Pro-Trump protesters were scheduled to demonstrate in front of Twitter’s San Francisco headquarters on Monday morning after the company banned the president from its platform.
City police set up a barricade on the street outside the building, and organizers reportedly used the far-right online community TheDonald to plan the demonstration.
But local outlets report that the protest was a bust — at most, two protesters showed up, per one report.
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey made the decision to permanently suspend Trump from the platform on Friday based on the president’s response to the siege on the US Capitol carried out by far-right rioters.
Since Twitter banned President Donald Trump from its platform, his supporters began planning to protest the decision at the tech company’s San Francisco headquarters on Monday.
Dozens of San Francisco police officers were called in for security. They erected a barricade outside of the Twitter building near the city’s downtown area to prepare for what was anticipated to be a major demonstration in defense of the president. The Chronicle reported that supporters organized the protest on TheDonald, a far-right website that was once a Reddit forum until the company banned it for hate speech violations.
But the protest was a total bust — some outlets, like SF Gate, reported pro-Trump demonstrators to be nowhere in sight, while others reported only some speaking out against Dorsey’s crackdown on the president.
“I don’t like being censored,” one protester told KTVU. “And I feel conservative voices are being censored.” ABC7 News reported that two people showed up.
ABC7News reporter Dan Noyes was on the scene Monday morning, and at 9:20 a.m. local time, said in a video on Twitter that the protest was “a bust,” and a police source told him they don’t think anything is going to happen after all today.
The Verge video director Vjeran Pavic posted photos of the building before and after the protest was scheduled to take place.
There were counter-protestors as well, like one man who brandished a sign reading “Impeach! Remove! Today!” Another held a sign reading “counter Trump’s coup attempts.”
Protester Kenneth Lundgreen holds up a sign calling for the impeachment of President Donald Trump as police put together barricades outside Twitter corporate headquarters in San Francisco, California on January 11, 2021.
JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images
On Friday, Twitter made the unprecedented decision to permanently suspend Trump from its platform. Trump has been an ardent Twitter user throughout his presidency, posting regularly from his account @realDonaldTrump, whose page is now blank.
Trump’s posts, which reached upwards of 86 million of his followers, often prompted Twitter to add warning labels due to the baseless claims of election fraud or other misinformation made therein. One of the first times Twitter did so was in May, when Trump tweeted that mail-in voting necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic would be “substantially fraudulent” and will lead to a “Rigged Election.”
(FOX Carolina) – Clear and chilly weather will remain in place until Saturday, followed by a winter storm. Heavy snow with high totals are expected for western North Carolina, while the Upstate will see a wintry mix with some light snow accumulations throughout the weekend into Monday.
*A winter storm WATCH has been issued for all of western NC, starting Saturday afternoon through Noon Monday.*
It’s another cold morning in the 20s and 30s with some clouds starting to build in. Those clouds thicken up through the day as highs reach the upper 40s to around 50 degrees. Conditions should remain dry.
More clouds roll in early Saturday, with the big winter storm event beginning. Here is the current storm forecast:
SATURDAY MORNING – Clouds become overcast, drizzle possible across the area, starting south and moving northward.
SATURDAY AFTERNOON – Rain for the Upstate, while the mountains will see a wintry mix of rain to sleet, and then to snow.
SATURDAY NIGHT – Rain continues for the Upstate, but after midnight a wintry mix develops. Mountains will see heavy snow, with several inches possible overnight.
SUNDAY – Heavy mountain snow between 6-11AM, with some wet snow possible in the Upstate during that time as well. Best chance will be north of I-85. All rain south of I-85 as it looks now. Some freezing rain will be possible at times, especially along I-85, so a glaze of ice could develop on road surfaces, trees, etc. While precipitation intensity decreases Sunday afternoon, freezing drizzle, light rain, or light snow remains possible in the Upstate while light snow continues in WNC.
SUNDAY NIGHT – Lingering showers in the Upstate and snow in the mountains will be possible.
MONDAY – One final burst of snow possible, even in the Upstate, as the back edge of the storm moves through. Only light accumulations add to what’s on the ground in the Upstate, but a couple more inches of snow are possible in WNC.
** All is subject to change depending on model trends! We will keep you posted!
REST OF WEEK – sunshine returns Tuesday with cool air sticking around. Temperatures climb into the 50s later in the week with widespread rain returning Friday.
At 8:34 p.m. ET on Wednesday, the Associated Press pushed out the news: “President Donald Trump impeached by U.S. House of Representatives.”
Prepared in advance and transmitted by editor Eileen Putman in Washington within seconds of the completed vote on the House floor, those nine words comprised one of the rarest of stories in AP’s history: They moved as a “flash.”
AP’s internal filing guidelines state, “In the case of exceptionally important news, AP may send a ‘Flash.’”
That means that the news will move across the internet with the fastest possible priority, overriding any other news being transmitted by AP in the moment.
In the digital era, this priority is not normally seen by the end user, but it is contained in the metadata of the story — the information about a story that only a computer reads.
Editors determined last week that the third impeachment of a U.S. president warranted a flash, a designation given to stories of transcendent or historical importance.
Other news that was important, but not necessarily transcendent or historic, traditionally would have carried the slightly less urgent status of “Bulletin.”
However, the term Bulletin has been phased out by AP in recent years. Instead, the first word on all important breaking news is simply APNewsAlert. And more-important news alerts will be sent out to subscribers to AP’s mobile app with an audible alarm, a so-called “noisy” alert.
Nevertheless, the concept of a flash still excites AP filers. The word itself stirs the adrenaline. It still means sending the most important, historic news at AP’s fastest priority.
To push the button on a flash becomes something to reminisce on or to brag about years later because one is part of the history.
A collection of flashes amassed by former standards editor Tom Kent included two truly transcendent ones, on Sept. 11, 2001, when AP moved a flash for each of the two World Trade Center towers that collapsed in the terrorist attack.
But others he cited did not quite reach the same level.
The AP has been sending flashes for at least 113 years, and probably longer.
According to a 1946 edition of the internal publication AP World, managers sought to standardize the use of the flash in an order that went out to all news wire operators on May 1, 1906, two weeks after competitive reports from the Great San Francisco Earthquake had riveted newspaper readers across the country.
“News matter of supreme importance which would necessitate the issuance of extra editions should be sent first as a “flash,’” in a message not to exceed ten words, and should go on all leased wires,” the order said. “Such “flash” must take precedence over all bulletins, must go upon each wire …, must be sent instantly upon the development of the news, and must never exceed ten words in length.”
(They must have been really serious about that 10-word limit.)
Teletype machines or teletype operators would attach “bells” to flashes — meaning they would literally ring in the newsrooms of AP’s members and customers when the alert was printing out, setting the flashes apart from the normal din and clatter of the teletype machines. Five bells were standard for flashes, but some enthusiastic operators might add even more. When the bells rang, editors would race over to the machines to find out what had just happened.
Through the 20th century, flashes were sent rarely, perhaps once or twice a year, and some years could pass with no flashes at all.
Here’s a sampling of some other notable AP flashes:
1941: U.S. declares war on Japan
1944: Eisenhowers Headquzarters [sic] announces allies land in France
1963: Two priests who were with Kennedy say he is dead of bullet wounds
1969: Eagle told to go for a landing
1969: Astronauts land on moon
2005: The Vatican says Pope John Paul II has died.
One other flash, which may seem particularly relevant in light of Wednesday night’s events, was sent on Jan. 4, 2007.
Jan. 4, 2007: The House elects Nancy Pelosi first woman speaker.
Daniszewski, a former Times foreign correspondent, is vice president for standards at the Associated Press.
En días pasados ha surgido una discusión sobre si el Estado debía intervenir en los programas de televisión para darles mayor altura, promoviendo la cultura y suprimiendo las presentaciones pornográficas.
Indudablemente, se trata de un tema muy importante e interesante; pero puede dar origen, a pesar de las buenas intenciones, a una peligrosa confusión de funciones. Los diarios, las revistas y la televisión son canales de distribución de información sobre la vida en la que estamos. Pero, claro está, toda observación y toda transmisión de un punto de vista tiene siempre orientaciones particulares. Aun cuando buscamos “la verdad”, en realidad solo obtenemos un punto de vista.
Si el punto de vista de una persona coincide con el de otra, podemos decir que para ellos dos esa es la verdad. Sin embargo, puede venir un tercero con otro punto de vista que cree tener la razón. Esta percepción del conocimiento humano, sujeto siempre a discusión, es particularmente sentida por los abogados y los jueces.
De ahí el problema grave que se puede producir cuando se adopta dogmáticamente una forma de entender las cosas, negándose a lo que diga todo aquel que opine lo contrario, incluso imponiendo “su propia verdad” sobre cualquier otra. Por este camino se llega a la intolerancia y a la ofuscación.
¿Es preciso prohibir las presentaciones pornográficas porque se infringe una “verdad moral”? Ciertamente ello podría ser muy peligroso porque significaría imponer –¿a título de qué?– la “verdad” de unos sobre la “verdad” de otros. Y se pueden desarrollar controversias, escuchar conferencias, leer libros, ver programas de televisión, etc. que discuten las dos verdades y no llegan a un acuerdo. Como consecuencia de ello, el que tiene más fuerza política puede plantear su “verdad” como cuestión de Estado y, por consiguiente, imponer su criterio.
Pero por ese camino nos acercamos peligrosamente al control estatal y a la dictadura, donde lo que dice el “jefe” es la verdad y se hace cumplir. Creo que felizmente en el Perú no tenemos ese problema, pero hay que tener cuidado cuando se camina al borde del precipicio.
Aprovecho la oportunidad para comentar el tema de los noticieros en televisión.
Me llama mucho la atención la ausencia total de sucesos culturales en algunos de los más importantes noticieros diarios.
Ciertamente, la política es muy importante y el fútbol también lo es. Pero, ¿no son también importantes los sucesos culturales que han tenido lugar en el día? La publicación de un nuevo libro por algún historiador o literato peruano, los avances científicos en el Perú y en el mundo (por ejemplo, la ciencia médica o la ciencia de las comunicaciones que cada día nos sorprende más), una obra de teatro o un comentario sobre las películas en cartelera con más peso cultural, etc.
No cabe duda de que todos conversamos en algún momento sobre estos temas, con mayor o menor conocimiento de ellos. Y es importante estar al día. Los periódicos más destacados no vacilan en publicar los triunfos culturales que tienen lugar en el Perú o en el mundo. Pero los noticieros de televisión que resumen lo sucedido en el día, no dicen una palabra sobre todo esto. Nos llenan, por el contrario, de asuntos trágicos que pueden ser importantes de conocer en los casos más dramáticos pero no en las vicisitudes de todos los días. Muy de vez en cuando hay algo que puede tener cierta relación con el arte, pero básicamente de la farándula.
Es así como, en vez de presentarnos un hecho cultural (de verdad), esos noticieros nos agobian con robos y asesinatos y choques y atropellos que incluso se repiten varias veces para mostrarlos mejor. Y, lo que es más increíble, cuando les faltan choques peruanos recurren a accidentes de carretera en China y en Rusia. ¿Qué tienen que ver con nosotros esos accidentes? Parecería que esa información quiere decir: “Peruanos, no se preocupen de los accidentes porque los hay por todo el mundo…”.
Además, si se quiere insertar a esos dos países en el noticiero, ciertamente tienen perspectivas más interesantes para mostrar que la de sus accidentes de carretera. No me cabe duda de que si se quiere hacer una campaña contra el mal manejo de vehículos o contra la delincuencia, es posible preparar una edición especial como las que tienen lugar los domingos. Pero en el noticiero diario es preciso dar cuenta de lo más importante sucedido en el Perú y en el mundo en sus aspectos culturales durante ese día.
¡Esperemos que los noticieros tomen conciencia de estas necesidades de la cultura peruana!
Here’s what you need to know to understand what this moment means in U.S.-Iran relations.
What happened: President Trump ordered a drone strike near the Baghdad airport, killing Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, Iran’s most powerful military commander and leader of its special-operations forces abroad.
Who was Soleimani: As the leader of the Revolutionary Guard Corps’ elite Quds Force, Soleimani was key in supporting and coordinating with Iran’s allies across the region, especially in Iraq. Soleimani’s influence was imprinted on various Shiite militias that fought U.S. troops.
How we got here: Tensions had been escalating between Iran and the United States since Trump pulled out of an Obama-era nuclear deal, and they spiked shortly before the airstrike. The strikes that killed Soleimani were carried out after the death of a U.S. contractor in a rocket attack against a military base in Kirkuk, Iraq, that the United States blamed on Kataib Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militia.
What happens next: Iran responded to Soleimani’s death by launching missile strikes at two bases hosting U.S. forces in Iraq. No casualties were reported. In an address to the nation, Trump announced that new sanctions will be imposed on Tehran.
Russian military forces continued their bombardment of areas around Kyiv despite promising to scale back operations in those areas, according to Ukrainian officials.
Earlier this week, Moscow announced plans to dial back its military activity in and around Kyiv, but the Pentagon said less than 20% of the forces have been removed. Ukrainian authorities said Russian forces instead began bombarding homes, stores, libraries and other civilian sites on the outskirts of Kyiv.
“It’s not true,” Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said in a video address to European Union regional officials translated by Reuters. “The whole night we listened to sirens, to rocket attacks and we listened to huge explosions east of Kyiv and north of Kyiv. There are immense battles there, people died, still die.”
A delegation of Ukrainian lawmakers visited Washington on Wednesday to push for more U.S. assistance, saying their nation needs more military equipment, more financial help and tougher sanctions against Russia.
“We need to kick Russian soldiers off our land, and for that we need all, all possible weapons,” Ukrainian parliament member Anastasia Radina said at a news conference at the Ukrainian Embassy.
►Nineteen people were found dead under rubble after a rocket attack on a regional administration building in the southern city of Mykolaiv, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine reported.
►Talks between Ukraine and Russia will resume Friday by video, the head of the Ukrainian delegation, David Arakhamia, said. Ukraine will not sign a peace treaty until Moscow withdraws its troops, he said.
►Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has recalled Ukraine’s ambassadors to Georgia and Morocco, suggesting they haven’t done enough to persuade those countries to support Ukraine and punish Russia for the invasion.
Zelenskyy asks Australia for armoured vehicles
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged Australia to increase sanctions against Russia and send him some armoured vehicles in a video speech Thursday to the Australian Parliament.
“Most of all we have to keep those who are fighting against this evil armed,” he said. Finance Minister Simon Birmingham did not directly respond to the request in a briefing, saying the government was considering what was practical. He said Australia has already provided missiles and protective gear to Ukraine.
Zelenskyy said that the current war might not have happened if Russia had been punished after Russian-backed separatists shot down Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 over Ukraine in 2014. Thirty-eight Australians were among the 298 aboard, all of whom perished.
“The unpunished evil comes back,” Zelenskyy said.
Regime change? Russians don’t appear interested
The percentage of Russians who think their country and its institutions are moving in the right direction has sharply increased since the nation invaded Ukraine, according to polling by the independent Levada Center, a Russian research nonprofit organization.
In March, 69% of Russians said they believe their country is moving in the right direction – a 17 point increase from the month prior. It’s the highest rating of approval the center has on record for the country’s direction as a whole.
The approval ratings for Russian political figures also starkly rose in March. Support for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s activities rose to 83% this month compared to February’s 71% approval, and confidence in Russian President Vladimir Putin increased 10 points to 44%.
Levada director Denis Volkov told the independent, English-language Moscow Times the numbers reflect the nation rallying around its leaders in the initial stages of war. Volkov said the positive numbers are likely to drop amid the economic uncertainty wrought by Western sanctions – when “there is no big euphoria, people feel the seriousness of the situation.”
– Ella Lee
Russia calls up 134,500 military conscripts
President Vladimir Putin signed a decree Thursday ordering 134,500 new conscripts into the army as part of Russia’s annual spring draft, but the defense ministry said the call-up was unrelated to the war. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said the conscripts, ages 18-27, would be dispatched to bases in late May for 3-5 months of training. None will be sent to combat “hot spots,” he said.
The defense ministry acknowledged earlier this month that some conscripts had been taking part in the war, this despite Putin saying only professional soldiers and officers had been sent to Ukraine. The Kremlin said Putin ordered military prosecutors to investigate and punish the officials responsible for disobeying his instructions to exclude conscripts.
Putin aides reportedly afraid to tell him how poorly war is going
U.S. and British intelligence officials have determined that Russian President Vladimir Putin is being misinformed by his advisers about Russian forces’ performance in Ukraine.
Jeremy Fleming, the head of the U.K.’s spy service, said it “increasingly looks like Putin has massively misjudged the situation.” He said Russian soldiers, short on weapons and morale, are refusing to carry out orders and sabotaging their own equipment.
“And even though we believe Putin’s advisers are afraid to tell him the truth, what’s going on and the extent of these misjudgments must be crystal clear to the regime,” Fleming said.
A U.S. official who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity said Putin has felt misled by the Russian military, leading to tension between the sides.
Red Cross ready for Mariupol evacuation Friday
The International Committee of the Red Cross says its teams are ready to help evacuate civilians from of the besieged city of Mariupol.
“Our team in #Ukraine is on the road right now to be ready to: Facilitate the safe passage of civilians out of #Mariupol tomorrow. And bring aid,” the Red Cross tweeted Thursday. “All parties must agree to the exact terms. This operation is critical. Tens of thousands of lives depend on it.
The evacuation could begin Friday provided all the parties agree to the terms, route, start time and the duration, the Red Cross said. Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said Ukraine is sending out several dozen buses to collect civilians from Mariupol after Russia’s military agreed to a local cease-fire from the city to Ukraine-held Zaporizhzhia.
“It’s desperately important that this operation takes place. The lives of tens of thousands of people in Mariupol depend on it,” the Red Cross said.
Industry impacted by Russian invasion of Ukraine
Sensing the worst, two weeks before Russia began invading his homeland, tech entrepreneur Volodymir “Vlad” Panchenko wanted to charter a plane for a month to get as many of his employees and their families out of Kyiv, Ukraine, as quickly as possible.
But the co-founder of video game and metaverse marketplace DMarket said his board was giving him heavy pushback because his plan to shuttle workers to the Balkan country of Montenegro would lead to a 20% budget increase.
“None of them supported me. They said I was overreacting,” said Panchenko, who trusted his gut and told them he was executing his contingency plan anyway – regardless of the cost. “I told them that I felt a war was coming and we should leave. And if there isn’t, we’ll spend time in a warm place and still get our work done.”
DMarket and many other tech companies rely on colleagues who live and work in Ukraine, a fast-growing tech hotbed. While known companies such as Google and Microsoft have workers based in Ukraine, many far lesser-known, early- and mid-stage startups globally count on the embattled country’s talent-rich pool of engineers and developers and could be in jeopardy because of the conflict. Read more here.
– Terry Collins
Biden pledges $500 million more worth of aid in call with Zelenskyy
President Joe Biden pledged an additional $500 million in aid to Ukraine in a phone call Wednesday with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as peace talks between Russia and Ukraine have failed to produce a breakthrough.
The White House confirmed the additional “direct budgetary aid” after Biden spoke to Zelenskyy for about an hour in a call. The infusion of new assistance is on top of $2 billion the U.S. has committed to Ukraine since Biden became president.
Zelenskyy updated Biden on the status of Ukraine’s negotiations with Russia, according to the White House. It comes as the Biden administration has expressed skepticism about Russia’s stated plans to reduce military forces near the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.
The two leaders also discussed how the U.S. is “working around the clock” to fulfill security requests by Ukraine, the White House said, and efforts with allies to identify additional assistance needed by the Ukrainian government.
Zelenskyy said in a tweet they discussed their assessment of “the situation on the battlefield and the negotiating table” as well as defense support, a package of new sanctions on Russia and financial and humanitarian aid.
Media captionBoris Johnson: “I don’t want an election, you don’t want an election”
The government is expected to table a motion to hold a general election on 14 October if it is defeated by MPs opposed to a no-deal Brexit on Tuesday.
Boris Johnson said he did not want an election, but progress with the EU would be “impossible” if they won.
Tory rebels are joining forces with Labour to bring a bill designed to stop the UK leaving the EU on 31 October without an agreement.
It would force the PM to request a delay to 31 January 2020 in that event.
A senior government official said a motion for an election would be put forward if MPs take the first steps towards passing legislation to block no deal this week.
The prime minister is confident he would win the required two-thirds majority for the motion to be passed, the official added.
Speaking outside No 10 earlier, Mr Johnson insisted that with MPs’ backing, he would be able to achieve changes to the UK’s current Brexit deal – negotiated by Theresa May and rejected three times in the Commons – at an EU summit on 17 October.
But he said if MPs voted to block no deal they would “plainly chop the legs out from under the UK position”.
The PM said there were “no circumstances” in which he personally would ask Brussels to delay Brexit and UK negotiators must be allowed to get on with their work without interference from Westminster.
“I don’t want an election and you don’t want an election,” he added.
“Let us get on with the people’s agenda, fighting crime, improving the NHS, boosting schools, cutting the cost of living, and unlocking talent and opportunity across the entire United Kingdom.”
‘National interest’
Faced with Mr Johnson’s promise to leave the EU on 31 October, with or without a deal, a number of MPs have come together across party lines to try to prevent the latter outcome.
They are expected to put forward legislation on Tuesday under Standing Order 24 – a Commons rule which allows urgent debates to be called.
The bill, which has now been published by Labour MP Hilary Benn, would force the PM to request a Brexit delay to 31 January 2020 unless MPs had approved a new deal, or voted in favour of a no deal departure, by 19 October.
Tory rebels – who include former ministers and prominent backbenchers – have been warned that those who support the legislation face being expelled from the party and deselected.
But leading figures, including ex-Justice Secretary David Gauke, have insisted that despite the threat, they will press ahead and – in their words – put the “national interest” ahead of their own.
Speaking at an event on Monday evening, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn told supporters his party was ready for a vote, adding: “I will be delighted when the election comes.”
“I’m ready for it, you’re ready for it, we’re ready for it.”
He accused Mr Johnson of “threatening people with a no-deal Brexit if he doesn’t get his way in Parliament”.
Did Boris Johnson just announce an election without actually announcing an election?
He’s always said that he really doesn’t want to go to the country again.
Downing Street is still absolutely adamant that is still the case, and again with the formality of the No 10 podium, he insisted it was not what he wanted to do.
But he also made plain that there were no circumstances in which he would ask Brussels to delay our departure from the EU.
And that means only one thing. Calling an election if, in his view, he needs to. When would he need to do that? Soon.
There is not due to be another general election until 2022.
Under the Fixed Terms Parliament Act, Mr Johnson would require the backing of two-thirds of the UK’s 650 MPs to trigger an early poll this autumn.
Should this happen, the prime minister would be able to recommend the date – likely to be a hugely contentious issue given the looming Brexit deadline – to the Queen.
If there is an election before the end of 2019, it would be the third in the past five years, after polls in 2015 and 2017.
What does the no-deal bill say?
The legislation to be put forward on Tuesday seeks to tie Boris Johnson’s hands, and instructs him to ask the EU for an extension of the Brexit process until 31 January 2020.
A lot of attention will be on the clause which says that if the European Council proposes an extension to a different date, then the prime minister must accept it within two days, unless that extension has been rejected by the House of Commons.
In other words, the power to decide will lie with members of Parliament not with the government.
For a PM who has promised to leave on 31 October come what may, it would seem to be impossible to accept.
Hence all the talk of an early election. We will know for sure before the end of this week.
Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage said Parliament was “doing its damnedest” to prevent the UK leaving the EU, and his party would be ready for an election.
At a party event in Colchester, he pledged his party would fight Mr Johnson “every inch of the way” at such a poll if he decides to pursue a new deal with the EU.
But he added his party would do “everything we can” to help the prime minister if he decides to seek a mandate for a no-deal departure.
“They, allied with us, would be unstoppable in a general election,” he added.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Thousands of accusations of sexual abuse and harassment of migrant children in government-funded shelters were made over the past four years, including scores directed against adult staff members, according to federal data released Tuesday.
The cases include allegations of inappropriate touching, staff members allegedly watching minors while they bathed and showing pornographic videos to minors. Some of the allegations included inappropriate conduct by minors in shelters against other minors, as well as by staff members.
Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Fla., released the Health and Human Services Department data during a hearing on the Trump administration’s policy of family separations at the border. The data span both the Obama and Trump administrations. The figures were first reported by Axios.
From October 2014 to July 2018, the Office of Refugee Resettlement, a part of Health and Human Services, received 4,556 complaints. The Department of Justice received an additional 1,303 complaints, including 178 allegations of sexual abuse by adult staff.
Health and Human Services officials said the vast majority of allegations weren’t substantiated, and they defended their care of children.
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“We share the concern,” said Jonathan White, a Health and Human Services official who was in charge of the effort to reunify children with their parents, testifying before the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday. “Any time a child is abused … is one time too many. We abide fully with the laws this Congress has passed, and we are very proud of our outstanding track record of full compliance including referring every allegation for investigation. The vast majority of investigations prove to be unsubstantiated.”
The Office of Refugee Resettlement manages the care of tens of thousands of migrant children. More than 2,700 children were separated from their parents over the summer at the border, and were placed in shelters. But most of the children in government custody crossed the border alone.
Children are placed in government custody until they can be released to sponsors, usually a parent or close relative, while awaiting immigration proceedings. The shelters are privately run under contracts with the government.
Youth are held for increasingly longer periods of time, currently about two months. As of the first week of February, more than 11,000 migrant toddlers, children and teens were in federal custody as unaccompanied minors, up from about 2,500 detained children three months after Trump took office. Tens of thousands of children cycle through the system each year.
Sexual abuse allegations are reported to federal law enforcement, though it’s not clear whether anyone was charged criminally. In many cases, staff members were suspended and eventually fired.
Deutch said the data were clearly alarming.
“Together, these documents detail an unsafe environment of sexual assaults by staff on unaccompanied minors,” he said.
Health and Human Services officials say all allegations must be reported to the Office of Refugee Resettlement, child protective services and the FBI, and all allegations involving adults to local law enforcement. The department must cooperate with all investigations.
Facilities must provide training to all staff, contractors and volunteers. Background checks are completed on potential employees, and facilities are prohibited from hiring anyone who has engaged in inappropriate sexual behavior.
On Sun., Jun. 12, from 1 – 5 p.m., The Museum of the City of New York will host a fashion show celebrating Caribbean-American Heritage. The styles and ensembles featured were inspired by the designers’ Caribbean heritage and traditions. Activities include interactive flag-making, mapping, storytelling and face-painting. The museum is located on 1220 Fifth Avenue. Registration is free with general admission and registration is required.
For more information, please call 212.534.1672 or visit http://www.mcny.org/ to register.
Love Letters
The Dyckman Farm House
NoMAA and The Dyckman Farmhouse Museum have organized a new exhibit, “Activist Love Letters,” which focuses on the local immigration stories of various ethnic communities – dating all the way back to the Dyckman family. Join in on Thurs., Jun. 9th, from 6 – 8 p.m. as exhibit organizers discuss patterns of immigration, assimilation, and the challenges of establishing tolerance, and focus on those who lead immigration movements. The Farmhouse is located on 4881 Broadway and 204th Street.
For more information, please call 212.304.9422 or email info@dyckmanfarmhouse.org.
New No Name
Eric Vetter will present “No Name,” where performers and storytellers will have the chance to test new material and share developing works with local audience members. Participants and audience members are welcome to stay afterwards to provide feedback, hang out or get up and perform themselves. The event will be held on Tues., Jun. 14th from 7 – 9 p.m.
The Word Up Book Shop is located on 2113 Amsterdam Avenue and 165th Street.
For more information, please call 347.688.4456 or email events@wordupbooks.com.
Boots at Bennett
PHOTO: city parks.png or puppets.jpg or puppetry.jpg
Puppetry in action.
Puppetry in action.
CityParks Puppetmobile will present an uptown show of Puss in Boots, the tale of Ferguson’s faithful pet cat who dons a snazzy pair of boots and helps propel them both onto an exciting magical journey. The traveling puppet show provides free performances and workshops for schools, recreation centers and public parks across the city. The presentation will take place in Bennett Park, located in Ft Washington Avenue and West 183rd Street, on Sun., Jun. 26th from 2:30 – 3:25 p.m. The event is free and all are welcome.
For more information, please visit www.cityparksfoundation.org.
Be a Sprucing Steward
Help restore the woodland of Inwood Hill Park, located on Payson Avenue and Beak Street, on Sat., Jun. 11 from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. The Friends of Inwood Hill Park and the Stewardship Team will meet to spruce restoration sites. Prior experience is not required and training will be provided on day of. Closed toed shoes are required and boots and sneakers are preferred, as is clothing that can get dirty. To register, please visit www.nycgovparks.org.
For more information, please call 212.360.1463 or email Jannelle.McCoy@Parks.nyc.gov.
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Con la toma de posesión de los nuevos diputados, se abre un nuevo capítulo en la vida política de Venezuela. Un capítulo en el que no faltan las incertidumbres.
Son muchos los retos que esperan a los diputados venezolanos electos en diciembre pasado, pero el primero de ellos –cronológicamente hablando– no deja de ser un desafío inesperado.
Los nuevos parlamentarios están llamados a tomar posesión de sus cargos este martes, pero la mera entrada al recinto podría resultar tarea complicada.
Por primera vez desde la llegada del chavismo al poder, hace ya casi 17 años, la oposición tiene la mayoría parlamentaria.
Y los simpatizantes del oficialismo no parecen dispuestos a hacerles la tarea fácil, con el colectivo La Piedrita –uno de los grupos chavistas más radicales– llegando incluso a proponer una toma del palacio legislativo.
“Están amenazando con hacer vigilia en todos los puntos adyacentes a la Asamblea Nacional para impedir nuestro acceso”, advirtió Henry Ramos Allup, el hombre designado por la opositora Mesa de Unidad Democrática para presidir el nuevo congreso.
Y con marchas con dirección a la Asamblea convocadas tanto por el oficialismo como por la oposición para este mismo martes, la posibilidad de choques no puede descartarse.
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El oficialismo estaba consciente de la importancia de retener el control del congreso. Ahora, por primera vez en su historia, el chavismo tendrá que lidiar con una Asamblea controlada por la oposición.
Aunque el presidente Nicolás Maduro dijo haberle pedido a su ministro del Interior, general Gustavo González López, tomar todas las medidas para una instalación en calma.
“Yo le hago un llamado a todos los sectores políticos, sociales, a que mañana todos contribuyamos a que la Asamblea Nacional se instale tranquila y en paz, como dice la Constitución”, pidió también el mandatario.
Tensa calma
La situación, en cualquier caso, da cuenta del nivel de tensión que actualmente reina en Venezuela.
Y esa crispación no sólo se expresa en el temor a posibles enfrentamientos violentos en las calles, pues la nueva composición de la Asamblea también hace anticipar numerosos choques institucionales.
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Para este martes tanto la oposición como el oficialismo convocaron a manifestaciones con destino a la Asamblea.
El primero de ellos, que también podría tener lugar este martes, se deriva de la decisión del Tribunal Supremo de Justicia (TSJ) de suspender la elección de cuatro diputados –tres de ellos de oposición– del estado de Amazonas, por acusaciones de fraude.
La decisión le quita a la MUD –al menos temporalmente– la supermayoría de 2/3 obtenida en las urnas.
Y, con ella, también importantes poderes, como la posibilidad de designar a los magistrados de los poderes Judicial y Electoral, reformar la Constitución o convocar a una Asamblea Constituyente.
Ramos Allup, sin embargo, dio a entender que estaba dispuesto a pasar por encima de la decisión del tribunal y juramentar a todos los diputados.
Y el tono agresivo del líder opositor parece confirmar que la MUD no se va a quedar de brazos cruzados ante los intentos del ejecutivo por limitar su poder parlamentario.
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El estilo directo de Ramos Allup fue una de las razones por las que la MUD lo eligió para presidir el congreso.
“El 5 de enero vamos a juramentar a nuestros 112 diputados”, prometió Ramos Allup, quien en su momento también describió el apresurado nombramiento de nuevos magistrados del TSJ por el congreso saliente como “una declaración de guerra”.
Barómetro
El nombramiento de esos magistrados es, por lo demás, solamente una de varias medidas del gobierno de Maduro que han sido denunciadas por la oposición como un intento por desconocer el veredicto de las urnas.
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A Maduro lo acusan de maniobrar para limitar los poderes parlamentarios.
Nada más nueve días después de las elecciones legislativas, el oficialismo instaló un Parlamento Nacional Comunal para, según el gobierno, “fortalecer el poder popular” y, según la oposición, “legislar en contraposición a la Asamblea Nacional”.
Y un día antes de la instalación de este último cuerpo, el presidente Maduro también emitió un decreto ley que le quita a los parlamentarios el derecho a nombrar los directores y presidentes del Banco Central de Venezuela (BCV).
La nueva legislación autoriza además a suspender “transitoriamente” la publicación de estadísticas económicas.
Y eso ha sido interpretado por los opositores como otro esfuerzo de Maduro por quitarle armas a sus adversarios, quienes a su vez ya lo amenazaron con una “investigación colosal” de su supuesto mal manejo de la economía de Venezuela.
Así las cosas, el choque parece inevitable.
Y este martes los venezolanos podrán hacerse una primera idea de cómo será el impacto: del tipo de lenguaje y actitudes que pueden esperar en lo queda del año, y del comportamiento de las instituciones que, como el ejército, pueden resultar claves para que las aguas no se salgan de su cauce.
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En 2003, cuando asumió Néstor Kirchner, el país era muy diferente de lo que lo dejará Cristina Fernández, 12 años después.
Todo niño argentino menor de 12 años sólo conoce un partido de gobierno: el Frente para la Victoria (FVP), más conocido como kirchnerismo.
Esta fuerza de origen peronista llegó al poder en 2003 de la mano de Néstor Kirchner, un hasta entonces poco conocido gobernador patagónico, quien ganó los comicios con apenas el 22% de los votos.
En ese momento Argentina emergía de una de sus peores crisis económicas, con altas tasas de desempleo y pobreza.
Con el respaldo de un récord en el precio de las materias primas (commodities), Argentina bajo Kirchner volvió a crecer.
Cuatro años después, su esposa, Cristina Fernández lo sucedió en el poder.
Tras la muerte de Kirchner, en 2010, “Cristina” –como le dicen todos en Argentina– se presentó a reelección un año después y ganó de forma masiva, a pesar de algunos problemas económicos que empezaban a vislumbrarse.
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Los tres gobiernos kirchneristas sucesivos dejaron su huella, aunque otros cambios fueron parte de tendencias mundiales.
Este jueves la mandataria le entregará el mando del país a un opositor, el actual alcalde de la ciudad de Buenos Aires, Mauricio Macri, quien creó su partido Propuesta Republicana (PRO) en 2003, el mismo año que comenzó a gobernar el kirchnerismo.
En BBC Mundo te ofrecemos una radiografía de cómo era la Argentina de aquel entonces y cómo es el país hoy, 12 años después, al final de la llamada “era K”.
MULTIPLICACIÓN
En 2003 la población argentina alcanzaba los 37,9 millones.
Hoy ese número supera los 42,3 millones, según las estadísticas mundiales que recaba el sitio Country Meters.
Eso significa que durante la época kirchnerista argentina sumó casi 4,4 millones de habitantes.
En poco más de una década en el país se vivió –al igual que en gran parte del mundo– una explosión de la telefonía celular.
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Hoy hay casi ocho veces la cantidad de celulares que había en 2003, y muchos son teléfonos inteligentes.
Mientras que en 2003 había 7,8 millones de usuarios, hoy el número de líneas supera ampliamente al de la población: 62 millones, según las últimas cifras de la consultora Carrier y Asociados.
No obstante, las redes de telefonía celular no crecieron a la par, haciendo que hoy hablar por teléfono móvil en Argentina sea casi una misión imposible.
Sin embargo, durante los últimos doce años la moneda estadounidense fue aumentando de valor mientras se devaluaba el peso.
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Cajones, bóvedas y hasta debajo del colchón: los argentinos intensificaron su costumbre de ahorrar en dólares, debido a la inflación.
Cuando asumió Kirchner en mayo de 2003, el dólar valía $2,90.
Hoy, el precio oficial alcanza los $9,60. Sin embargo son pocos los que acceden a los billetes verdes a ese precio, debido a una serie de restricciones impuestas a partir de 2011.
Muchos argentinos hoy compran dólares en el mercado informal (se los conoce como “dólar blue”) y su precio supera los $15.
CINÉFILOS
Algo que también creció fue la pasión argentina por ir al cine.
Las producciones nacionales, fomentadas desde el Estado, tuvieron un fuerte crecimiento en 2003-2015: pasaron de 48 estrenos a 168, con un aumento de audiencia del 30%, según el Instituto Nacional de Cine y Artes Audiovisuales (Incaa).
Pero más allá de algunos éxitos puntuales, como “El secreto de sus ojos” –ganadora del Oscar a mejor película extranjera en 2010–, las más vistas fueron los “tanques” de Hollywood.
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El cine nacional cobró fuerza durante los años K pero Hollywood siguió dominando la taquilla.
Según el sitio cinesargentinos.com el film más taquillero en 2003 fue “Matrix recargado”, que fue visto por casi 2 millones de espectadores.
Este año el mayor éxito cinematográfico fue la infantil “Minions”, con una audiencia de casi 4,9 millones, más del doble.
ARGENTINA.COM
Durante los años de kirchnerismo llegó a Argentina el auge de las redes sociales.
El país se convirtió en uno de los mayores usuarios de Facebook, sitio en el que tiene perfil más de la mitad de la población.
Mientras que en 2003 había 5,2 millones de internautas, según Carrier y Asociados, esa cifra hoy asciende a 18,8 millones de acuerdo con Datanalisis.
LA EMPANADA
Algunos de los productos que más aumentaron de precio debido a la inflación fueron los alimentos.
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Las empanadas siguen siendo una de las comidas favoritas de los argentinos pero cada vez cuesta más comprarlas.
Un ejemplo de ello fue el alza en el costo de las empanadas, unas de las comidas más tradicionales de los argentinos.
Mientras que una clásica empanada de carne costaba 0,70 pesos (US$0,24) en 2003, hoy se paga 16 pesos (US$1,60 a tasa oficial), un aumento significativo.
Además de la inflación, influyó la caída en la producción de carne y de trigo, dos de las actividades agrarias más golpeadas durante el kirchnerismo, que aumentaron aún más los costos.
En 2003 dos de los formatos preferidos para escuchar música eran la radio y los CD.
Mucho cambió en estos últimos 12 años.
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Los hábitos de consumo de música cambiaron mucho en Argentina y en el mundo en los últimos 12 años.
La radio sigue siendo un medio muy popular en Argentina, pero cada vez más personas escuchan música online, ya sea de origen pirateado o de sitios como Spotify.
Al igual que con el cine, también la música sigue teniendo una fuerte influencia del exterior.
En 2003 la canción favorita fue Bring me to life de la banda estadounidense Evanescence, según registra el sitio El Top 40 Argentina.
Este año uno de los temas más populares es Lean On, producido por el dúo estadounidense Major Lazer y el disc jockey francés DJ Snake, con la colaboración de la cantante danesa MØ, según los datos de Spotify.
TV
Lo que no varió tanto fue la programación televisiva, que siguió copada por algunas de las figuras que han sido populares por décadas, como los presentadores Marcelo Tinelli, Mirtha Legrand y Susana Giménez, tres instituciones de la tele local.
También se mantuvo la pasión argentina por la telenovela.
Pero mientras que en 2003 la más vista fue una producción propia –”Resistiré”, con los actores Celeste Cid y Pablo Echarri– 2015 deparó una sorpresa.
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La clásica telenovela se internacionalizó: este año el mayor éxito llegó de Turquía: “Las mil y una noches”.
Tanto aquí como en otras partes de América Latina causó sensación una telenovela de origen turco: “Las mil y una noches”, con Bergüzar Korel y Halit Ergenç, cuya historia de amor en la vida real fue tan seguida por la audiencia como la historia de ficción.
DEUDA PÚBLICA
Volviendo a las cifras duras, hubo cambios sustanciales en la deuda pública nacional en estos 12 años de kirchnerismo.
Desde lo nominal se registró un fuerte aumento: pasó de US$152.584 millones en 2003 a US$221.747 millones este año.
Sin embargo, la deuda en relación al Producto Interno Bruto (PIB) de Argentina bajó.
Cuando llegó Néstor Kirchner representaba el 138% del PIB. Con la partida de Cristina Fernández, mucho menos: el 43%, según los datos aportados a BBC Mundo por la consultora Prefinex.
CFK
¿Y qué hacía la mandataria que este jueves deja el poder cuando su marido inauguró la era kirchnerista hace 12 años?
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Durante los 12 años de kirchnerismo Cristina Fernández quedó viuda y fue abuela dos veces. Para ella también la vida cambió.
Además de ser primera dama, Fernández era senadora por la provincia patagónica de Santa Cruz, que gobernó su marido por 12 años antes de ser presidente.
Era la segunda vez que ocupaba ese cargo en el Congreso, tras ejercerlo entre 1995 y 1997.
Allí presidía la prestigiosa Comisión de Asuntos Constitucionales que tuvo a su cargo una importante reforma del Poder Judicial.
En esa época ya se distinguía por su destacada oratoria y era más conocida a nivel nacional que su marido.
Muchos analistas creen que si Néstor Kirchner no hubiese fallecido, la pareja hubiera buscado alternarse en el poder por tiempo indefinido.
Si esto es cierto, y si lo hubieran logrado o no, es materia de pura especulación.
Lo que es seguro es que en estos 12 años plantaron su huella en la historia de Argentina y dejaron un país cambiado.
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2003-2015: El fin de una era que marcó a Argentina.
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La cúpula de la Mesa de Unidad Democrática agradeció a los votantes y anunció “un nuevo rumbo” para Venezuela.
La oposición de Venezuela obtuvo una amplia e histórica victoria en las elecciones parlamentarias celebradas este domingo.
Se trata de la primera vez que obtiene la mayoría en la Asamblea Nacional en 16 años de gobierno chavista.
El Consejo Nacional Electoral confirmó que la Mesa de Unidad Democrática (MUD) tiene asegurados al menos 99 escaños en la Asamblea Nacional, mientras que el oficialismo por el momento apenas consigue 46.
El presidente de la Asamblea Nacional, Diosdado Cabello, retuvo su escaño pero está en duda si con la mayoría opositora en el parlamento podría perder su cargo.
Todavía quedan 19 plazas en disputa más las tres diputaciones indígenas.
Si la oposición logra 12 escaños más se asegurará los dos tercios de la Asamblea Nacional, con lo que podría reformar la Constitución venezolana.
El parlamento entra en receso el 15 de diciembre y reanuda sus actividades, con los asientos renovados, el 5 de enero.
Cambios
Si la Mesa de Unidad Democrática alcanza las 111 diputaciones podrá sancionar leyes orgánicas o fundamentales, convocar una Asamblea Constituyente y remover a los miembros del Tribunal Supremo de Justicia (TSJ).
Venezuela
99 escaños alcanzó la Mesa de Unidad Demócratica.
46 plazas logró el oficialista PSUV.
22 curules quedan en disputa. 17 nominales, 2 por lista y 3 escaños indígenas.
12 puestos más requiere la oposición para obtener los dos tercios de la Asamblea Nacional de Venezuela, que tiene 167 escaños en total.
Con 100 escaños, MUD tendrá las facultades de emitir votos de censura contra el vicepresidente y ministros, aprobar enmiendas constitucionales, sancionar leyes habilitantes que dan poderes legislativos al presidente y designar y remover a los integrantes del Consejo Nacional Electoral.
El resultado fue dado a conocer por la presidenta del Consejo Nacional Electoral, Tibisay Lucena, poco después de la medianoche y luego de una larga y tensa espera.
“Felicitamos al pueblo de Venezuela. A los ganadores les pedimos que administren sus triunfos y a los perdedores los felicitamos también”, dijo Lucena, quien informó que la participación fue del 74,25% de los potenciales votantes.
Maduro: “Una bofetada”
Inmediatamente después de la conferencia de prensa de Lucena, el presidente Nicolás Maduro se dirigió a la nación para aceptar la derrota.
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La desilusión fue evidente entre los partidarios del gobierno.
“Los aceptamos, los resultados exactamente como han sido emanados por el poder electoral”, dijo Maduro, quien insistió en que su partido había perdido una batalla, pero no la guerra.
La Mesa de Unidad Democrática celebró en su centro de campaña con un breve mensaje de su secretario general Jesús Torrealba.
“¡Comenzó el cambio, Venezuela! Hoy tenemos razones para celebrar. El país pedía un cambio y ese cambio comienza hoy”, dijo eufórico el líder opositor rodeado de otros referentes de la MUD.
Crisis económica
Aunque la campaña fue dominada por las denuncias de “ventajismo” oficial, expertos coinciden en que la crisis económica llevó a muchos a ejercer el voto castigo en contra del gobierno.
Y como explicó el corresponsal de BBC Mundo en Venezuela, Daniel Pardo, ahora todos seguirán con suma atención la decisión sobre los 19 escaños todavía no declarados.
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Los comandos de campaña oficialista quedaron vacíos antes del anuncio oficial.
“Si la oposición sólo consigue la mayoría simple se verá obligada a negociar con el gobierno”, recordó Pardo.
Y en el campo opositor son muchos lo que están convencidos de haber conseguido al menos 113 diputados.
Aunque, según Pardo, pase lo que pase “se trata ya de un resultado histórico que dará mucho de qué hablar y abre la puerta para una etapa inédita en la historia reciente de Venezuela”.
The coffins came one by one, some heavy and others much lighter.
As bulldozers cleared more space in a vacant lot near St. Sebastian’s Church in Negombo, Sri Lanka, barefoot men dripping with sweat scooped dirt with shovels in punishing heat.
One family stood in the shade. They were here for the burial of an 11-year-old boy.
“I don’t even know what to say,” said Lasanthi Anusha, a woman who came for the burial of her son’s classmate. “There were even smaller ones.”
Tuesday was the beginning of the first mass burials of the victims of Sunday’s suicide attacks in Sri Lanka, which killed more than 300 people, including many children. Soldiers and even an armored personnel carrier lined the roads as the burials took place amid widespread grief and intense security.
Of the half-dozen sites simultaneously attacked on Sunday, the church in Negombo was the hardest hit. As many as 100 people were killed in the suicide bombing there.
Arizona Democrats called on Sens. Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly to help eliminate a controversial procedural hurdle that allows Senate Republicans to block key legislation.
At its state convention on Saturday, where hundreds of Democratic foot soldiers gathered virtually, the Arizona Democratic Party also seized on the spectacle of the Republican-led review of 2.1 million ballots from the 2020 election.
Local and national party leaders condemned the review as a desperate and extreme attempt to defy the will of voters and upend democracy, using it as a rallying cry to organize ahead of the 2022 midterm elections, where they hope to hold onto a U.S. Senate seat and make gains statewide and at the GOP-controlled state Capitol.
“They’re running this audit trying to undermine a free and fair election,” party chair Raquel Terán said. “The Arizona GOP is out of touch. Elected Republicans are letting the fringes of their party drive their agenda.”
State committee members passed three resolutions, which are not binding but express the will of the party.
One formalized the party’s position on the U.S. Senate’s legislative filibuster, which requires 60 votes for the chamber to act on most legislation. The filibuster is a major obstacle to advancing Biden’s agenda in the tied Senate, where Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris casts the tie-breaking vote.
The “We Call For An End To The Filibuster” resolution called on Sinema, D-Ariz., and Kelly, D-Ariz. to declare support for ending the filibuster and voting to eliminate it from Senate rules.
Terán said she appreciates the senators’ desire to work with Republicans, “but we need to make sure that every option is on the table to make sure that we get Joe Biden’s agenda passed.”
“There’s a lot of talk about, ‘Oooh, the pressure is mounting and the pressure is out there,’” Sinema said in a recent interview with The Arizona Republic’s political podcast, The Gaggle.
Democrats also passed resolutions that urge the senators to “do whatever it takes” to pass legislation before Labor Day that seeks to expand voting rights and labor rights.
Both senators support the For The People Act, which would provide sweeping expansion of voters’ rights and election security. They have also previously expressed support of the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, an update of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which has not yet been introduced in the Senate this year.
Neither senator has signed onto the Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2021, which almost certainly will not advance in the Senate, given the filibuster. The act would reform labor laws and give workers more power to organize after decades of setbacks to unions.
During the hours-long meeting, party activists also heard pre-recorded video messages from Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison and voting rights activist Stacey Abrams, who commended Democrats for seeking to block the Senate GOP’s ballot recount.
“Your efforts have exposed this dangerous process for what it is,” Abrams said. “… Just a few years ago, no one would have believed that your state and my state would be the states to defeat Donald Trump or that Arizona would have been the one to set the pace. But together, we flipped both of our U.S. Senate seats from red to blue. We worked hard and now we have to work even harder.”
Saturday’s gathering offered a preview of Democrats’ strategy in the months ahead, where they will promote the White House’s coronavirus economic recovery package and infrastructure proposal while highlighting Arizona Republicans’ continued loyalty to Trump.
President Trump’s threat to impose tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese goods has further inflamed the relationship between him and Senate Republicans over trade, as the GOP lawmakers fight an increasingly losing battle to push Trump away from his protectionist instincts.
Pro-free-trade senators have tried private meetings with Trump, op-eds in prominent newspapers and other tactics to warn Trump away from a new round of tariffs on foreign cars and auto parts, as well as lifting existing levies on steel and aluminum products made abroad.
But the latest threat, which the Trump administration justified Monday by saying China had reneged on commitments it had made as part of a broader trade negotiation, only deepened concerns from GOP senators who have made little headway with Trump on trade.
Senate Majority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.), who met with Trump last week on the issue, said Monday evening he was worried about the potential impact of Trump’s latest threat against China and that other Republicans were trying to make their case to the White House.
“I don’t think anybody is getting through on that issue at the moment,” said Thune, the No. 2 Senate Republican. “We’re going to keep trying.”
Few policies have driven as big of a rift between the White House and congressional Republicans as trade, with two years of pushback from the GOP having barely influenced a president who campaigned on ripping up trade deals such as the North American Free Trade Agreement.
That much was clear in a private White House meeting late last week, when a half-dozen Republican senators on the powerful Finance Committee had assembled to argue against Trump’s tariffs, both on foreign steel and aluminum and the threatened levies on autos.
But Trump had tapped Peter Navarro, a White House trade adviser who carries little influence among Senate Republicans, to make a presentation to the senators on how tariffs were actually helping, according to an official briefed on the meeting.
“None of the members there cared for it or found it compelling,” said the official, speaking anonymously to disclose details of a closed-door discussion.
Asked how successful the Thursday meeting in the Roosevelt Room was, Finance Committee Chairman Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) responded Monday: “Not very successful.”
“He says, ‘I like tariffs,’” said Grassley, who insists that the steel and aluminum tariffs must be lifted before the administration’s new trade agreement with Mexico and Canada can be ratified by Congress. “I say, ‘I don’t like tariffs.’”
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.) similarly said nothing was resolved at the meeting with Trump.
“I think the president knew the meeting was stacked with senators who thought that the tariff issue needed to be resolved or we wouldn’t be able to pass the USMCA,” said Cornyn, referring to the updated version of NAFTA. “He made clear that he liked tariffs as an instrument to bring people to the negotiating table.”
Cornyn added: “It wasn’t necessarily a welcome message.”
The China threat also stunned senators who were convinced that the trade negotiations between two of the world’s largest economies were on track, particularly as Vice Premier Liu He was slated to lead a 100-person delegation to Washington this week to finalize a deal.
Instead, Trump sent the markets into a brief tailspin with his vow to increase tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods from 10 percent to 25 percent on Friday, while implementing a new 25 percent fee on a separate $325 billion of Chinese “untaxed” imports.
The Dow Jones industrial average on Monday plummeted more than 471 points, but recouped most of those losses by the end of the day — although the administration laid out its accusation against the Chinese of “reneging” on the trade commitments after the markets had closed.
“Any time you have a situation where we’re talking about additional tariffs or increasing tariffs, it is immediately reflected not only in the stock market but in pretty much every commodity we have,” Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) said. “That’s part of the risk.”
The administration has looked at quotas as a potential way to defuse the tariff standoff, an option that U.S. Trade Representative Robert E. Lighthizer referenced on Thursday with senators, Grassley said. That would place limits on the amount of steel and aluminum shipped to the United States rather than imposing a financial penalty through tariffs, although the idea is also likely to run into similar concerns from Republicans.
Other Republicans on Monday tried to rationalize Trump’s threatened tariffs as primarily a negotiating tactic to put pressure on China to wrap up the trade deal.
“Well, of course I don’t like it,” said Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), who has protested Trump’s tariffs because of the retaliatory impact on farm country. “I hope it’s just the president’s way of negotiating . . . we’ve seen him do this in the past, and it brings people to the table.”
NEW YORK, Jun 04, 2015 (BUSINESS WIRE) —
Today, Time Warner Cable News NY1 Noticias, New York City’s only 24-hour
Spanish language local news network, announced it will commemorate the
10-year anniversary of Pura Política, with a special documentary
with highlights from the past decade of the longest-running local
Spanish language political talk show in New York City, on Friday, June 5th
at 6 p.m. and 11p.m.
The documentary special will feature guests including, Congresswoman,
Nydia Velazquez, State Senator, Adriano Espaillat, and City Council
Speaker, Melissa Mark-Viverito, who will explore the highs and lows
for Latinos during the past decade. The commemorative program will also
include an exclusive sit-down interview with New York City Mayor Bill
de Blasio where he is asked to name one Latino politician he
believes would be a strong candidate for New York City Mayor in the near
future.
Pura Política first premiered as a weekly political talk show on
June 3, 2005, with then Mayor Michael Bloomberg as its first guest.
Bloomberg had just kicked off his re-election campaign with a
Spanish-language commercial.
“Since we aired our first program, Hispanic influence has grown
tremendously and the Spanish language has become ubiquitous in city
politics. Pura Política is a key platform for political leaders looking
to engage Latinos and talk about their issues. We look forward to many
more decades of great interviews and political analysis,” said program
host, Juan Manuel Benitez.
NY1 Noticias’ Pura Política’s 10th
Anniversary Special will air Friday, June 5th at 6 p.m.
and 11p.m. on channel 95 and channel 831 on Time Warner Cable in New
York, and channel 194 on Cablevision in New York City.
Time Warner Cable News (TWC News) provides in-depth local news
programming exclusively for Time Warner Cable video customers. Time
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LONDON (AP) — Like a separated couple still living together, Britain and the European Union spent 2020 wrangling and wondering whether they can remain friends.
On Thursday, the U.K. is finally moving out. At 11 p.m. London time — midnight at EU headquarters in Brussels — Britain will economically and practically leave the 27-nation bloc, 11 months after its formal political departure.
After more than four years of Brexit political drama, the day itself is something of an anticlimax. U.K. lockdown measures to curb the coronavirus have curtailed mass gatherings to celebrate or mourn the moment, though Parliament’s huge Big Ben bell will sound the hour as it prepares to ring in the New Year.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson — for whom Thursday represents the fulfilment of his promise to “Get Brexit Done” — said the day “marks a new beginning in our country’s history and a new relationship with the EU as their biggest ally.”
“This moment is finally upon us and now is the time to seize it,” he said after Britain’s Parliament approved a U.K.-EU trade deal overnight, the final formal hurdle on the U.K. side before departure.
It has been 4 1/2 years since Britain voted in a referendum to leave the bloc it had joined in 1973. The U.K. left the EU’s political structures on Jan. 31 2020, but the repercussions of that decision have yet to be felt, since the U.K.’s economic relationship with the bloc remained unchanged during an 11-month transition period that ends Thursday.
After that, Britain will leave the EU’s vast single market and customs union — the biggest single economic change the country has experienced since World War II.
A free trade agreement sealed on Christmas Eve after months of tense negotiations will ensure Britain and the 27-nation EU can continue to trade in goods without tariffs or quotas. That should help protect the 660 billion pounds ($894 billion) in annual trade between the two sides, and the hundreds of thousands of jobs that rely on it.
But firms face sheaves of new paperwork and expenses. Traders are struggling to digest the new rules imposed by a 1,200-page deal that was agreed just a week before the changes take place.
The English Channel port of Dover and the Eurotunnel passenger and freight route are bracing for delays, though the pandemic and the holiday weekend mean there will be less cross-Channel traffic than usual. The vital supply route was snarled for days after France closed its border to U.K. truckers for 48 hours last week in response to a fast-spreading variant of the virus identified in England.
The British government insisted that “the border systems and infrastructure we need are in place, and we are ready for the U.K.’s new start.”
But freight companies are holding their breath. U.K. haulage firm Youngs Transportation is suspending services to the EU from Monday until Jan. 11 “to let things settle.”
“We figure it gives the country a week or so to get used to all of these new systems in and out and we can have a look and hopefully resolve any issues in advance of actually sending our trucks,” said Youngs director Rob Hollyman.
Hundreds of millions of individuals in Britain and the bloc also face changes to their daily lives. After Thursday, Britons and EU citizens lose the automatic right to live and work in the other’s territory. From now on they will have to follow immigration rules and obtain work visas. Tourists won’t need visas for short trips, but new headaches — from travel insurance to pet paperwork — still loom for Britons visiting the continent.
For some in Britain, including the prime minister, it’s a moment of pride, a reclaiming of national independence from a vast Brussels bureaucracy.
Conservative lawmaker Bill Cash, who has campaigned for Brexit for decades, said it was a “victory for democracy and sovereignty.”
That’s not a view widely shared across the Channel. France’s European affairs minister, Clément Beaune, said it was “a day that will be historic, that will be sad.”
“A number of lessons must be drawn from Brexit, starting with lies, I think, that were told to the British,” Beaune told broadcaster LCI. “And we will see that what was promised — a sort of total freedom, a lack of restrictions, of influence — I think will not happen.”
Many in Britain felt apprehension about a leap into the unknown that is taking place during a pandemic that has upended life around the world.
“I feel very sad that we’re leaving,” said Jen Pearcy-Edwards, a filmmaker in London. “I think that COVID has overshadowed everything that is going on. But I think the other thing that has happened is that people feel a bigger sense of community, and I think that makes it even sadder that we’re breaking up our community a bit, by leaving our neighbors in Europe.
“I’m hopeful that we find other ways to rebuild ties,” she said.
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John Leicester in Le Pecq, France, contributed to this story.
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