the design sold to the Australian government
While the overall budget is £19.6bn, only a part of that will come to BAE Systems for the design and build of the frigates.
BAE Systems chief executive Charles Woodburn said: "I am proud that our world class anti-submarine warfare design and our approach to transferring technology and skills to the nations in which we work is expected to contribute to the development of an enduring world-class naval shipbuilding industry in Australia."
Italy's Fincantieri SpA and Spain's Navantia also bid for the contract.
'Deal of the century'
BAE's shipyards on the Clyde in Glasgow are unlikely to see a significant boost to jobs.
Gary Cook of the GMB union criticised the deal, saying: "The inconvenient truth is that we're not exporting ships, only manufacturing jobs that should be going to British shipbuilding communities.
"And had the UK government and BAE invested in the promised frigate factory at Scotstoun, those frigates could easily be built here.
"Instead, there is a rubble pile where that factory should be, while 4,000 jobs and significant prosperity will be enjoyed in Australia and not the UK."
Nevertheless, defence analysts said the deal represented a significant success for British naval exports.
"It is the deal of the century," said Francis Tusa, editor of industry newsletter Defence Analysis.
The UK has had an "abysmal" export record for warship sales for the past five decades, he said. But this represented "a massive sea-change".
Canada, which is also planning to order warships later this year, might be influenced by Australia's decision, he added.
Selling the design overseas will help spread the costs of design and production of many elements of the frigate, potentially bringing down the cost of the Type 26 to the Royal Navy significantly, according to Mr Tusa.
However, it was not only BAE Systems who would benefit from the deal, he said.
Small and medium-sized UK companies would be likely to win orders for some of the technology required on the Australian ships.
Firms that are already supplying the UK government's order of the Type 26 would be in a strong position to also supply Australian orders.
Analysis: Douglas Fraser, Scotland business editor
The design success of the Global Combat Ship, otherwise known as the Type 26, is a breakthrough for BAE Systems. Over several decades, it has struggled to turn the Royal Navy's requirements into a design that other countries want to buy, or are willing to pay for.
Orders from other navies used to mean manufacturing at UK yards.
But now, other countries want to get the economic benefit of their military spending, so they insist on building themselves.
The hull can be the relatively cheap bit of building a complex warship, so there may be benefits to British arms exporters in selling weapons systems that fit into the Australian frigates.
However, this looks like a design which was heavily subsidised by the UK taxpayer, being sold overseas, and wholly to the benefit of BAE Systems. It appears that the UK taxpayer sees none of the direct payback or royalties from that investment.
Innovative design
Independent defence analyst Paul Beaver said the appeal of the Type 26 design is that it is modular.
"We are supplying the technology behind the hull, other nations will put their engines, their weapons systems into it. It's designed in a way that it can cope with that.
"You don't have to buy a certain type of missile or gun. You can buy a raft of different ones which will be very attractive."
He said he believed the agreement would turn out to be part of a wider deal on defence procurement between the UK and Australia.
BAE wins multi-billion pound Australian warship contract
British defence giant BAE Systems has won a multi-billion pound contract from the Australian government to build nine new warships, marking a significant victory for British military exports.
BAE beat Italian and Spanish rivals to win a large slice of the £19.6bn ($25.7bn; A$35bn) spending programme.
The ships will be based on anti-submarine frigates that BAE is building for the UK's Royal Navy.
However, the new warships will be built in Australia by a local workforce.
BAE's Australian arm said the construction of the ships locally would make a significant contribution to Australia's economy "creating thousands of jobs, supporting new industries and boosting the national supply chain for decades to come".
"We are proud to have been selected as preferred tenderer to provide the Royal Australian Navy with a world-class ship, equipped with the latest technologies and designed specifically to meet its needs," BAE Systems Australia chief executive, Gabby Costigan said.
UK Prime Minister Theresa May said the deal was also an "enormous boost" for the UK economy and reflected the government's strategy to "build on our close relationships with allies like Australia" as the UK prepares to leave the EU.
It is the first export of a British design for new-build frigates since the 1970s, the UK government said.
The ships to be built will be based on BAE Systems' Type 26 frigate, and will be called the "Hunter class".
Production in Australia is expected to commence in 2020.
Australian jobs
The Hunter class ships will be built in Adelaide, South Australia, by government-owned ASC Shipbuilding and the programme is expected to create at least 5,000 local jobs across about 30 years.
"The Hunter class will provide the Australian Defence Force with the highest levels of lethality and deterrence our major surface combatants need in periods of global uncertainty," the Australian government said.
The ships will be fitted with long-range anti-missile defence systems.
The Type 26 currently being built for the Royal Navy forms the basis of the design sold to the Australian government
While the overall budget is £19.6bn, only a part of that will come to BAE Systems for the design and build of the frigates.
BAE Systems chief executive Charles Woodburn said: "I am proud that our world class anti-submarine warfare design and our approach to transferring technology and skills to the nations in which we work is expected to contribute to the development of an enduring world-class naval shipbuilding industry in Australia."
Italy's Fincantieri SpA and Spain's Navantia also bid for the contract.
'Deal of the century'
BAE's shipyards on the Clyde in Glasgow are unlikely to see a significant boost to jobs.
Gary Cook of the GMB union criticised the deal, saying: "The inconvenient truth is that we're not exporting ships, only manufacturing jobs that should be going to British shipbuilding communities.
"And had the UK government and BAE invested in the promised frigate factory at Scotstoun, those frigates could easily be built here.
"Instead, there is a rubble pile where that factory should be, while 4,000 jobs and significant prosperity will be enjoyed in Australia and not the UK."
Nevertheless, defence analysts said the deal represented a significant success for British naval exports.
"It is the deal of the century," said Francis Tusa, editor of industry newsletter Defence Analysis.
The UK has had an "abysmal" export record for warship sales for the past five decades, he said. But this represented "a massive sea-change".
Canada, which is also planning to order warships later this year, might be influenced by Australia's decision, he added.
Selling the design overseas will help spread the costs of design and production of many elements of the frigate, potentially bringing down the cost of the Type 26 to the Royal Navy significantly, according to Mr Tusa.
However, it was not only BAE Systems who would benefit from the deal, he said.
Small and medium-sized UK companies would be likely to win orders for some of the technology required on the Australian ships.
Firms that are already supplying the UK government's order of the Type 26 would be in a strong position to also supply Australian orders.
Analysis: Douglas Fraser, Scotland business editor
The design success of the Global Combat Ship, otherwise known as the Type 26, is a breakthrough for BAE Systems. Over several decades, it has struggled to turn the Royal Navy's requirements into a design that other countries want to buy, or are willing to pay for.
Orders from other navies used to mean manufacturing at UK yards.
But now, other countries want to get the economic benefit of their military spending, so they insist on building themselves.
The hull can be the relatively cheap bit of building a complex warship, so there may be benefits to British arms exporters in selling weapons systems that fit into the Australian frigates.
However, this looks like a design which was heavily subsidised by the UK taxpayer, being sold overseas, and wholly to the benefit of BAE Systems. It appears that the UK taxpayer sees none of the direct payback or royalties from that investment.
Innovative design
Independent defence analyst Paul Beaver said the appeal of the Type 26 design is that it is modular.
"We are supplying the technology behind the hull, other nations will put their engines, their weapons systems into it. It's designed in a way that it can cope with that.
"You don't have to buy a certain type of missile or gun. You can buy a raft of different ones which will be very attractive."
He said he believed the agreement would turn out to be part of a wider deal on defence procurement between the UK and Australia.
Migrant crisis: EU leaders plan closed migrant centres - BBC News
June 29, 2018
Migrant crisis: EU leaders plan closed migrant centres
Why is the Aquarius migrant rescue ship empty?
Closed migrant centres are to be set up in EU states to process asylum claims under a deal reached after marathon talks at a leaders summit in Brussels.
The centres, hosted on a voluntary basis, would determine who are illegal migrants "who will be returned".
Italy - the entry point for thousands of migrants, mainly from Africa - had threatened to veto the summit's entire agenda if it did not receive help.
Resettlement of genuine refugees would also take place on a voluntary basis.
There were no details on which countries would host the centres or receive refugees.
The numbers illegally entering the EU have dropped 96% since their 2015 peak, the European Council says.
Could the migration crisis finish the EU?
Reality Check: Is Italy taking in thousands of migrants?
'Used as a slave' in a Libyan detention centre
The EU leaders' joint communique also speaks of restricting the movement of asylum seekers between EU states.
"After this European summit, Europe is more responsible and offers more solidarity," said Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte. "Today Italy is no longer alone."
But German Chancellor Angela Merkel said more needed to be done to resolve disagreements.
The EU's new migrant prisons?
By the BBC's Adam Fleming in Brussels
A few things stand out as wins for Italy's new prime minister. The summit's conclusions now include a statement about the need for boats that pick up migrants in the Mediterranean to respect international law.
But the big one is approval of the concept of closed, secure processing facilities for migrants arriving in the EU. Some say this will make it easier to send back people whose claims for asylum are rejected, others are already describing them as prisons.
This paragraph is full of caveats, commas and sub-clauses - all the hallmarks of something drafted in the middle of the night.
Another striking pledge is for an ambitious partnership with Africa. That's the EU trying to balance its tough internal approach with a friendly external one, and offering incentives to North African countries to host facilities where migrants can be assessed for resettlement in Europe.
What else has been agreed?
The 28 EU leaders also agreed several other measures:
strengthening external border controls, and boosting financing for Turkey and countries in North Africa
exploring the possibility of "regional disembarkation platforms", which are aimed at breaking the business model of people-smuggling gangs by processing refugees and migrants outside the EU. However getting North African countries to host such centres could be very difficult and Morocco again on Thursday rejected the idea
internal measures taken by member states to stop migrants moving within the EU, which the agreement said undermined asylum policy and the border-free Schengen travel area
more investment in Africa to help the continent achieve a "substantial socio-economic transformation" so people no longer leave for a better life
Further work to reform EU asylum policy, including changes to the so-called Dublin regulation under which migrants must be considered for asylum in the first safe country where they arrive
Whose needs does the deal meet?
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte had earlier taken the rare step of blocking the conclusions of the joint communique until the leaders had settled the migration issue. Both Italy and Greece want other countries to share the burden.
However several Central European states have so far rejected an EU scheme to relocate 160,000 refugees from overcrowded camps in Greece and Italy.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel had said that the migration issue could be a defining moment for the EU - but she also needed the summit to avert a political crisis at home that could bring down her government.
Migrant crisis: EU border force Frontex explained
Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, from her Bavarian coalition partner, the CSU, had given her a deadline of this weekend. He has threatened to start turning away migrants who have already registered elsewhere from the border in his home state.
Merkel's Bavarian ally threatens migrant mutiny
Braving slavery horrors for European dream
Trapped in a country everyone wants to leave
Without the CSU, Mrs Merkel would lose her parliamentary majority.
It is unclear whether the measures agreed will be enough, and speaking to reporters at 05:00 local time (03:00 GMT), she acknowledged the EU still had "a lot of work to do to bridge the different views".
How many migrants are entering the EU?
The flows of people include refugees fleeing the Syrian war and other conflicts, urgently seeking asylum.
It is not a crisis on the scale of 2015, when thousands were coming ashore daily on the Greek islands.
But this month's tensions over migrant rescue ships barred from entry to Italian ports - most recently the German charity ship Lifeline - have put the issue firmly back in the EU spotlight.
Reality Check: Who is responsible for migrants at sea?
The Aquarius: Migrant taxi service or charitable rescuers?
The Lifeline was only allowed to dock in Malta after intense diplomacy among several EU states, who each agreed to take some of the migrants on board. Malta said that Norway had now also agreed to take a share.
Migrant crisis: EU leaders plan closed migrant centres
Why is the Aquarius migrant rescue ship empty?
Closed migrant centres are to be set up in EU states to process asylum claims under a deal reached after marathon talks at a leaders summit in Brussels.
The centres, hosted on a voluntary basis, would determine who are illegal migrants "who will be returned".
Italy - the entry point for thousands of migrants, mainly from Africa - had threatened to veto the summit's entire agenda if it did not receive help.
Resettlement of genuine refugees would also take place on a voluntary basis.
There were no details on which countries would host the centres or receive refugees.
The numbers illegally entering the EU have dropped 96% since their 2015 peak, the European Council says.
Could the migration crisis finish the EU?
Reality Check: Is Italy taking in thousands of migrants?
'Used as a slave' in a Libyan detention centre
The EU leaders' joint communique also speaks of restricting the movement of asylum seekers between EU states.
"After this European summit, Europe is more responsible and offers more solidarity," said Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte. "Today Italy is no longer alone."
But German Chancellor Angela Merkel said more needed to be done to resolve disagreements.
The EU's new migrant prisons?
By the BBC's Adam Fleming in Brussels
A few things stand out as wins for Italy's new prime minister. The summit's conclusions now include a statement about the need for boats that pick up migrants in the Mediterranean to respect international law.
But the big one is approval of the concept of closed, secure processing facilities for migrants arriving in the EU. Some say this will make it easier to send back people whose claims for asylum are rejected, others are already describing them as prisons.
This paragraph is full of caveats, commas and sub-clauses - all the hallmarks of something drafted in the middle of the night.
Another striking pledge is for an ambitious partnership with Africa. That's the EU trying to balance its tough internal approach with a friendly external one, and offering incentives to North African countries to host facilities where migrants can be assessed for resettlement in Europe.
What else has been agreed?
The 28 EU leaders also agreed several other measures:
strengthening external border controls, and boosting financing for Turkey and countries in North Africa
exploring the possibility of "regional disembarkation platforms", which are aimed at breaking the business model of people-smuggling gangs by processing refugees and migrants outside the EU. However getting North African countries to host such centres could be very difficult and Morocco again on Thursday rejected the idea
internal measures taken by member states to stop migrants moving within the EU, which the agreement said undermined asylum policy and the border-free Schengen travel area
more investment in Africa to help the continent achieve a "substantial socio-economic transformation" so people no longer leave for a better life
Further work to reform EU asylum policy, including changes to the so-called Dublin regulation under which migrants must be considered for asylum in the first safe country where they arrive
Whose needs does the deal meet?
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte had earlier taken the rare step of blocking the conclusions of the joint communique until the leaders had settled the migration issue. Both Italy and Greece want other countries to share the burden.
However several Central European states have so far rejected an EU scheme to relocate 160,000 refugees from overcrowded camps in Greece and Italy.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel had said that the migration issue could be a defining moment for the EU - but she also needed the summit to avert a political crisis at home that could bring down her government.
Migrant crisis: EU border force Frontex explained
Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, from her Bavarian coalition partner, the CSU, had given her a deadline of this weekend. He has threatened to start turning away migrants who have already registered elsewhere from the border in his home state.
Merkel's Bavarian ally threatens migrant mutiny
Braving slavery horrors for European dream
Trapped in a country everyone wants to leave
Without the CSU, Mrs Merkel would lose her parliamentary majority.
It is unclear whether the measures agreed will be enough, and speaking to reporters at 05:00 local time (03:00 GMT), she acknowledged the EU still had "a lot of work to do to bridge the different views".
How many migrants are entering the EU?
The flows of people include refugees fleeing the Syrian war and other conflicts, urgently seeking asylum.
It is not a crisis on the scale of 2015, when thousands were coming ashore daily on the Greek islands.
But this month's tensions over migrant rescue ships barred from entry to Italian ports - most recently the German charity ship Lifeline - have put the issue firmly back in the EU spotlight.
Reality Check: Who is responsible for migrants at sea?
The Aquarius: Migrant taxi service or charitable rescuers?
The Lifeline was only allowed to dock in Malta after intense diplomacy among several EU states, who each agreed to take some of the migrants on board. Malta said that Norway had now also agreed to take a share.
Thursday, June 28, 2018
Warren Buffett: If you invest this way, 'you can't miss' - CNBC
Warren Buffett: If you invest this way, 'you can't miss'
Emmie Martin | @emmiemartin 2:05 PM ET Fri, 1 June 2018
Warren Buffett
David A. Grogan | CNBC
Warren Buffett
When Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett makes investing decisions, he focuses on one thing only: the facts.
"You have to be able to play out your hand under all circumstances," Buffett told shareholders in 2006. "But if you can play out your hand, and you've got the right facts, and you reason by yourself, and you let the market serve you and not instruct you, you can't miss."
Your opinions and emotions aren't likely to help you. "Being contrarian has no special virtue over being a trend follower," Buffett says. Instead, the Oracle of Omaha suggests taking a pragmatic approach to investing decisions. First, gather all of your facts. Next, learn how to dissect them to find the pertinent information you need to make your decision. For Buffett, that means looking for the pieces that are "important and knowable."
"If something's important but unknowable, forget it," he says. "I mean, it may be important whether somebody's going to drop a nuclear weapon tomorrow, but it's unknowable."
These quotes reveal Warren Buffett's legendary business mind These quotes reveal Warren Buffett's legendary business mind
Focus on the variables that you do have at your disposal. Once you've narrowed down your information, "then you decide whether you have information of sufficient value that — compared to price and all that — will cause you to act," Buffett explains.
Whether or not you choose to invest in something should be based on your research, not on your reaction to what other people are doing and saying. As Buffett puts it, "what others are doing means nothing."
That's why Buffett recommends doing your homework beforehand and investing in solid companies that will last, rather than trying to time the market or react to your anxieties. Concentrate on the facts, not how you're feeling.
"Don't watch the market closely," he told CNBC in 2016 amid wild fluctuations. "If they're trying to buy and sell stocks, and worry when they go down a little bit … and think they should maybe sell them when they go up, they're not going to have very good results."
The best investors in the world share these traits, says Tony Robbins The best investors in the world share these traits, says Tony Robbins
Fellow billionaire Ray Dalio agrees. Though it's tempting to sell when the market begins to drop, he says, giving in to your fear is not a sound strategy.
"You can not possibly succeed that way," Dalio said at the Harvard Kennedy School's Institute of Politics. "You've got to do the opposite. It's when you're not scared you probably want to sell, and when you are scared, you probably want to buy."
Even when the market it tumultuous, it's helpful to tune out other investors and concentrate on what you know.
"You're right because your facts and reasoning are right," Buffett told shareholders. "So all you do is you try to make sure that the facts you have are correct. And that's usually pretty easy to do in this country. I mean, information is available on all kinds of things. Internet makes it even easier."
Emmie Martin | @emmiemartin 2:05 PM ET Fri, 1 June 2018
Warren Buffett
David A. Grogan | CNBC
Warren Buffett
When Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett makes investing decisions, he focuses on one thing only: the facts.
"You have to be able to play out your hand under all circumstances," Buffett told shareholders in 2006. "But if you can play out your hand, and you've got the right facts, and you reason by yourself, and you let the market serve you and not instruct you, you can't miss."
Your opinions and emotions aren't likely to help you. "Being contrarian has no special virtue over being a trend follower," Buffett says. Instead, the Oracle of Omaha suggests taking a pragmatic approach to investing decisions. First, gather all of your facts. Next, learn how to dissect them to find the pertinent information you need to make your decision. For Buffett, that means looking for the pieces that are "important and knowable."
"If something's important but unknowable, forget it," he says. "I mean, it may be important whether somebody's going to drop a nuclear weapon tomorrow, but it's unknowable."
These quotes reveal Warren Buffett's legendary business mind These quotes reveal Warren Buffett's legendary business mind
Focus on the variables that you do have at your disposal. Once you've narrowed down your information, "then you decide whether you have information of sufficient value that — compared to price and all that — will cause you to act," Buffett explains.
Whether or not you choose to invest in something should be based on your research, not on your reaction to what other people are doing and saying. As Buffett puts it, "what others are doing means nothing."
That's why Buffett recommends doing your homework beforehand and investing in solid companies that will last, rather than trying to time the market or react to your anxieties. Concentrate on the facts, not how you're feeling.
"Don't watch the market closely," he told CNBC in 2016 amid wild fluctuations. "If they're trying to buy and sell stocks, and worry when they go down a little bit … and think they should maybe sell them when they go up, they're not going to have very good results."
The best investors in the world share these traits, says Tony Robbins The best investors in the world share these traits, says Tony Robbins
Fellow billionaire Ray Dalio agrees. Though it's tempting to sell when the market begins to drop, he says, giving in to your fear is not a sound strategy.
"You can not possibly succeed that way," Dalio said at the Harvard Kennedy School's Institute of Politics. "You've got to do the opposite. It's when you're not scared you probably want to sell, and when you are scared, you probably want to buy."
Even when the market it tumultuous, it's helpful to tune out other investors and concentrate on what you know.
"You're right because your facts and reasoning are right," Buffett told shareholders. "So all you do is you try to make sure that the facts you have are correct. And that's usually pretty easy to do in this country. I mean, information is available on all kinds of things. Internet makes it even easier."
France brings back national service for all 16-year-olds - Daily Mail
France brings back national service for all 16-year-olds
France will re-introduce mandatory 'national service' for all young 16-year-old
Conscript service will last one month with an option to extend up to a year
The national service was a campaign pledge by Emmanuel Macron
By SARA MALM FOR MAILONLINE and AFP
PUBLISHED: 17:36 AEST, 28 June 2018 | UPDATED: 17:50 AEST, 28 June 2018
France is bringing back compulsory national service for 16-year-olds, fulfilling one of President Emmanuel Macron's campaign pledges.
Conscripts will be made to serve for one month, with a focus on civic service as well as military training, and the option of extending the placement of up to a year.
Military conscript service was scrapped in 1996, leaving Macron the first ever French President not to have served in the army.
It's back: French President Emmanuel Macron is bringing back compulsory national service for 16-year-olds +2
It's back: French President Emmanuel Macron is bringing back compulsory national service for 16-year-olds
During his presidential campaign, Macron promised to make all young people spend a month getting 'a direct experience of military life with its know-how and demands'.
He billed it as a way to build social cohesion and patriotism in a country battling deep divisions, by bringing young people from different backgrounds together in a barracks.
President Macron holds lengthy closed door discussions on...
Has Banksy taken aim at the French government? British...
The new Service National Universel [Universal National Service], which is being trialled from 2019 is reportedly a watered-down version of Macron's original idea.
The mandatory one-month placement is intended to 'enable young people to create new relationships and develop their role in society,' according to the French government.
Focus will be on charity work as well as traditional military training which will be carried out within the police, emergency services or the French army.
Military fan: Macron watches the annual Bastille Day military parade in Paris last July, in the company of U.S. President Donald Trump +2
Military fan: Macron watches the annual Bastille Day military parade in Paris last July, in the company of U.S. President Donald Trump
Once the month is completed, the conscripts will have the option of extending the service of three months to a year.
France's last conscripts were demobilised in 2001, ending nearly a century of military service which saw millions of men put through their paces.
While some French men look back fondly on their stint in the army, many middle-class youths called in well-placed contacts - or feigned mental health problems - to duck out of it.
In January, Macron - the first French president not to have been called up to serve, having come of age after it ended - insisted he was not trying to resurrect the tradition which was ended by ex-president Jacques Chirac.
He said his aim was to give young men and women alike 'causes to defend and battles to fight in the social, environmental and cultural domains.'
France will re-introduce mandatory 'national service' for all young 16-year-old
Conscript service will last one month with an option to extend up to a year
The national service was a campaign pledge by Emmanuel Macron
By SARA MALM FOR MAILONLINE and AFP
PUBLISHED: 17:36 AEST, 28 June 2018 | UPDATED: 17:50 AEST, 28 June 2018
France is bringing back compulsory national service for 16-year-olds, fulfilling one of President Emmanuel Macron's campaign pledges.
Conscripts will be made to serve for one month, with a focus on civic service as well as military training, and the option of extending the placement of up to a year.
Military conscript service was scrapped in 1996, leaving Macron the first ever French President not to have served in the army.
It's back: French President Emmanuel Macron is bringing back compulsory national service for 16-year-olds +2
It's back: French President Emmanuel Macron is bringing back compulsory national service for 16-year-olds
During his presidential campaign, Macron promised to make all young people spend a month getting 'a direct experience of military life with its know-how and demands'.
He billed it as a way to build social cohesion and patriotism in a country battling deep divisions, by bringing young people from different backgrounds together in a barracks.
President Macron holds lengthy closed door discussions on...
Has Banksy taken aim at the French government? British...
The new Service National Universel [Universal National Service], which is being trialled from 2019 is reportedly a watered-down version of Macron's original idea.
The mandatory one-month placement is intended to 'enable young people to create new relationships and develop their role in society,' according to the French government.
Focus will be on charity work as well as traditional military training which will be carried out within the police, emergency services or the French army.
Military fan: Macron watches the annual Bastille Day military parade in Paris last July, in the company of U.S. President Donald Trump +2
Military fan: Macron watches the annual Bastille Day military parade in Paris last July, in the company of U.S. President Donald Trump
Once the month is completed, the conscripts will have the option of extending the service of three months to a year.
France's last conscripts were demobilised in 2001, ending nearly a century of military service which saw millions of men put through their paces.
While some French men look back fondly on their stint in the army, many middle-class youths called in well-placed contacts - or feigned mental health problems - to duck out of it.
In January, Macron - the first French president not to have been called up to serve, having come of age after it ended - insisted he was not trying to resurrect the tradition which was ended by ex-president Jacques Chirac.
He said his aim was to give young men and women alike 'causes to defend and battles to fight in the social, environmental and cultural domains.'
In Supreme Court pick, Trump can push conservative social agenda - Reuters
JUNE 28, 2018
In Supreme Court pick, Trump can push conservative social agenda
Steve Holland, Lawrence Hurley
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - With a second Supreme Court pick less than 18 months into his presidency, Donald Trump is poised to cement conservative control of the court and fire up supporters eager for a rightward shift on divisive social issues.
U.S. President Donald Trump arrives to speak at a rally in support of Rep. Kevin Cramer's run for Senate in Fargo, North Dakota, U.S., June 27, 2018. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
Shortly after Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement on Wednesday, White House officials said Trump had an opportunity to shape U.S. justice for decades to come.
“It will further his agenda of remaking the courts,” said one senior White House official. “This is a legacy.”
Speaking of the selection at a rally in North Dakota on Wednesday night, Trump said: “We have to pick a great one. We have to pick one that’s going to be there for 40 years, 45 years.”
Kennedy’s replacement could be pivotal in paring back abortion rights, potentially even challenging the Supreme Court’s landmark Roe v. Wade ruling in 1973 that gave women a constitutional right to obtain the procedure.
Undoing or at least putting more limits on that ruling has been a dream of conservative activists and contributed to conservative Christian support for Trump that helped him win the presidency in 2016.
Although Kennedy was a conservative nominated by Republican President Ronald Reagan, he was seen as the “swing vote” on the court because he joined with liberal justices on some major issues, including expanding gay rights and upholding abortion rights.
By picking a social conservative to replace Kennedy, Trump would have a reliable 5-4 majority on the Supreme Court, even on some of those hot-button social issues.
While Trump did not make rolling back abortion rights a central plank of his campaign, many of the conservative rank and file want Roe v. Wade overturned and Trump promised to put anti-abortion justices on the Supreme Court.
But picking an ultra-conservative as his nominee would carry risk because Trump would have to rely on some moderate Republicans to win approval in the U.S. Senate, where his fellow Republicans have a narrow majority.
White House officials said Trump was likely to quickly begin interviewing candidates from a list of 25 people that the conservative Federalist Society helped draw up, with an eye to getting the new justice confirmed by the Senate in the autumn.
They believe the timing could help Trump boost conservative voters’ enthusiasm and turnout at congressional elections in November. Republicans are fighting to maintain control of both houses of Congress, with opinion polls showing Democrats have a strong chance of winning back the House of Representatives.
“Any time you’re in a midterm election year, you’re going to have a concern about whether your base will turn out,” said one official. “A high-profile Supreme Court battle will certainly remind all your voters what is at stake.”
RECENT WINS
The sharply divided high court has already handed Trump a series of other wins in politically charged cases in recent weeks.
On Tuesday, it upheld Trump’s travel ban on people entering the United States from several majority-Muslim countries.
Led by Chief Justice John Roberts, the court during its term that started in October and ended on Wednesday repeatedly ruled for Trump on 5-4 votes with its four liberals dissenting.
Despite previously siding with liberal justices in some key cases, Kennedy was a reliable conservative vote during the latest term.
Those victories, coupled with Kennedy’s retirement, could embolden the administration’s lawyers, who are facing legal challenges on multiple fronts, including over Trump’s move to separate families who enter the United States illegally and his plan to rescind protections for “Dreamers,” young adults brought to he country illegally as children.
U.S. Supreme Court is seen in Washington, U.S., October 3, 2016. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas
An open seat on the Supreme Court was an important factor in rallying conservatives behind Trump’s presidential election campaign in 2016. He used every opportunity to tell voters only he stood in the way of the court taking a turn to the left should Democrat Hillary Clinton win.
Trump quickly delivered on that promise by selecting Neil Gorsuch, who has become one of the most conservative justices.
Trump has also filled a record-breaking number of seats on the influential federal appeals courts - appointing 21 judges in total – with the enthusiastic backing of the Senate, which votes to confirm them. Trump has also appointed 20 District Court judges.
Trump appeared to be excited on Wednesday about the new opportunity to reshape the federal judiciary in a conservative direction.
“We will begin our search for a new justice of the United States Supreme Court. That will begin immediately,” Trump said at the White House. “And hopefully we’re going to pick somebody who will be as outstanding.”
Reporting by Steve Holland and Lawrence Hurley; Editing by Kieran Murray and Peter Cooney
In Supreme Court pick, Trump can push conservative social agenda
Steve Holland, Lawrence Hurley
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - With a second Supreme Court pick less than 18 months into his presidency, Donald Trump is poised to cement conservative control of the court and fire up supporters eager for a rightward shift on divisive social issues.
U.S. President Donald Trump arrives to speak at a rally in support of Rep. Kevin Cramer's run for Senate in Fargo, North Dakota, U.S., June 27, 2018. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
Shortly after Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement on Wednesday, White House officials said Trump had an opportunity to shape U.S. justice for decades to come.
“It will further his agenda of remaking the courts,” said one senior White House official. “This is a legacy.”
Speaking of the selection at a rally in North Dakota on Wednesday night, Trump said: “We have to pick a great one. We have to pick one that’s going to be there for 40 years, 45 years.”
Kennedy’s replacement could be pivotal in paring back abortion rights, potentially even challenging the Supreme Court’s landmark Roe v. Wade ruling in 1973 that gave women a constitutional right to obtain the procedure.
Undoing or at least putting more limits on that ruling has been a dream of conservative activists and contributed to conservative Christian support for Trump that helped him win the presidency in 2016.
Although Kennedy was a conservative nominated by Republican President Ronald Reagan, he was seen as the “swing vote” on the court because he joined with liberal justices on some major issues, including expanding gay rights and upholding abortion rights.
By picking a social conservative to replace Kennedy, Trump would have a reliable 5-4 majority on the Supreme Court, even on some of those hot-button social issues.
While Trump did not make rolling back abortion rights a central plank of his campaign, many of the conservative rank and file want Roe v. Wade overturned and Trump promised to put anti-abortion justices on the Supreme Court.
But picking an ultra-conservative as his nominee would carry risk because Trump would have to rely on some moderate Republicans to win approval in the U.S. Senate, where his fellow Republicans have a narrow majority.
White House officials said Trump was likely to quickly begin interviewing candidates from a list of 25 people that the conservative Federalist Society helped draw up, with an eye to getting the new justice confirmed by the Senate in the autumn.
They believe the timing could help Trump boost conservative voters’ enthusiasm and turnout at congressional elections in November. Republicans are fighting to maintain control of both houses of Congress, with opinion polls showing Democrats have a strong chance of winning back the House of Representatives.
“Any time you’re in a midterm election year, you’re going to have a concern about whether your base will turn out,” said one official. “A high-profile Supreme Court battle will certainly remind all your voters what is at stake.”
RECENT WINS
The sharply divided high court has already handed Trump a series of other wins in politically charged cases in recent weeks.
On Tuesday, it upheld Trump’s travel ban on people entering the United States from several majority-Muslim countries.
Led by Chief Justice John Roberts, the court during its term that started in October and ended on Wednesday repeatedly ruled for Trump on 5-4 votes with its four liberals dissenting.
Despite previously siding with liberal justices in some key cases, Kennedy was a reliable conservative vote during the latest term.
Those victories, coupled with Kennedy’s retirement, could embolden the administration’s lawyers, who are facing legal challenges on multiple fronts, including over Trump’s move to separate families who enter the United States illegally and his plan to rescind protections for “Dreamers,” young adults brought to he country illegally as children.
U.S. Supreme Court is seen in Washington, U.S., October 3, 2016. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas
An open seat on the Supreme Court was an important factor in rallying conservatives behind Trump’s presidential election campaign in 2016. He used every opportunity to tell voters only he stood in the way of the court taking a turn to the left should Democrat Hillary Clinton win.
Trump quickly delivered on that promise by selecting Neil Gorsuch, who has become one of the most conservative justices.
Trump has also filled a record-breaking number of seats on the influential federal appeals courts - appointing 21 judges in total – with the enthusiastic backing of the Senate, which votes to confirm them. Trump has also appointed 20 District Court judges.
Trump appeared to be excited on Wednesday about the new opportunity to reshape the federal judiciary in a conservative direction.
“We will begin our search for a new justice of the United States Supreme Court. That will begin immediately,” Trump said at the White House. “And hopefully we’re going to pick somebody who will be as outstanding.”
Reporting by Steve Holland and Lawrence Hurley; Editing by Kieran Murray and Peter Cooney
Brexit: May warned over 'disappointing' progress in talks - BBC News
June 28, 2018
Brexit: May warned over 'disappointing' progress in talks
Mrs May will address EU leaders at a working dinner
Theresa May has been warned that time is running out to secure a Brexit deal as she prepares to face the other 27 EU leaders at a summit in Brussels.
The PM will brief all her counterparts for the last time before October, when both sides hope a deal will be done on the UK's March 2019 departure.
But Irish leader Leo Varadkar said the lack of progress was "disappointing".
He said he expected fellow leaders to send a "strong message" to Mrs May that talks had to "intensify".
The prime minister, who has been under unrelenting pressure at home within her own party, has called her cabinet together for what has been billed as a make-or-break meeting at Chequers on 6 July to agree the UK's blueprint for its future relations with the EU.
Could the migration crisis finish the EU?
Bank warning for EU over Brexit progress
Brexit date could be delayed, says Blair
Divisions over the UK's customs arrangements after December 2020, when the transition period agreed with the EU is due to end, have yet to be resolved, as have arguments over the future movement of goods and people across the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
Mrs May's former top aide, Nick Timothy, has urged her to face down her opponents in the cabinet, telling the Daily Telegraph the "time for playing nice and being exploited are over".
With less than nine months to go before the UK's scheduled exit, leading businesses have said the time has come for clarity and issued warnings about the impact on jobs of leaving the EU without an agreement.
'Strong message'
The prime minister will hold a number of face-to-face meetings with European counterparts on day one of the two-day summit, the main focus of which will be on the migration challenges facing Europe and eurozone reform.
Is the EU punishing the UK?
The remaining 27 EU leaders will discuss Brexit on their own on Friday morning, by which point Mrs May is expected to have left Brussels.
On the eve of the summit, Mr Varadkar said he wanted "detailed proposals" from the UK on how it would honour the "clear commitments" made in December about the Irish border and citizens' rights.
Persuasion, not detail
By the BBC's political editor Laura Kuenssberg
There is no expectation that the prime minister will arrive in Brussels with a magic key to unlock the Brexit process.
But Theresa May heads to the Belgian capital later with a promise at least that within 10 days she will have been able to persuade her cabinet to agree more of the UK's vision for life outside the EU.
And that she will be able to put a detailed and ambitious vision into words in a White Paper to be published not long after - the UK's blueprint of how trade, customs, agriculture, and so many other areas might work after Brexit.
That, she hopes, in mid-July will usher in a genuine discussion about the long-term relationship between the country and the rest of the continent.
This summit therefore is not about technical negotiations, but about promises and persuasion, for the prime minister to convey that she is in charge of her agenda.
Read Laura's full blog
"Time is running out for the Withdrawal Agreement to be concluded satisfactorily by the October European Council," he said.
"I expect EU leaders to send a strong message to the UK that negotiations with the taskforce need to intensify."
The EU's negotiator Michel Barnier has said "serious divergences" remain over the question of backstop arrangements for the Irish border if neither of the UK's proposed customs proposals are deemed workable.
'Solidarity'
Elsewhere, Mrs May will seek to show solidarity with the rest of Europe in their efforts to deal with illegal migrant flows across the Mediterranean from Africa and the Middle East.
The issue has divided Europe for more than two years but tensions have increased since the election of a populist government in Italy, which has pledged to crack down on unlawful migration, and growing political uncertainty in Germany amid a backlash against Chancellor Angela Merkel's immigration policies.
The Irish prime minister says the UK must up the pace
Mrs May is expected to stress the need to tackle the problem of people smuggling at its source, citing the success of a project in Nigeria where once the dangers of crossing the Mediterranean were explained to people, their attitudes to illegal working in the UK changed.
On security, the prime minister will call for collective action against misinformation, cyber warfare and money laundering by "hostile states" such as Russia. One example of this, she will say, is the UK's sharing of details of Russian intelligence officers expelled after the attacks on Sergei and Yulia Skripal in Salisbury with EU allies.
The working dinner will coincide with England's final World Cup group game against Belgium, whose prime minister Charles Michel will also be present.
The UK's permanent representative in Brussels couldn't say how much of the match Mrs May, who on Wednesday ordered St George's flags to be flown above No 10 for remaining England games, would see.
Brexit: May warned over 'disappointing' progress in talks
Mrs May will address EU leaders at a working dinner
Theresa May has been warned that time is running out to secure a Brexit deal as she prepares to face the other 27 EU leaders at a summit in Brussels.
The PM will brief all her counterparts for the last time before October, when both sides hope a deal will be done on the UK's March 2019 departure.
But Irish leader Leo Varadkar said the lack of progress was "disappointing".
He said he expected fellow leaders to send a "strong message" to Mrs May that talks had to "intensify".
The prime minister, who has been under unrelenting pressure at home within her own party, has called her cabinet together for what has been billed as a make-or-break meeting at Chequers on 6 July to agree the UK's blueprint for its future relations with the EU.
Could the migration crisis finish the EU?
Bank warning for EU over Brexit progress
Brexit date could be delayed, says Blair
Divisions over the UK's customs arrangements after December 2020, when the transition period agreed with the EU is due to end, have yet to be resolved, as have arguments over the future movement of goods and people across the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
Mrs May's former top aide, Nick Timothy, has urged her to face down her opponents in the cabinet, telling the Daily Telegraph the "time for playing nice and being exploited are over".
With less than nine months to go before the UK's scheduled exit, leading businesses have said the time has come for clarity and issued warnings about the impact on jobs of leaving the EU without an agreement.
'Strong message'
The prime minister will hold a number of face-to-face meetings with European counterparts on day one of the two-day summit, the main focus of which will be on the migration challenges facing Europe and eurozone reform.
Is the EU punishing the UK?
The remaining 27 EU leaders will discuss Brexit on their own on Friday morning, by which point Mrs May is expected to have left Brussels.
On the eve of the summit, Mr Varadkar said he wanted "detailed proposals" from the UK on how it would honour the "clear commitments" made in December about the Irish border and citizens' rights.
Persuasion, not detail
By the BBC's political editor Laura Kuenssberg
There is no expectation that the prime minister will arrive in Brussels with a magic key to unlock the Brexit process.
But Theresa May heads to the Belgian capital later with a promise at least that within 10 days she will have been able to persuade her cabinet to agree more of the UK's vision for life outside the EU.
And that she will be able to put a detailed and ambitious vision into words in a White Paper to be published not long after - the UK's blueprint of how trade, customs, agriculture, and so many other areas might work after Brexit.
That, she hopes, in mid-July will usher in a genuine discussion about the long-term relationship between the country and the rest of the continent.
This summit therefore is not about technical negotiations, but about promises and persuasion, for the prime minister to convey that she is in charge of her agenda.
Read Laura's full blog
"Time is running out for the Withdrawal Agreement to be concluded satisfactorily by the October European Council," he said.
"I expect EU leaders to send a strong message to the UK that negotiations with the taskforce need to intensify."
The EU's negotiator Michel Barnier has said "serious divergences" remain over the question of backstop arrangements for the Irish border if neither of the UK's proposed customs proposals are deemed workable.
'Solidarity'
Elsewhere, Mrs May will seek to show solidarity with the rest of Europe in their efforts to deal with illegal migrant flows across the Mediterranean from Africa and the Middle East.
The issue has divided Europe for more than two years but tensions have increased since the election of a populist government in Italy, which has pledged to crack down on unlawful migration, and growing political uncertainty in Germany amid a backlash against Chancellor Angela Merkel's immigration policies.
The Irish prime minister says the UK must up the pace
Mrs May is expected to stress the need to tackle the problem of people smuggling at its source, citing the success of a project in Nigeria where once the dangers of crossing the Mediterranean were explained to people, their attitudes to illegal working in the UK changed.
On security, the prime minister will call for collective action against misinformation, cyber warfare and money laundering by "hostile states" such as Russia. One example of this, she will say, is the UK's sharing of details of Russian intelligence officers expelled after the attacks on Sergei and Yulia Skripal in Salisbury with EU allies.
The working dinner will coincide with England's final World Cup group game against Belgium, whose prime minister Charles Michel will also be present.
The UK's permanent representative in Brussels couldn't say how much of the match Mrs May, who on Wednesday ordered St George's flags to be flown above No 10 for remaining England games, would see.
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