| Trump warns Iran against 'another massacre of peaceful protesters' Posted: 11 Jan 2020 05:31 PM PST  US President Donald Trump warned Iran against cracking down on protests that broke out after it admitted shooting down an airliner by mistake, killing all 176 people aboard. "The government of Iran must allow human rights groups to monitor and report facts from the ground on the ongoing protests by the Iranian people," Trump tweeted. AFP correspondents said hundreds of students had gathered early in the evening at Amir Kabir University, in downtown Tehran, to pay respects to those killed in the air disaster.
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| Trump Tweets Out Support for Iranian Protesters—in Farsi Posted: 11 Jan 2020 05:07 PM PST  President Trump took to Twitter late Saturday to offer a message of solidarity with Iranian anti-government protesters—and he did it in Farsi. Usually known for his erratic capitalization and spelling mistakes on Twitter, the president made waves with the tweet, which was addressed to the "long-suffering people of Iran" and came after protests erupted in Tehran following Iran's admission that it mistakenly shot down a Ukrainian passenger plane and killed all 176 people on board."I've stood with you since the beginning of my Presidency, and my Administration will continue to stand with you," Trump said. "We are following your protests closely, and are inspired by your courage." Trump sent out two Farsi-language tweets on the protests, both accompanied by their English translations. In addition to expressing support for the protesters, the president also called on Iran to allow "human rights groups to monitor" the demonstrations and warned against "another massacre of peaceful protesters." The tweets come after protests erupted Saturday in Tehran, with thousands taking to the streets to demand government officials and even the Supreme Leader step down over the downed plane. Iran's armed forces announced early Saturday that its military had accidentally shot down Ukrainian International Airlines Flight 752 after it was mistaken for a "hostile target" when it went towards a "sensitive military center" of the Revolutionary Guard. The plane was shot down amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran, and just hours after Iranian forces fired missiles at Iraqi bases housing U.S. troops in retaliation for the American airstrike that killed top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani. Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said in a tweet that "human error at time of crisis caused by U.S. adventurism led to disaster," according to an internal investigation by the Armed Forces.Trump did not immediately respond to the thinly veiled jab by Zarif, and he spent much of the day on Saturday tweeting about his approval rating, his border wall, and the shortcomings of his political opponents before chiming in on the growing protests in Tehran. His stern tone and Farsi-language tweets seemed a far cry from his warning to Iran just a week ago that the U.S. was ready to strike 52 sites in the country—including those "important to Iranian culture"—if any American assets were damaged or harmed. Many on social media also questioned the sincerity of Trump's tweets, noting that he had banned all Iranians from entering the United States during the first month of his presidency as part of an executive order widely known as the "Muslim ban." The Trump administration later updated the order to allow Iranians with student visas or cultural exchange visas into the country, but the Associated Press reported yesterday that the White House is currently considering an expansion of the ban.Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| Gambian exiled ex-president demands return in leaked recording Posted: 11 Jan 2020 04:50 PM PST  Former Gambian dictator Yahya Jammeh, forced into exile in 2017, has been heard in a leaked recording demanding that his right to return be respected by the authorities. Jammeh has hardly been heard from since fleeing to Equatorial Guinea. In a statement published at the time of his exile, the African Union, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the United Nations committed to working with the Gambian government to ensure Jammeh's security and rights, in particular his right to return.
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| Iran’s Saturday of Rage: Online Anger Pours Into the Streets Posted: 11 Jan 2020 04:10 PM PST  Saturday, January 11, the first day of the week in Iran's calendar, has been a very long day for Iranians. I write these lines as the morning after has already dawned. The day started with the Iranian armed forces publicly accepting responsibility for shooting down the Ukrainian airliner, Flight 752, as covered by IranWire earlier today. The government's shocking announcement has led to a mass outpouring of anger. Much of the anger was aired on social media before leading to mass protests in Tehran later in the day. The shooting down of the passenger plane is already being billed as Iran's Chernobyl moment, the 1986 disaster in the Soviet Ukraine which exposed all the incompetence, state deception and rot in that regime. The plane crash saga has done the same for the Islamic Republic and users on social media have been pointing to some of its possible implications. There is a widespread sense that Iran's government was only forced into admitting its responsibility under pressure from governments such as Canada, which lost more than 60 of its citizens in the crash, most of them dual citizens of Iranian background."What makes me cry more than anything is that, if many of the passengers didn't hold other citizenships, this horrible truth wouldn't have been exposed,"one user said.Pointing to the red flags that were raised for the slain Revolutionary Guards general Qassem Soleimani, during the public demonstrations and funeral following his assassination in a US airstrike on January 3rd, and Iran's promises of revenge, another user posted a picture of those who died on the flight and asked: "Who will take revenge for these beautiful people? Where can we raise red flags for them?"Many tweets were more overt in their anger. One user used expletives and dared the government to do what it recently did to quell nationwide protests: "Cut the internet! Send the IRGC and Basij forces against the people!"More prominent figures and commentators inside and outside Iran have also been adding their criticism to the rising chorus. From his detention in Tehran, Mehdi Karroubi, a leader of the 2009 opposition Green Movement, called on the commander-in-chief, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to resign, arguing that he lacks the basic qualifications to be the country's leader.. Yaser Mirdamadi, an Islamic Studies scholar in London who happens to be Khamenei's cousin, has offered a number of arguments suggesting that the Islamic Republic cares more for the lives of foreigners than its own citizens. For instance, the fact that the Revolutionary Guards missile attacks on US bases in Iraq last week carefully avoided causing any US casualties. Or the fact that the civilian flights of many countries in the region (Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain) seem to have been cancelled during the Middle East crisis whereas flights in Iranian airspace itself were allowed to continue.On the streetsA vigil for the victims of Flight 752 had been called for 5:30 p.m. in front of Tehran's Amir Kabir University, an institution with a history of dissent. According to an eyewitness account shared with IranWire from Tehran, people started gathering even before 5 p.m. and the vigil quickly led to mass protests. The chants became radicalized and political as the protests went on."Incompetent authorities must resign!" was one of the early chants; in turn, it was quickly followed by a question from the crowd: "Who is their resignation good for? They should be tried." Chants of "Resignation is not enough, trials should be held" were the result.But where should the buck stop? Many beyond Karroubi have dared to go all the way to the top, to the country's Supreme leader. "All these years of crimes! Down with this Supreme Leader!" was a slogan that rang out late in the protest. "We didn't lose lives to praise the murderer leader," was another. Plainclothes officers were seen around the protests and they were met with massive jeers and expletives from the gathered people. With hundreds killed during last year's Iran-wide November protests, Iranians are aware of the high stakes involved in any fresh demonstrations. IranWire's eyewitness report some of the conversations on the streets today."This time, even if they kill us all, we won't go home, they must resign," one protester said.A young man accompanied by his concerned mother bitterly likened himself to Pouya Bakhtiari, the 27-year-old man who had gone to the protests with his mother and was shot dead by security forces, becoming a symbol for demonstrators around the country. Unlike those protests, which were led by people suffering economic hardship, many of them in smaller cities, this time the middle classes have ignited the protests. Many speak of the need for unity between the working and middle classes to lead a viable and representative opposition movement.Flight 752 has instantly become a national tragedy–and a source of national shame–that has caused even Iranian celebrities to join the vigil and to voice their anger through social media. The banned director Jafar Panahi, widely recognized as one of Iran's most important and internationally renowned filmmakers, attended the vigil today along with actresses such as Hedye Tehrani, Parastoo Salehi and Hanie Tavasolli.As the crowd of the Islamic Republic's victims grows larger and larger, the rank of those standing against it also grows.Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. 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| Firefighter dies as Australia plans to adapt to wildfires Posted: 11 Jan 2020 04:02 PM PST  Another firefighter has died battling the Australian wildfire crisis and the prime minister on Sunday said his government was adapting and building resilience to the fire danger posed by climate change. The firefighter — one of the few professionals among mainly volunteer brigades battling blazes across southeast Australia — died on Saturday near Omeo in eastern Victoria state, Victorian Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp said. Four of the casualties were firefighters.
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| U.K. Jews Say Rift With Corbyn’s Labour Will Take Decade to Heal Posted: 11 Jan 2020 04:01 PM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Antisemitism became so rife in Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party it will take at least 10 years to repair the "destroyed" relationship with the U.K.'s Jewish community, a key representative group warned."I don't think you can underestimate the impact of the culture that exists in the Labour Party at the moment," Marie van der Zyl, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said in an interview. "There has been a lot of relief that they didn't win the election."The stark message comes as the main U.K. opposition party begins the process to replace Corbyn, who announced he would step down after the landslide election defeat to Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Conservatives on Dec. 12. Labour has been dogged by accusations of antisemitism since Corbyn became leader in 2015, and his election campaign was dramatically undermined when Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis questioned whether he was fit to run the country."The relationship between Labour and the Jewish community, once rock solid, has been all but destroyed," the Board of Deputies said in a statement. "Rebuilding will take more than mild expressions of regret."The group, made up of elected representatives from almost 300 synagogues and local Jewish organizations nationwide, published a list of 10 pledges it wants the next leader to make. They include using an independent body for the party's disciplinary process and ensuring anyone suspended or expelled from Labour over antisemitism is deprived of a platform for their views.'Resolve'The pledges "give Labour a clear route to navigate its way from the anti-Jewish racism which has blighted the party," said van der Zyl, laying the blame for the problem squarely with Corbyn. "It's going to require a huge amount of resolve from the leadership."Several candidates for the leadership have expressed the need to address discrimination against Jewish people in the party, which is currently under investigation by the Equality and Human Rights Commission.Current front-runner Keir Starmer, Labour's Brexit spokesman, listed antisemitism as one of the main reasons the party lost the election. "Cumulatively, we lost the public's trust in the Labour Party as a force for good and a force for change," he told the BBC.Another candidate, Jess Phillips -- a member of the Labour Friends of Israel parliamentary group -- is a strong critic of Corbyn and has slammed his "woeful response" to the antisemitism crisis.The deadline for nominations in the Labour leadership contest is on Monday, with the winner due to be announced on April 4."I hope that we can see change," said van der Zyl. "Many people historically had a very deep connection with Labour, including my own family. But many people are now completely disenfranchised, and have got no political home."To contact the reporter on this story: Olivia Konotey-Ahulu in London at okonoteyahul@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, Stuart Biggs, Thomas PennyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Russia to Iran: Don’t Admit Guilt—Blame the U.S. Instead Posted: 11 Jan 2020 03:52 PM PST  After initial denials of responsibility, having been confronted with mounting evidence, Iran finally acknowledged that it accidentally shot down the Ukrainian passenger jet earlier this week, killing all 176 people aboard. Following the admission, Iranian protesters have demanded Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei step down. "Commander-in-chief [Khamenei] resign, resign," chanted hundreds of people in front of Tehran's Amir Kabir University on Saturday. Speaking from Tehran, Dorsa Jabbari told Al Jazeera, "There is a lot of anger. Iranians are demanding justice and accountability. Many people including families of the victims are in shock. They do not understand why their government would have lied to them for this long."There is also a lot of anger in Russia, but for an entirely different reason. Yuri Shvytkin, deputy head of the State Duma's Defense Committee, criticized the position of the Iranian authorities, who admitted their responsibility for shooting down the Ukrainian airliner. Shvytkin told Russian radio station Moscow Speaks that the Iranians should have blamed the United States for the incident. He said, "It was a missile strike provoked by the United States, that is, Iran's retaliatory actions were unintentional. It's necessary to condemn both the actions of the United States and the actions of Iran regarding the downed plane. Within the framework of the events that took place, in the turmoil due to insufficient professional actions and hasty decisions regarding the guidance and launch of a missile, it is theoretically possible to allow this."Russian senator Alexei Pushkov echoed the same position, stating: "The United States carry their part of the responsibility for this tragedy," arguing that America creates conditions leading to wars all over the world. Pushkov also took a jab at Ukraine, claiming that whenever Ukraine calls Iran's actions irresponsible, it should be reminded about not closing its airspace for the flight of the Malaysian Boeing MH17. The Russian senator disingenuously complained that Ukraine "is still not admitting its fault" for not closing the Ukrainian airspace, "which is the reason for the crash of the Malaysian Boeing." In reality, Russia—not Ukraine—was proven to be responsible for shooting down the passenger jet over Donbas, killing all 298 on board.Vladimir Dzhabarov, graduate of the FSB Academy, who serves as the first Deputy Chair of the International Affairs Committee of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation, also laid the responsibility for the downing of the passenger airliner by Iran on the United States of America, blaming the U.S. for "staging a provocation that led to human casualties" that started with the killing of Qassem Soleimani.Some American critics of the U.S. administration have made similar arguments, claiming the shoot-down was the result of an artificial crisis created by President Donald Trump. But the Russians went much, much further.In the run-up to Iran's admission, Russian propagandists were looking to absolve the Iranians of any responsibility. Various theories aired by Kremlin-controlled Russian state television ranged from technological issues to the possibility of a terrorist act. Russia's Federal News Agency (RIA FAN) pushed the boundaries even further, promoting an outlandish conspiracy theory that an American drone shot down the passenger airliner. RIA FAN is a known offshoot of the notorious Russian troll factory known as the Internet Research Agency (IRA), indicted by Special Counsel Robert Mueller for U.S. election interference. RIA FAN continues to operate various media ventures targeting Americans. After spreading a conspiracy theory that blamed the United States for the downing of the Ukrainian passenger jet, RIA FAN proudly reported what could be considered the outcome of its successful influence operation: "Americans are convinced that the Boeing was shot down by the United States." It's also entirely possible that at least some of the comments allegedly posted by Americans and referenced in the article actually represent the work product of the St. Petersburg troll factory. Before the Iranian government came clean about the tragedy, Kremlin propagandists laid the groundwork of plausible deniability for their allies. Appearing on news talk show 60 Minutes produced by Russian state TV channel Rossiya-24, Dmitry Abzalov, President of the "Center for Strategic Communications," dismissed any possibility that Iranian missiles could have shot down the Ukrainian airliner. He claimed that if any missile launches took place that night, photos and videos of those strikes "would have already been shown on CNN and Fox News." Abzalov claimed that any accusations against Iran were "nothing more than a provocation" by the United States and the Iranian government's willingness to turn over the "black boxes" to the Ukrainian authorities represented further proof of Iran's total innocence.During the state TV show 60 Minutes, Russian military expert Igor Korotchenko claimed that allegations by the Ukrainian authorities that the Russian-made Tor missile system was used to target the jet were nothing more than "Russophobia" by the Ukrainian "scoundrels." Korotchenko is an editor-in-chief of the National Defense magazine, founder and director of the Center for the Analysis of the World Arms Trade and a Member of the Public Council under the Russian Ministry of Defense. He falsely claimed that Russian Tor systems "simply don't exist near the [Tehran] airport." "There were no Tor systems in the area of the catastrophe," he claimed, asserting that statements pinning the blame on the Iranians using Russian Tor systems represented "info-wars" launched by the competitors of Russian arms dealers.Korotchenko proceeded to accuse Ukraine—which lost 11 of its citizens in the downed airliner —of not being trustworthy, disingenuously complaining that it never admitted "to shooting down the Malaysian Boeing MH-17,"despite the overwhelming evidence proving Russia's responsibility for that incident. He demanded that Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky "punish and fire" his administration officials who alleged that the Ukrainian airliner was shot down by the Iranian military using Russian-made Tor systems—allegations that have now proved accurate.Hosts and panelists of 60 Minutes breathlessly accused Ukraine of irresponsibly "spreading conspiracy theories." Igor Morozov, Deputy Chair of the Russian Federation Council Committee on Science, Education and Culture, complained that allegations about Iran's use of the Russian-made Tor missile systems to shoot down the Ukrainian airliner were merely fabrications, the result of "Russophobia" and ongoing "info-wars" against Russia. Arguably, no one knows more about info-wars than the Kremlin, whose tactics often include the dissemination of outlandish conspiracy theories. The Iranian government seemingly caught Russian propagandists off-guard by opting finally to tell the truth. Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| U.K. Says Iran Detained Ambassador as Protests Hit Tehran Posted: 11 Jan 2020 03:42 PM PST |
| Trudeau vows justice, compensation after Iran admits role in downed plane Posted: 11 Jan 2020 03:02 PM PST  "Iran must take full responsibility," the Canadian prime minister said.
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| British ambassador to Iran arrested and held for several hours in Tehran after attending vigil Posted: 11 Jan 2020 02:16 PM PST  Britain's ambassador to Iran, Rob Macaire, has been arrested and held for several hours after attending a vigil for the victims of the Ukraine plane crash which turned into demonstration. Details of his arrest were announced by the country's semi-official Tasnim news agency and prompted an angry response from Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab. "The arrest of our Ambassador in Tehran without grounds or explanation is a flagrant violation of international law," he said. "The Iranian government is at a crossroads moment. It can continue its march towards pariah status with all the political and economic isolation that entails, or take steps to deescalate tensions and engage in a diplomatic path forwards." It is understood that the event which Mr Macaire attended had been advertised as a vigil at Amir Kabir University for the 176 victims of the Tehran plane crash last week. He and another member of the embassy staff left once the vigil turned into a protest. Britain's ambassador to Iran, Rob Macaire Mr Macaire was arrested on his way back to the embassy after getting a haircut. He was held for three hours before being released, following the intervention of the Iranian foreign ministry. The Tasnim news agency, which is affiliated with the Revolutionary Guard, claimed Mr Macaire was in the midst of the rally accusing him of trying to "organise, instigate and direct some of the radical and destructive actions." It said Mr Macaire, who was safely back at the embassy is to be summoned and prosecuted on Sunday. Where Flight PS752 disappeared from the radar in Iran An unverified photograph appeared to show Mr Macaire in a black coat and grey scarf sitting in the back of a van after his arrest. Mr Macaire has often been the target of Iranian government anger with the UK and he was summoned to the country's foreign ministry earlier this week for a formal protests over comments made by Boris Johnson. Protestors gather at Amir Kabir university in Tehran to show sympathy for victims of the Ukraine Interntaional Airlines plane crash A Farsi speaker, Mr Macaire has been the UK ambassador to Iran since April 2018, succeeding Nicholas Hopton An Oxford history graduate, Mr Macaire, 53, joined the Foreign Office in 1990. On taking his appointment Mr Macaire said he wanted to maintain Britain's continued engagement with Iran, which he described as "vital to our goal of making the Middle East region a safer and more stable place." He added that he looked forward "to working with the Government of Iran and with international partners to preserve the nuclear deal and deepen our bilateral relationship, through constructive engagement on human rights, trade, and seeking political solutions to the conflicts in Yemen, Syria and elsewhere." He previously served in Bucharest, Washington, New Delhi and in Nairobi where he was appointed British High Commissioner. Mr Macaire, who is married with two daughters, previously he worked at the Ministry of Defence and also had a stint in the private sector, assuming the role of Director of Government/Public Affairs and Political Risk at BG Group plc.
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| Bernie Sanders Enjoys Newly Found Frontrunner Status in Iowa Posted: 11 Jan 2020 01:15 PM PST |
| Iran's sole female Olympic medallist defects Posted: 11 Jan 2020 01:09 PM PST  Iran's only female Olympic medallist Kimia Alizadeh announced Saturday she has permanently left her country, citing the "hypocrisy" of a system she claims humiliates athletes while using them for political ends. "Should I start with hello, goodbye, or condolences?" she wrote on Instagram, as Iran reeled from Wednesday's accidental shooting down of a Ukrainian airliner that killed all 176 people onboard. Alizadeh, who won a bronze medal in taekwondo at the 2016 Rio Olympics, cited oppression by authorities in the Islamic republic.
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| Why traders playing oil like it’s 2010 are 'getting their heads handed to them' Posted: 11 Jan 2020 12:33 PM PST  Crude oil traders who bet on a major price surge after U.S.-Iran tensions flared last week ended up losing big.
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| Prime minister Justin Trudeau calls deadly plane shooting a 'national tragedy,' Canadian crash team en route to Iran to investigate Posted: 11 Jan 2020 12:20 PM PST  Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said a crash team was en route to Iran to participate in the investigation of the plane crash that killed 176 people, including 57 Canadians. The crash of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 Wednesday occurred about three hours after Iran fired multiple missiles into Iraq, targeting U.S. military sites in retaliation for the American drone strike that killed Qassem Soleimani, one of its top generals.
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| Putin says Nord Stream 2 to be completed by early 2021 Posted: 11 Jan 2020 11:38 AM PST  Russian President Vladimir Putin said Saturday that he hopes work on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline will be finished by early next year. "I hope that by the end of this year, or in the first quarter of next year, work will be finished and the gas pipeline will start operating," Putin told a joint press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel after talks at the Kremlin. The United States last month imposed sanctions on firms working on the almost-completed pipeline, which will double gas shipments to Germany and is a key part of Moscow's export strategy for state energy giant Gazprom.
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| Iranians anguished after military admits shooting down Ukrainian jet Posted: 11 Jan 2020 11:27 AM PST  Iranians are taking to social media to express their grief, shock and anger after authorities admitted that the Iranian military had "unintentionally" shot down the Ukrainian passenger plane that crashed near Tehran Wednesday morning, killing all 176 passengers and crew members on board. According to the Fars News Agency, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had asked members of the Supreme National Security Council on Friday to "explicitly and honestly" inform the people of what happened. The crash of Flight 752 occurred about three hours after Iran fired more than a dozen missiles at U.S. military bases in Iraq, in retaliation for the American drone strike that killed Qassem Soleimani, a top general of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
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| Iran standoff shines spotlight on new Trump security adviser Posted: 11 Jan 2020 11:15 AM PST  In a defining week for President Donald Trump on the world stage, national security adviser Robert O'Brien was a constant presence at the president's side as the U.S. edged to the brink of war with Iran and back again. The contrasts with O'Brien's predecessor along the way — in secret consultations at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, in the Oval Office and in basement deliberations in the White House Situation Room — could not have been more stark. While former national security adviser John Bolton spent decades as a conservative iconoclast in the public arena, O'Brien is far from a household name.
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| Republican senator backs Bernie Sanders’ plan to cut off Trump's funding for military action in Iran Posted: 11 Jan 2020 11:04 AM PST  One of America's most conservative senators has teamed up with the Senate's only socialist to try to limit Donald Trump's ability to send US forces to war in the Middle East.Utah Republican Mike Lee said he would co-sponsor Bernie Sanders' No War With Iran Act, which would prevent federal funds being used for military action against Iran without Congress's express approval.
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| The Trump administration has apparently changed its mind on one aspect of China talks Posted: 11 Jan 2020 10:51 AM PST  Within the "Phase 1" trade deal between the U.S. and China expected to be signed on Jan. 15 is a sub-agreement that would revive a format of semi-annual discussions between the two powers similar to those utilized by the Bush and Obama administrations, The Wall Street Journal reports.The discussions, which will be led by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and likely Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, are different from the next phase of the trade deal. They'll be more general in scope and reportedly a way for officials at all levels in both countries to bridge the gap and strengthen their relationships.President Trump shut down similar plans earlier in his Oval Office tenure. But despite some tough rhetoric throughout the trade war, it looks like another sign (along with the first phase) that his administration is getting back in the negotiating mindset for the long haul. Indeed, the Journal notes the framework of the new agreement is similar in concept to the Strategic Economic Dialogue started by the George W. Bush administration, which was then broadened under the Obama administration. The Trump administration used to show little interest in continuing the legacy, but the revival appears to be right around the corner now.Trump's former adviser Stephen Bannon wasn't pleased a dialogue-heavy initiative is coming back, arguing it's mere "window dressing," but Myron Brilliant, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's vice president, told the Journal a "structured process" is necessary for addressing "serious issues with China." Read more at The Wall Street Journal.More stories from theweek.com 5 royally funny cartoons about Harry and Meghan's exit Trump is setting up a massive nuclear crisis with Iran The ground game takes center stage in Ravens-Titans clash
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| Storms sweep southern US, Midwest as death toll rises to 11 Posted: 11 Jan 2020 10:49 AM PST  Severe storms sweeping across southern portions of the U.S. and up into the Midwest were blamed Saturday in the deaths of at least 11 people, including two first responders, as high winds, tornadoes and unrelenting rain battered large swaths of the country. Storm-related fatalities were reported in Texas due to icy weather, in Alabama from a deadly tornado and in Louisiana, where winds were so strong that a trailer home was lifted off its foundation and carried several hundred feet. A man drowned in Oklahoma and the storms even touched the Midwest with at least one death on an icy highway in Iowa.
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| Ukraine's president wants a 'full admission of guilt' and compensation from Iran after it shot down a commercial plane Posted: 11 Jan 2020 10:22 AM PST  Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he wants a full investigation, a full apology, and compensation for Iran's actions in the plane crash.
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| Joe Biden holds a commanding lead among black voters, new poll shows Posted: 11 Jan 2020 10:22 AM PST  In one of the most extensive studies so far on the views of the 2020 presidential race among black voters conducted by The Washington Post and non-partisan research firm, Ipsos, former Vice President Joe Biden is holding on to a commanding lead over the rest of the Democratic field.Biden picked up 48 percent of the vote in the survey, which amounts to a whopping 28 point lead over the next candidate in line, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). Voters referenced Biden's experience and ability to take on President Trump head to head as some of the reasons he's garnered their support to date. In the South, which could be a key region for picking up delegates in the primaries, Biden's doing even better at 53 percent.> NEW: WaPo/Ipsos poll of black Democratic voters> > Biden 48% > Sanders 20% > Warren 9% > Bloomberg 4% > Booker 4% > Yang 3% > Buttigieg 2% > Steyer 2%> > (769 Black Dem registered voters, MoE: +/- 4 points) https://t.co/SpI6PfAIj4> > — Johnny Verhovek (@JTHVerhovek) January 11, 2020The notable exception to Biden's dominance is age. Black voters between 18 and 34 support Sanders at 42 percent, thanks to his policies on housing and student debt, for example, per the Post. Still, Biden remains in second place among the demographic with 30 percent. > This is part of @JoeBiden's big weaknesses with younger voters: "Though Biden leads his rivals by more than 2 to 1 overall, he trails Sanders by 42 percent to 30 percent among black Democrats ages 18 to 34."> > — Ed O'Keefe (@edokeefe) January 11, 2020The Post-Ipsos survey was conducted online between Jan. 2-8 from a sample of 769 Democratic-leaning black voters. The margin of error is 3.5 percentage points. Read more at The Washington Post.More stories from theweek.com 5 royally funny cartoons about Harry and Meghan's exit Trump is setting up a massive nuclear crisis with Iran The ground game takes center stage in Ravens-Titans clash
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| Instagram removes posts backing slain Iranian leader to obey US sanctions Posted: 11 Jan 2020 10:17 AM PST  Instagram appears to be caught in the crossfire of international politics. Facebook has confirmed to CNN that it pulled posts and accounts supporting slain Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani in order to obey US sanctions against the country's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its leaders. The International Federation of Journalists noted that some of the accounts had been restored, but the pro-Soleimani posts were still gone -- and some of the accounts that were offline included whole news agencies. As Instagram is one of the few social media services that isn't blocked in Iran, this limits both the outside world's ability to see Iranian perspectives (even if they're dictated by the state) and the country's ability to disseminate news on less contentious topics.
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| Somali terrorist group, al-Shabaab, threatens to attack US targets around the world Posted: 11 Jan 2020 10:15 AM PST  The Somali terrorist outfit al-Shabaab has threatened to strike at American targets around the world days after it mounted a deadly and unprecedented attack on US forces stationed in Kenya. Emboldened by the unexpected success of last Sunday's assault on a military base in northern Kenya's Manda Bay region, the jihadist group, a franchise of al-Qaeda, promised "further bloodshed" against American soldiers and civilians alike. The attack, which exposed a troubling lack of security, leaves the Trump administration struggling to deal with a significant and growing military challenge at a time when it is already preoccupied by its face-off with Iran. The US Army's Africa Command (AFRICOM) has scrambled to respond to the attack, sending combat-ready reinforcements from the 101st Airborne Division to northern Kenya and stepping up airstrikes against al-Shabaab in neighbouring Somalia. But it has yet to explain how a lightly-armed detachment of Islamist fighters, probably numbering no more than 15, managed to cross into Kenya, advance unspotted on foot across 50 miles of bush before killing three Americans and wrecking six hi-tech surveillance aircraft. Although al-Shabaab has waged an insurgency against the Somali government and foreign forces stationed in Somalia for more than a decade, it was only in September that the group began to target the United States in earnest. al-Shabaab The shift in emphasis is seen in part as retaliation for a surge in US drone strikes targeting the group's leadership since Donald Trump became president in January 2017. A Shabaab attack on American troops stationed at Baledogle near the Somali capital late last year failed to inflict casualties. Since then, however, Ahmed Diriye, the group's leader, has instructed all units, as well as affiliated East African groups, to concentrate almost exclusively on attacking the United States and its allies. British troops stationed in Somalia could well find themselves in the firing line, said Harun Maruf, co-author of "Inside al-Shabaab: The Secret History of al-Qaeda's Most Powerful Ally." Some 60 British army personnel are stationed in Somalia. Mr Maruf said a British military training facility in the southern town of Baidoa was a possible al-Shabaab target, although he also noted it was well protected by Ethiopian troops, by far the most effective African army operating in Somalia. The attack on Manda Bay, the deadliest in terms of American combat deaths in Africa since 2017, is likely to renew calls from Trump administration isolationists to reduce US troops numbers on the continent. al-SHabaab threaten to attack US bases across the world They argue that al-Shabaab is unlikely ever to attack the United States itself and that stationing US troops in East Africa is not just costly but merely serves to give the group a target. Stig Jarle Hansen, an al-Shabaab expert and author of "Horn, Sahel and Rift: Fault-lines of the African Jihad" warns that an a withdrawal from Somalia would, as in Syria, create a vacuum that might be filled by Russia, among others — as well as allowing the potential rise of an extremist state in the country deeply hostile to the West. In the aftermath of the Manda Bay attack, Senior US officers in Africa were quick to emphasise the importance of keeping troops in place. Gen Stephen Townsend, AFRICOM's commanding officer, went so far as to deliver an implicit rebuke of Trump administration officials who thought al-Shabaab would never attack the United States itself. "Al-Shabaab is ruthless and must be dealt with before the network expands its reach to other places, to include their stated desire to strike US citizens on the US homeland," he said. "This al-Qaeda-aligned terrorist network has demonstrated an ability to conduct external attacks previously and will continue to do so unless they are countered where they reside."
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| Putin Says He Hasn’t Sent Russian Mercenaries to Libya Posted: 11 Jan 2020 10:14 AM PST |
| On the brink: Swing county tense as Trump tangles with Iran Posted: 11 Jan 2020 09:53 AM PST  Michael Ingram's son, Michael Jr., died in Afghanistan in 2010 at age 23. Every day since, Ingram has prayed for American presidents to end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and bring every last soldier home. Instead, it seemed to him this week that the United States was edging perilously close to another one.
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| U.S. could reportedly bar Iraq from accessing key bank account if troops forced to leave Posted: 11 Jan 2020 09:49 AM PST  While a good chunk of Iraq's parliament wants American troops to begin a safe withdrawal from the country in the wake of heightened tensions between the U.S. and Iran, Washington is in turn threatening to block Baghdad's access to its central bank account held at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York in an effort to keep the forces in place, Iraqi officials told The Wall Street Journal.Iraq, like many other countries, maintains government accounts at the New York Fed, which helps them manage national finances, including revenue from oil sales. If the government can't access those accounts, it'd reportedly due some significant damage to an already-struggling Iraqi economy. An official in Mahdi's office said the prime minister received a warning about the bank account during a phone call Wednesday.The warning appears to have some members of the Iraqi government on edge, with officials stressing the need to maintain friendly ties with the U.S. despite pressure from pro-Iran militias. Some have pointed out that international pressure on Iraq's economy would hurt Baghdad's efforts to answer to its citizens, who have launched massive anti-government protests in recent months. "The U.S. Fed basically has a stranglehold on the entire [Iraqi] economy," said Shwan Taha, chairman of Iraqi investment bank Rabee Securities.Others, like Mahdi adviser Abd al-Hassanein al-Hanein, think the U.S. is bluffing. "If the U.S. does that, it will lose Iraq forever," he said. Read more at The Wall Street Journal.More stories from theweek.com 5 royally funny cartoons about Harry and Meghan's exit Trump is setting up a massive nuclear crisis with Iran The ground game takes center stage in Ravens-Titans clash
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| Trump goes on Twitter tear as Pelosi readies articles of impeachment Posted: 11 Jan 2020 09:38 AM PST  Trump unloaded on Pelosi and the Democrats in a series of tweets, lambasting impeachment as well as critics of his military confrontation with Iran.
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| Iran protesters take to the streets over shooting down of Ukrainian airliner Posted: 11 Jan 2020 09:08 AM PST  Protesters took to the streets of Tehran on Saturday night after the regime was forced into the embarrassing admission that it accidentally shot down a civilian airliner. After three days of officially denying any involvement in the crash, Iran abruptly reversed course and said "human error" had led its forces to shoot down Flight PS752 after mistaking it for a US cruise missile. The announcement was met with fury on the streets of Tehran, where crowds of students gathered to denounce the Revolutionary Guard. "Shame on you," the protesters shouted. "End your rule over the country." The surging anger over the crash and the days of false denials comes at a sensitive moment in Iran and just weeks after the regime's forces killed hundreds of civilians while crushing nationwide protests. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei quickly insisted he was not responsible for misleading the public about the real cause of the Ukraine crash and moved to place the blame on the military. "As soon as the supreme leader was informed of the catastrophic mistake" he ordered the truth to be "made known to the people explicitly and honestly," the semi-official Fars news agency reported. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei tried to distance himself from blame Credit: IRANIAN SUPREME LEADER PRESS OFFICE / HANDOUT/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images In an official statement on his website, he ordered the military to address "shortcomings" and expressed "sincere condolences" but stopped short of apologising for the crash. There were indications that the relatively moderate circle around Hassan Rouhani, Iran's president, was also seizing the moment to push blame towards its hardline rivals inside the Revolutionary Guard. Hesamedin Ashena, an advisor to Mr Rouhani, said the Revolutionary Guard had "cheated" the public by denying its involvement in Wednesday's disaster. "What they regarded as news was a lie. What they regarded as a lie was actually the news," he said. "May god save us from cover ups." The anger directed towards the Revolutionary Guard marked a sharp reversal from earlier in the week, when an estimated million people turned out to the public funeral of Qassim Soleimani, one of the force's top leaders, and many celebrated Iran's missile barrage against the US. General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the same commander who triumphantly took credit for the missile attack on US forces in Iraq on Wednesday, appeared looking forlorn in front of state television cameras yesterday to take responsibility for his men's mistake. Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, aerospace commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, pointing at a map during a televised press conference Credit: Photo by -/IRINN/AFP via Getty Images "When I learned of this error, I wished to die. I accept all responsibility for this," the general said, in a rare expression of remorse from a senior Revolutionary Guard figure. He said his forces had been braced for US retaliation to the missiles fired hours earlier and that a single air defence operator had mistaken the Boeing 737 for an incoming US cruise missile and made the decision to fire. "He had ten seconds to decide. He could have decided to strike or not to strike and under such circumstances he took the wrong decision," Gen Hajizadeh. Despite the show of transparency, Iran was still facing serious questions over how it could have shot the aircraft down early on Wednesday yet still insisted until Friday night that the crash had been the result of engine failure or some other mechanical problem. There was also confusion over whether the government tried to halt civilian flights after the missile attack, with the Revolutionary Guard saying it called for the grounding of civilian aircraft but aviation authorities saying they received no such order. Mr Rouhani promised Iran would continue to investigate the crash and suggested his government would prosecute those responsible. "The armed forces' internal investigation has concluded that regrettably missiles fired due to human error caused the horrific crash of the Ukrainian plane and death of 176 innocent people. Investigations continue to identify and prosecute this great tragedy and unforgivable mistake," he said. Armed Forces' internal investigation has concluded that regrettably missiles fired due to human error caused the horrific crash of the Ukrainian plane & death of 176 innocent people. Investigations continue to identify & prosecute this great tragedy & unforgivable mistake. PS752— Hassan Rouhani (@HassanRouhani) January 11, 2020 The Iranian president was due to speak to Volodymyr Zelensky, his Ukrainian counterpart, about the disaster on Saturday. Ukraine said it was heartened by Iran's admission of responsibility but Mr Zelensky also demanded that Iran "bring the guilty to the courts" as well as pay compensation. "We hope the inquiry will be pursued without deliberate delay and without obstruction," he said. One Ukrainian MP compared Iran's behaviour favourably with Russia's years of denials that it was responsible for the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014 despite widespread evidence of Russian involvement. "Iran has shown itself more civilised than Russia," said Volodymyr Ariev, a pro-Western MP. "Tehran has admitted its guilt in three days while Russia continues to try to get out of it." The acknowledgement of responsibility will have been especially difficult for Iran because of the legacy of Iran Air 655, a civilian passenger jet accidentally shot down by the US Navy in 1988, killing all 290 aboard. While the US admitted responsibility and apologised, Iran has long insisted that US forces deliberately shot down the aircraft and the memory of the doomed flight is often invoked by Iranian politicians as a symbol of American brutality. Tehran now finds itself in the same position the US was 31 years ago as it tries to explain how it could mistake a slow-moving civilian airliner travelling along a normal flight path for an incoming missile attack. The Revolutionary Guard claimed that the Ukrainian aircraft had turned off its planned course and was heading towards a sensitive military area but that was quickly contradicted by Iran's civil aviation agency, which said the flight maintained a normal course after it left Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport at 6.12am. In the flight's final moments it was far from its planned trajectory and heading in the wrong direction. But analysts said that was likely because it had veered out of control after being struck by the missile and flown a wide arc before crashing. Logs showed that at least eight other flights took off from the airport inbetween the time Iran fired its missile barrage and the shootdown of flight PS752 and that flights resumed again just over an hour after the crash.
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| Taiwan deals blow to China in crucial presidential election Posted: 11 Jan 2020 08:18 AM PST  China was just dealt a significant blow in what one expert has described as potentially the year's most consequential presidential election.Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen won a second term after a landslide electoral victory Saturday, despite efforts from China to sway the outcome. Tsai secured a record 8 million votes, which amounted to 57.3 percent of the electorate compared to just 38.5 percent from her opponent Han Kuo-yu, who conceded.Tsai favors independence from China and has pointed to the anti-Beijing, pro-Democracy protests in Hong Kong as a warning for what could come in Taiwan if China doesn't take its foot off the gas in its attempts to reel the self-ruled island more tightly into its orbit. Han's party, meanwhile, is friendly with Beijing. Tsai was reportedly trailing badly in the polls just a year ago, but increasing aggression from Beijing toward Taiwan helped vault her back into office. "The results of this election carry an added significance," she told reporters after her victory. "They have shown that when our sovereignty is threatened, the Taiwanese people will shout our determination even more loudly back."Natasha Kassam, a former Australian diplomat who now works with the Lowy Institute in Sydney, concurred with Tsai's assessment of the election's importance. "Not only is Taiwan a proxy for much of the world's strategy to deal with the consequences of an increasingly authoritarian China, but also Taiwan has been on the front lines of the Chinese Communist Party's aggression for decades," she told The Washington Post. Read more at The Washington Post.More stories from theweek.com 5 royally funny cartoons about Harry and Meghan's exit Trump is setting up a massive nuclear crisis with Iran The ground game takes center stage in Ravens-Titans clash
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| Most Germans Want Merkel to Stick Around Until 2021, Poll Shows Posted: 11 Jan 2020 08:17 AM PST |
| Syria airstrikes kill 10 in rebel-held area despite truce Posted: 11 Jan 2020 08:10 AM PST  Syrian government warplanes struck several rebel-held areas in the country's northwest on Saturday, killing at least 10 people and wounding dozens, opposition activist said. A cease-fire supposedly went into effect Thursday, according to Russia's Defense Ministry. Russia is a main backer of Syrian President Bashar Assad, while Turkey is a strong supporter of some of the insurgents fighting against him.
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| Trump's birthday letter to Kim might not be enough to save North Korea talks Posted: 11 Jan 2020 07:50 AM PST  Birthday wishes don't solve everything, apparently.In a statement published Saturday by North Korean state media, Kim Kye Gwan — a foreign ministry official and top adviser to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un — said Pyongyang has been "deceived" by the United States and will not engage in talks similar to the one between President Trump and Kim that took place last year in Vietnam. The statement said past denuclearization negotiations with Washington amounted to nothing but "lost time" for North Korea.The news comes shortly after President Trump sent Kim a letter for his birthday. It appears the North Korean leader may have appreciated the letter since Kim Kye Gwan said Kim still does have "good personal feelings" for Trump. But he added those feelings were just that — personal; they don't, he hinted, reflect the current state of the relationship between the two countries.The adviser also had some harsh words for South Korea, whom he accused of meddling in U.S.-North Korea relations after Seoul announced Trump had asked South Korea to help deliver the birthday message. Read more at CNN and The Hill.More stories from theweek.com 5 royally funny cartoons about Harry and Meghan's exit Trump is setting up a massive nuclear crisis with Iran The ground game takes center stage in Ravens-Titans clash
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| Four dead as severe storm sweeps through southern US Posted: 11 Jan 2020 07:38 AM PST  Authorities say at least four people have died as severe storms sweep across parts of the U.S. South, bringing high winds and unrelenting rain. The Bossier Parish Sheriff's Office in Louisiana said on Facebook that firefighters found the bodies of an elderly couple Saturday near their demolished trailer. Bossier Parish Sheriff Julian Whittington told The Associated Press that a truck driver and a Benton police officer had a close call after being shocked by a downed power line.
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| German and Russian leaders discuss Mideast tensions Posted: 11 Jan 2020 07:19 AM PST  German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks in Moscow on Saturday to discuss growing tensions in the Middle East and other issues. Earlier in the week, the German leader's spokesman described Russia as "indispensable when it comes to solving political conflicts" due to its status as a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council. Germany and Russia are among the world powers that have been trying to salvage the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran after the United States withdrew from the agreement unilaterally in 2018.
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| Bush's Iraq hawks had Trump's back this week Posted: 11 Jan 2020 07:11 AM PST |
| Stephanie Grisham: Trump's Press Secretary Who Doesn't Meet the Press Posted: 11 Jan 2020 06:56 AM PST  It's not every day that the White House press secretary is offered $200,000 to appear on camera and explain the president's decisions -- any of them -- to the public.But as one of the most consequential weeks in President Donald Trump's tenure draws to a close, the world beyond the Beltway is beginning to notice that Stephanie Grisham -- unlike her predecessors, colleagues and boss -- does not appear to relish the talking-to-the-public part of her job.In six months as press secretary, Grisham has held zero briefings for reporters. When she does give interviews, she prefers to leave the West Wing via a side exit and is driven to a studio, rather than walk toward the cameras outside the White House and risk encountering a journalist along the way.Outside of appearances on Fox News, the One America News Network and the Sinclair Broadcast Group, she rarely goes on TV. Throughout her time in the job, Trump has wondered why she does not appear on television more often, according to two people familiar with his thinking.The country's pre-eminent political spokesperson is virtually unknown to the public. And as the Trump administration scrambled this week to coordinate a public explanation for the killing of an Iranian general, Grisham kept mostly out of sight. The night that Iran launched missiles into Iraq, she surfaced on Twitter -- after a briefing in the Situation Room with the president and other high-level advisers -- to accuse CNN of fabricating sources.Even those sympathetic to the Trump administration seemed befuddled. "If ever there was a time for more briefings, it was the last few days," said Ari Fleischer, a press secretary to President George W. Bush. He added, though, that briefings had become less useful, given the hostilities between the White House and its press corps.Grisham's under-the-radar style has caused consternation in Washington, where protocol is prized. Now she is facing the kind of scrutiny she has tried to avoid.On Friday, 13 former White House and military officials -- including press secretaries from the three administrations before Trump -- published a letter calling for the restoration of press briefings. "Credible men and women, standing in front of those iconic backgrounds at the White House, State Department and Pentagon, are essential to the work the United States must do in the world," they wrote.In response, Hogan Gidley, a White House spokesman, dismissed the letter writers as "D.C. establishment swamp creatures."Grisham was not cited by name. But on CNN this week, Anderson Cooper devoted a prime-time segment to why taxpayers should pay her $183,000 salary. And in a viral Twitter post, the author Don Winslow pledged to donate $100,000 to charity if Grisham agreed to answer questions from the White House press corps. The novelist Stephen King tossed another $100,000 into the pot.Her response was curt."If you have $200,000 to play with, why not just help children because it's a good thing to do?" Grisham, 43, said in an email to Jake Tapper of CNN.Grisham did take questions on Wednesday from the Sinclair anchor Eric Bolling, a former Fox News personality. She accused the media of "mourning" the death of Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani and shrugged off skeptics of her low-profile style."People aren't sure of me because I'm not out at the podium, I'm not fighting with them, it's not public, I'm not giving them their ratings," she said, adding: "I'm as accessible as I can be."It was vintage Trump White House: defiant, scorched-earth and unbothered about offending the journalists she is expected to interact with day to day.The view inside the White House is that Grisham -- who also serves as communications director for both Trump and the first lady, Melania Trump -- has improved her on-camera approach.In her early days as press secretary, Trump joked with aides that Grisham was "a studier," and that "she learned that from the first lady," according to a senior administration official who heard the exchange but was not authorized to comment on it publicly."When it comes to certain topics I've certainly left much of the Q-and-A to subject matter experts," Grisham said in an email. "They can answer technical questions and recognize the importance of classified information, which I believe better serves both the press and the public."Mick Mulvaney, Trump's acting chief of staff, was one of several White House officials who offered statements on Friday in praise of Grisham. "Stephanie has been doing exactly what the president wants and needs her to do," he said. "I continue to be baffled by a press corps that fails to see access to the president as preferable to access to a 20-minute briefing from a spokesperson."Mulvaney added: "We had a great week from a comms perspective."Unlike her predecessors, Sean Spicer and Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who had relationships with the national press corps after years in high-level politics, Grisham is a relative newcomer to the world of Washington spin.An aide in the Arizona House of Representatives, she joined the Trump campaign as a "wrangler," herding and feeding reporters on the trail. At the White House, she became Melania Trump's spokeswoman.Representing Donald Trump on the world stage is a different matter. Spicer and Sanders faced public scorn and savage "Saturday Night Live" imitations, not to mention the occasional ire of a president who believes he is his own best spokesman.Grisham was not spared such scrutiny: Reports surfaced of her two past arrests for driving under the influence. Later, she was praised for physically pushing for press access during a meeting between Trump and Kim Jong Un, the North Korean leader, on the Korean Peninsula.Her allies say Grisham's reluctance to expand her public profile is reasonable, given the way the job has evolved in the Trump era."The job of the press secretary is to speak in the absence of the president," Spicer said in an interview, noting that Trump frequently talks to journalists in informal settings like the Oval Office. "If the president is constantly engaging with the press, there's not as much need to be out in front."Still, Grisham's lack of visibility has sparked speculation among allies of the president that she may modify or step back from her role at the conclusion of Trump's impeachment trial in the Senate. She has said she has no plans to step back.Allies of Grisham said she spent a significant amount of her time working with individual reporters, and credited her with organizing an in-flux press shop. But some White House reporters complained that she was less accessible than her predecessors.Though Sanders sparred with the press corps, journalists often described her as helpful behind the scenes. Reporters helped organize a cocktail party in her honor when she took the job; after she was mocked at the White House Correspondents Dinner in 2018, journalists surrounded her at a reception to offer sympathies.Grisham has not cultivated that level of respect, but it is not clear she seeks it, either. Inside the West Wing, she is viewed as fiercely loyal to the president and his family -- and willing to channel Trump's slashing language and laissez-faire approach to facts.In an op-ed in September for The Washington Examiner, Grisham singled out The Washington Post for criticism and added a litany of complaints about coverage she deemed biased. "No wonder," she wrote, with Trumpian flourish, "the national media's popularity sits somewhere between smallpox and the plague."This article originally appeared in The New York Times.(C) 2020 The New York Times Company
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| In Taiwan Elections, President Tsai Ing-wen Triumphed, and China’s Fake News Failed Posted: 11 Jan 2020 06:47 AM PST  HONG KONG—The president of Taiwan, Tsai Ing-wen, has won reelection with a record-breaking 8 million votes, a major victory over Beijing's concerted campaign of lies and propaganda meant to support her opponent, Han Kuo-yu.Tsai's triumph on Saturday is not entirely a surprise. Polls had been predicting her win. But the outcome giving her a second term showed clearly that for most people in Taiwan the vote was about where the island will stand as the Chinese Communist Party and Xi Jinping become increasingly forceful in their actions to fold it under Beijing's governance. Will China Invade Hong Kong? Or Taiwan Instead?In early 2019, Xi gave his first major speech about Taiwan, calling Taiwanese independence a "dead end." He told Party officials that "unification between the two sides of the Strait is the great trend of history." Military action is on the table, should things fail to go as smoothly as he demands.Xi sees Taiwan's absorption into the People's Republic of China as a key goal during his tenure as CCP leader. Beijing uses multiple fronts to influence political developments across the Strait, at times through businesses that seek to curry favor in the mainland—including media organizations. Ahead of Taiwan's presidential election this week, waves of disinformation hit voters online. Tsai's victory suggests that even though Beijing's propaganda apparatus is massive (though at times clumsy), the existential threat posed by the People's Republic and its military discredits any notion that Taiwan will be able to maintain its own way of life under Communist Party rule.One false claim that persists is that Tsai's PhD from the London School of Economics is illegitimate. The rumor has circulated online and in pro-China outlets for months, and was co-opted by a columnist in Taiwan to claim that the Taiwanese president bribed the LSE Taiwan Research Program with £480,000 in exchange for her academic degree, weeks after the school issued a statement to clarify Tsai's status as an alumna.At the beginning of the year, when a Black Hawk helicopter crashed, killing eight people including Taiwan's top military official, fake news began circulating on social media and local television channels suggesting that Tsai was pushing her campaign hard to take advantage of the tragedy. In reality, she suspended her campaign for three days.As voting day neared, there were other attempts to damage Tsai. A candidate in the opposition party posted a falsified image online, showing Tsai with a banner that reads, "Fuck the Ministry of National Defense." Though the image was eventually removed, the candidate who uploaded it claimed it was real.On election day, fake news about an outbreak of a SARS-like disease circulated to discourage people from heading to voting stations.Tsai's election platform frames Taiwanese identity as one that is separate from that of mainland China, where the CCP is reshaping Chinese culture according to its own goals and interests. The president has frequently referred to the ongoing unrest in Hong Kong, which led to a landslide victory for the city's pro-democracy camp in an election in late November. If the CCP's framing of assimilation through "one country, two systems" isn't valid in Hong Kong, where Beijing's influence is already deeply rooted in the political machinery, then it's fair to ask: How could it possibly be adopted in Taiwan, which is functionally a sovereign nation?Taiwan has democratic elections, a central bank, as well as its own currency and military. Its social fabric differs from mainland China in fundamental ways, perhaps most obviously in how it handles gender issues—nearly 40 percent of legislators are women, and its parliament legalized gay marriage, making it the first government in Asia to do so.Han, Tsai's challenger and the mayor of Kaohsiung, failed to articulate a coherent policy for relations with the CCP. He denied that he is Beijing's preferred candidate, but indicated displeasure with Taiwanese textbooks emphasizing the island's own history rather than hooking into the grander narratives of Chinese civilization. "There has been a calculated decrease in the connection our young people feel toward Chinese culture," he said, claiming that there are dangers in weakening those "connections."When asked by a journalist whether he still thinks the CCP has not interfered with Taiwan's presidential election campaigns, Han feigned ignorance by saying, "You made my right ear deaf, let me switch to my left ear now."On his own, Han repeatedly has made sexist remarks on the campaign trail, from the incoherent "man's life is his lower body, woman's life is her upper body," to references to an erotic novel to describe Tsai's affiliation with her running mate. And the chairman of Han's party, the Kuomintang, which held a monopoly of power in Taiwan until the 1990s, said, "Tsai Ing-wen is a woman who brings bad luck," and claimed that since she doesn't have children, she would never understand the mindsets of anyone who is a parent.These attempts at character assassination were futile, and the fake news and disinformation pushed by Beijing and its proxies backfired. Instead of turning voters against Tsai, they galvanized support for her. In October, a government survey found that fewer than 2 percent of Taiwan's population favored unification with mainland China.CCP state organs have mastered the art of strangling the press and coercing mainland citizens into self-censorship, but have not been able to truly influence individuals whose culture isn't defined with the Party at its heart. Beijing's belligerence has instead revealed that it sees the people of Taiwan (and Hong Kong) as inferior, corrupted by the idea that they too have a say in how to be governed.Raining on China's Big Parade: Hong Kong Protests Give the Lie to 'One State, Two Systems'Since 2013, Xi Jinping has extolled his "Chinese Dream," a vaguely defined term that is meant to encapsulate the Party's ethos in national renewal and the CCP's elevated profile on the world stage. However, as in Hong Kong in November, the voters of Taiwan have chosen to reject Xi's fantasy. Across the Strait, CCP mouthpiece Global Times said that Tsai's victory led to "some [people] calling for a firm preparation for reunification," flicking at the idea of a military invasion. In the early evening on Saturday, when votes were still being counted, a host at the Kuomintang's headquarters said on stage, "We may have lost because of the media's fake news." He was correct, though in a manner he didn't intend.Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| John Bolton impeachment testimony will be blocked, Donald Trump says Posted: 11 Jan 2020 06:45 AM PST  * Trump tells Fox News he will invoke executive privilege * How to dump Trump: Rick Wilson on Running Against the DevilJohn Bolton will be blocked from testifying at Donald Trump's impeachment trial, the president has indicated, despite the former national security adviser insisting he would do so if he received a subpoena.Trump claimed in an interview with Fox News host Laura Ingraham on Friday night he would "love everybody to testify", including Bolton, secretary of state Mike Pompeo and acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney.But he went on to say "there are things that you can't do from the standpoint of executive privilege"."Especially a national security adviser," Trump added. "You can't have him explaining all of your statements about national security concerning Russia, China and North Korea, everything. You just can't do that."Asked if that meant he would invoke executive privilege to prevent Bolton from testifying, Trump said: "I think you have to for the sake of the office."Democrats believe Bolton, ousted by Trump last September, has key insight into the president's failed efforts to secure a so-called quid pro quo with the government of Ukraine.Trump is alleged to have demanded investigations into a conspiracy theory about election interference and unsubstantiated allegations of corruption involving Joe Biden, a possible rival in November's election, in return for almost $400m in crucial military aid and a White House meeting.Those efforts led to impeachment hearings in the Democrat-led House and ultimately two articles of impeachment, for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, that House speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Friday she would send to the Senate early next week.Impeachment hearings contained dramatic testimony from White House aides, including that Bolton had referred to approaches to Ukraine as a "drug deal" and refused to get involved.Bolton, who was ambassador to the United Nations under George W Bush, surprised the White House earlier this week by announcing he would testify at Trump's Senate trial if subpoenaed to do so. In a statement he said he had tried to "resolve serious competing issues" in weighing "my obligations both as a citizen and as a former national security adviser" and concluded that he was prepared to testify.There remains significant doubt, however, that the issue will come to a head, irrespective of Trump's pronouncement. Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell has joined other leading Republicans in asserting that no witnesses should be called, and claimed on Thursday to have enough votes to start the trial on that basis.Democrats need to persuade four Senate Republicans to join them in a vote on trial rules to allow witnesses. They received a glimmer of hope Friday when Susan Collins, a moderate from Maine, said she had been working with a small group of colleagues to find a compromise."We should be completely open to calling witnesses," Collins said, according to the Bangor Daily News.Trump's removal is a long shot. A two-thirds majority of 100 senators is required for a conviction and there are few indications any Republicans are likely to break ranks.Trump also had scathing words for Pelosi in the Fox News interview, saying it was "ridiculous" she had held on to the articles of impeachment for several weeks."She should have sent them a long time ago," he said. "It just belittles the process. Nancy Pelosi will go down as the least successful speaker of the House in the history of our nation. She has done nothing."
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| Pistol permit applications rise in NY community after attack Posted: 11 Jan 2020 06:40 AM PST |
| Trump Tweets Lie Accusing Dems of Defending Soleimani Posted: 11 Jan 2020 06:32 AM PST  President Donald Trump concocted a blatant lie in a tweet Saturday morning, accusing Democrats of "defending the life of Qassem Soleimani" who he called "one of the worst terrorists in history."There is no evidence that any Democrats have made such a defense. After Trump ally Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA) made a similar assertion earlier this week, he apologized soon thereafter.Russians Think Soleimani Was Great, and Trump's a Big LoserWriting on Twitter, the president asked, "Where have the Radical Left, Do Nothing Democrats gone when they have spent the last 3 days defending the life of Qassem Soleimani," adding, "He was also looking to do big future damage! 'Dems are "unhinged.'"Earlier in the week, Nikki Haley, Trump's former Ambassador to the United Nations, claimed on Fox News that Democrats were "mourning" the loss of the Iranian general. When pressed on what she meant, she doubled down. "Mourning comes in different forms," Haley's office said in a statement. "It doesn't have to be literally crying over the casket like Ayatollah [Ali] Khamenei. Leading Democrats are aggressively arguing that we would be better off if Qassem Suleimani was still alive today. That is effectively mourning his death."Democratic presidential candidates have been explicit about Soleimani's legacy. "No Americans will mourn Qassem Soleimani's passing," Democratic presidential hopeful and former Vice President Joe Biden said. "He deserved to be brought to justice." Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) also called the Iranian general "a murderer, responsible for the deaths of thousands, including hundreds of Americans" even as she questioned the strategic reasoning behind the timing of the strike that took him out.The mistruth follows a barrage of other eyebrow-raising claims by the president. On Friday, he claimed that four embassies were under threat from Iran. But, as the Washington Post reported, "that was at odds with intelligence assessments from senior officials."The Trump administration has been under increasing pressure to supply concrete evidence about the "imminent threat" that led them to take out Soleimani, the head of Iran's elite Quds Force.Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| In the words of a general: how Iran downed airliner Posted: 11 Jan 2020 06:29 AM PST  The aerospace commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards on Saturday accepted full responsibility for the shooting down of a Ukrainian passenger jet. In remarks aired on state television, Brigadier General Amirali Hajizadeh said the missile operator who fired on the plane did so independently because of communications "jamming". It came as Iran acknowledged the Boeing 737 had been shot down, after denying for days Western claims that it was likely to have been brought down by a missile.
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| 10 things you need to know today: January 11, 2020 Posted: 11 Jan 2020 06:27 AM PST |
| Gambia’s Jammeh Seeks Return to Nation He Ruled For 22 Years Posted: 11 Jan 2020 06:25 AM PST |
| Analysis: Iran regime could pay a heavy domestic price for Ukraine Airlines jet disaster Posted: 11 Jan 2020 06:18 AM PST  Most democratic governments would fall immediately if they were found to have shot down a civilian airliner and then tried to cover it up. Iran, however, is not a democracy, and despite Saturday's humiliating admission that it did, in fact, shoot down Ukraine Airlines flight PS752, there is little chance of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei or his acolytes stepping down. Instead, the strategy appears to be blame low-level officials for the tragedy. According to President Hassan Rouhani, all those responsible for the "terrible catastrophe" will be identified and prosecuted, be it the military commanders who fired the fatal shot on Wednesday or the hapless media spokesmen who peddled denials for three days afterwards. Everyone, in other words, except Mr Khamenei - who, by virtue of his very title of Supreme Leader, is where the buck should surely stop. Still, having to perform such a rare act of public contrition may well inhibit Iran from further retaliation over America's assassination of General Qasem Solaimani. What is more, this dreadful and hugely embarrassing episode may also ruin what remains of the regime's credibility with its own people. Where Flight PS752 disappeared from the radar in Iran Iranians have long been used to their rulers peddling lies and state propaganda. But for them to be caught out telling such a whopper in public fashion is almost unprecedented. After all, if they can fib to the world about manslaughtering 167 innocent people, what else have they been covering up? As Siamak Ghaesmi, a Tehran-based economist, put it to the country's leaders in an Instagram post: "I don't know what to do with my rage and grief. I'm thinking of all the 'human errors' in these years that were never revealed because there was no international pressure." Already, the regime has tried to create a degree of wriggle room for Mr Khamenei by claming that while Iran's armed forces had known that a missile had hit the plane "minutes after the incident", he had not been informed until Friday night. Flight recorder recovered from Ukranian airliner Credit: Wana/Reuters That though, simply underlines the government's own dysfunctionality. Why was the Supreme Leader kept in the dark about such a key piece of information? And are Iran's missile defence forces really so inept that they can't distinguish between a marauding US B52 bomber and a civilian plane leaving their own airport? The question now is whether the fiasco may also re-galvanise Iran's opposition movements into taking to the streets again. Last November, the government raised fuel prices massively to offset the drain on its coffers caused by Donald Trump's sanctions on oil sales. It sparked huge anti-government protests, which the security forces eventually snuffed out by shooting dead up to 1500 people, a massacre not much short of Tiananmen. Yet no amount of brutality can stop ordinary Iranians' weariness at being impoverished by international sanctions and hugely costly military adventures abroad. In the past decade, Iran's Revolutionary Guard have expanded their network of proxies all over the Middle East, waging majors in Syria and Yemen and continuing to meddle in Lebanon, Palestine and Iraq. As The Telegraph reports today, Tehran's agents have even been trying to set up terror cells in the Central African Republic - 3,000 miles from Persia, and a world away from the concerns of ordinary Iranians. What forced Flight PS752 to crash in Iran Can the regime really continue to afford do that, when its own people are struggling to afford food for the table? After all, it is now also facing the prospect of a massive compensation pay-out from both Ukraine and Canada over the deaths of those killed on Flight PS752. Whether Iranians will now return to the streets to protest, only coming days will tell. Either way, though, the regime may have finally twigged that it is time to focus less on killing "enemies" abroad, and more on the welfare of its own people.
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| Donald Trump's Iran claims on Fox News met with skepticism and complaint Posted: 11 Jan 2020 06:14 AM PST  President says four US embassies 'probably' targeted but Democratic senator calls for new intelligence briefing * Iran crisis: Tehran admits firing missile at airliner – live newsDonald Trump is facing mounting criticism after telling Fox News Iran was "probably" planning to attack four US embassies before he authorised the drone assassination of the top Iranian general Qassem Suleimani earlier this month.Chris Murphy, a Democratic member of the Senate foreign relations committee, said: "Let's be clear – if there was evidence of imminent attacks on four embassies, the administration would have said so at our Wednesday briefing. They didn't. So either Fox News gets higher-level briefings than Congress ... or … wait for it... there was no such imminent threat."The assassination of Suleimani was prompted in part by a rocket strike against a US base in Iraq that wounded troops and killed a civilian contractor. The death of Suleimani was answered by Iranian strikes on US bases in Iraq. Iran has also admitted shooting down a passenger jet by mistake, killing 176 people.The Trump administration has said Suleimani was planning imminent attacks on US assets. But on Wednesday a congressional briefing, given amid attempts to rein the administration in, prompted rare bipartisan criticism.Mike Lee, a Republican from Utah, said it was "not acceptable for officials within the executive branch of government … to come in and tell us that we can't debate and discuss the appropriateness of military intervention against Iran. It's un-American. It's unconstitutional and it's wrong."On Saturday, Lee announced he had partnered with the Vermont senator Bernie Sanders, a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, to co-sponsor legislation that would freeze funding for military action against Iran without approval from Congress.In a joint statement, the Tea Party-backed Republican and the democratic socialist independent said: "We often disagree on many issues. But standing up for the constitution is not about partisanship. The founding fathers were absolutely clear. They wanted to ensure that our country avoided needless conflict and they understood that presidential war-making would be harmful to our democracy."Trump's interview with the Fox News host Laura Ingraham was broadcast on Friday night. Asked what Iran had been targeting, he revisited remarks to reporters and at a rally on Thursday when he said: "We will tell you that probably it was going to be the embassy in Baghdad."That embassy was attacked by pro-Iranian groups on New Year's Eve, another event contributing to Trump's authorisation of the strike on Suleimani. Trump then told Ingraham he could "reveal that I believe it probably would've been four embassies"."[It] could have been military bases," he said, "could have been a lot of other things too. But it was imminent, and then all of a sudden, he [Suleimani] was gone."The secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, told reporters on Friday the US "had specific information on an imminent threat, and those threats included attacks on US embassies period full stop". Pompeo claimed "American facilities including American embassies, military bases, American facilities throughout the region" were at risk.But the Washington Post cited "a senior administration official and a senior defense official" who said they "were only aware of vague intelligence about a plot against the embassy in Baghdad and that the information did not suggest a fully formed plot. Neither official said there were threats against multiple embassies".One official told the Post there was concern about a possible attempt to bomb the Baghdad embassy.Responding to Trump's interview, Murphy said he had "placed a request … for a briefing on the new intelligence surrounding the imminent attacks on US embassies that the president referred to today, but somehow didn't come up in the full Senate briefing on Wednesday".Trump also told Fox News his "biggest thing" was not letting US enemies such as Iran have nuclear weapons.The president withdrew from the Iran nuclear accord, meant to slow Tehran's progress towards a weapon, in May 2018. After the strike on Suleimani, Tehran said it was ending commitments under the deal.On Saturday the news site Axios reported that national security adviser Robert O'Brien said "the chances of sitting down with the Iranians and getting to a deal have improved significantly" because Soleimani was "off the battlefield".On Fox News, Trump was also asked about comments from Democrats including Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana who is showing strongly in the presidential primary, which implied the US was partly to blame for Iran shooting down the airliner bound for Ukraine."I think it's just lowlife," Trump said, calling Buttigieg a "lousy mayor of a place that is not doing well".Trump said he would be "OK" with US troops withdrawing from Iraq, as demanded by the Iraqi parliament after the Suleimani strike, leading to confusion over US plans before the administration confirmed troops would stay.He claimed the Iraqi government was saying it wanted US troops out "publicly" but "they don't say that privately".Defending his decision last year to remove US troops from the border between Turkey and Syria, which led to a Turkish incursion against Kurdish forces allied to the US in the fight against Islamic State, Trump insisted it "turned out to be such a successful move"."Look what happened," he said. "They've been fighting over that border for a thousand years. Why should we do it? And then they say 'he left troops in Syria'. Do you know what I did? I left troops to take the oil. I took the oil – the only troops are protecting the oil."US troops do remain stationed near oilfields in Syria, but "taking the oil", repeatedly advocated by Trump, would be illegal under international law as applied and accepted around the world since 1945.In the aftermath of the Suleimani strike, Trump repeatedly threatened to strike Iranian cultural sites, an act that would also have constituted a war crime. In the face of international criticism, the president climbed down.
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| Boris Johnson calls for investigation after Iran admitted to shooting down Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 Posted: 11 Jan 2020 06:07 AM PST  The UK prime minister welcomed Iran's admission that it shot down the plane as an 'important first step.'
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| Trump doesn't want to go to war, he just wants to look tough, even if it puts US troops in danger Posted: 11 Jan 2020 06:00 AM PST  Trump's desire to look tough pushed the US and Iran to the brink of war and placed US troops in danger, top experts and former US officials say.
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| Putin in Talks to Push for Libya Ceasefire as Deadline Nears Posted: 11 Jan 2020 05:44 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- President Vladimir Putin pushed for a ceasefire in Libya as he held talks with some of the countries that support the warring sides in the North African nation.Putin spoke on the phone with Mohammed Bin Zayed, deputy supreme commander of the United Arab Emirates armed forces, and Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Kremlin said on Saturday. That followed a conversation with Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi on Friday.Russia and Turkey, which backs opposite sides in the Libyan conflict, earlier this week called for a truce to start at midnight on Jan. 12. United Nations-backed Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj has agreed to suspend hostilities, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Saturday, according to Russian news service RIA Novosti. Libyan military commander Khalifa Haftar rejected the proposal, Ahmed al-Mismari, a spokesman, said in a statement.OPEC member Libya is divided between competing administrations after a 2011 NATO-backed uprising ousted Muammar Qaddafi. Their conflict has turned into an increasingly deadly proxy war between regional powers.(Updates lead to show countries support warring sides.)To contact the reporter on this story: Anatoly Medetsky in Moscow at amedetsky@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Lynn Thomasson at lthomasson@bloomberg.net, Rene Vollgraaff, James AmottFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Iran 'deeply regrets' shooting down Ukrainian plane, but partially blames 'U.S. adventurism' Posted: 11 Jan 2020 05:23 AM PST  Iran changed course Saturday, admitting to unintentionally shooting down a Ukrainian passenger jet with 176 people on board this week. But Tehran didn't want to let the United States off the hook for the disaster in its apology.Iran's armed forces headquarters released a statement explaining that the Boeing 737 aircraft "came close to a sensitive [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] military center at an altitude and flight condition that resembled hostile targeting," which prompted the fatal error. The IRGC took full responsibility for the incident, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Iran "deeply regrets this disastrous mistake," and Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei offered his "deep sympathy" to the victims, who were from Iran, Canada, Ukraine, Sweden, Afghanistan, Germany, and the United Kingdom. But Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif did link the event to the U.S.'s decision to kill Iranian Major Gen. Qassem Soleimani in an airstrike in Iraq earlier this month. "Human error at [a] time of crisis caused by U.S. adventurism led to disaster," Zarif tweeted.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv expects Tehran to launch a "full and open" investigation and "bring those responsible to justice." Rouhani said investigations and prosecution would continue. Read more at CNN and NBC News.More stories from theweek.com 5 royally funny cartoons about Harry and Meghan's exit Trump is setting up a massive nuclear crisis with Iran The ground game takes center stage in Ravens-Titans clash
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