TheNewsGuru

Tag: trump

  • ‘I inherited a very big mess but will deliver’ Trump assures supporters

     

    President Donald Trump of the U.S. on Saturday returned to base to reassure his supporters after a turbulent week at the White House that saw Michael Flynn resign as National Security Adviser over conversations with Russia’s ambassador to the U.S.

    Trump, at a rally in Melbourne, Florida, told his supporters that he would deliver and claimed that he inherited a mess from former President Barack Obama.

    “This is a great movement, and believe me, there has never been anything like this before in our country or anywhere in the world.

    “I hear your demands and I hear your voices. I promise you, I will deliver.

    “The White House is running so smoothly,” he said, and noted that it was in spite of the fact that “I inherited a very big mess”.

    The president said that “the bad people are now being thrown out of the country and we will make our country safe again.

    “We’re going to be doing something over the next few days. I won’t give up.

    “We will do something over the next few days, we’re going to keep our country safe. Look at what is happening all over the world – Sweden, Germany, Nice.

    “People are coming into our country without documentation under Obama.

    “We’re going to have safe zones in those countries and keep them there; we’re going to spend the money.

    “We are going to destroy ISIS, we are putting up a plan to destroy ISIS wherever they are. We will pursue peace through strength.

    “In a couple of weeks we are going to roll out a new healthcare plan that will repeal and replace Obamacare.

    “Our healthcare plan will be affordable and effective.”

    He added: “companies are not going to leave America again.

    “If they do they are going to pay 35 per cent tax. We believe in just two simple rules: ‘buy America and hire America’”.

    Trump said, ‘’the stock market is hitting its highest points ever in the history of U.S”.

    He said his administration had “just terminated the Trans Pacific Partnership deal and we are going to be negotiating our trade deals one-on-one.”

    According to him, the administration has been able to renegotiate a fair cost for the Air Force One from its initial 4.2 billion dollars.

    “I refuse to fly in a 4.2 billion dollars plane. I got that price reduced by over a billion dollars.

    “We’ve saved hundreds of billions of dollars on our fighter jets.”

    Trump said the administration was seeking approval for “one trillion dollars infrastructure fund to build roads, railways, tunnels all over our country”.

     

  • White House confirms Trump’s phone conversation with Buhari, Zuma

    White House confirms Trump’s phone conversation with Buhari, Zuma

    The White House Press Secretary and Communications Director, Sean Michael has confirmed that President Donald Trump on Monday spoke with Presidents Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria Jacob Zuma of South Africa.

    Spicer said this in his introduction of Tuesday’s White House Press Briefing.

    He mentioned that President Trump “on Monday spoke with President Buhari of Nigeria, President Jacob Zuma of South Africa”.

    Spicer also noted that Trump received the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau.

    TheNewsGuru.com recalls that Buhari who is in the United Kingdom spoke with Trump on telephone at the request of the latter.

    The Special Adviser to President Buhari on media, Femi Adesina, said the chat was cordial.

    He said President Buhari congratulated Trump on his election as President of the United States and on his cabinet.

    Adesina added that both leaders discussed ways to improve cooperation in the fight against terrorism through provision of necessary equipment.

    Adesina quoted Trump as encouraging President Buhari to keep up “the good work he is doing.”

    He said Trump also commended Buhari for the efforts made in rescuing 24 of the Chibok Girls and the efforts of the Nigerian military.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that there have been controversies in some quarters on the authenticity of the telephone conversation between both leaders.

  • Trump commends Buhari on fight against terrorism

    Trump commends Buhari on fight against terrorism

    The United States President, Donald Trump, on yesterday, commended President Muhammadu Buhari on the fight against terrorism via telephone.

    The conversation was cordial and President Buhari congratulated Trump on his election as President of the United States, as well as on his cabinet.

    This was revealed in a statement by the Special Adviser to the President, Femi Adesina.

    The two leaders discussed ways to improve cooperation in the fight against terrorism through provision of necessary equipment.

    Mr Trump then assured the Nigerian President of the U.S readiness to cut a new deal in procurement of military weapons to combat terrorism.

    Meanwhile, President Trump encouraged President Buhari to keep up the good work he has done so far, and also commended him for the efforts made in rescuing 24 of the Chibok Girls and the strides being taken by the Nigerian military.

    The American President finally invited President Buhari to Washington for a visit at a date convenient to both leaders.

  • Trump speaks to Buhari, invites him to Whitehouse

    Trump speaks to Buhari, invites him to Whitehouse

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday in London by 3:45pm spoke to President Donald Trump by telephone at the request of the American President.

    This was revealed in a statement by Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President, Mr Femi Adesina, in Abuja.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that this is the first time Donald Trump will be speaking to any African leader since assuming presidency of the United States on January 20, 2017.

    Adesina noted that the the conversation was cordial and Buhari congratulated Trump on his election as President of the United States, and on his cabinet.

    He stated further that the two leaders discussed ways to improve cooperation in the fight against terrorism through provision of necessary equipment.

    According to him, Trump encourages Buhari to keep up the good work he is doing, and also commends him for the efforts he has made in rescuing 24 of the Chibok Girls and the strides being taken by the Nigerian military.

    “Trump assured the Nigerian president of the U.S readiness to cut a new deal in helping Nigeria in terms of military weapons to combat terrorism.

    “Trump also invited Buhari to Washington at a mutually convenient date,” he added.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that Buhari, who extended his initial 10-day vacation in London, had earlier had telephone discussions with the Senate President Bukola Saraki and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Yakubu Dogara.

    The president had proceeded on a 10-day vacation in UK on Jan. 19 for a routine medical check as indicated in a letter to the Senate which also authorised Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo to act as president pending his return.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that the president, who could not make it back to the country on Feb. 6, transmitted another letter to the Senate requesting extension of time to complete his medical check-up in London.

  • Russia ‘considering handing Edward Snowden to the US as a gift to Trump’

    Russia ‘considering handing Edward Snowden to the US as a gift to Trump’

    Vladimir Putin is reportedly considering handing Edward Snowden over to the US in an effort to “curry favour” with Donald Trump – who has branded the NSA leaker a “traitor” and called for his execution.

    US intelligence has intercepted evidence of high-level discussions within the Russian government over the potential benefits for Moscow of sending Mr Snowden back to the US to face trial, according to NBC News.

    American spies have also reportedly confirmed parts of an explosive dossier about Mr Trump compiled by a former MI6 agent.

    US operatives have not verified the more salacious details in the file but the fact that parts have been found to be accurate may strengthen its overall credibility, CNN reported.

    The idea that Mr Putin might use Mr Snowden as a bargaining chip has been circulating since Mr Trump’s surprise election victory in November.

    Some advisers around Mr Putin believe that giving Mr Snowden as “a gift” to the US would improve the Kremlin’s standing with the new president and help Russia achieve its foreign policy goals.

    Mr Snowden said the report was proof that he was not a Russian spy, a common accusation levelled at him since he sought refuge in Moscow in 2013 after leaking thousands of classified US and British files.

    “Finally: irrefutable evidence that I never cooperated with Russian intel. No country trades away spies, as the rest would fear they’re next,” he wrote on Twitter.

    Mr Trump has made no secret of his animosity towards the former NSA contractor. “Snowden is a spy who has caused great damage to the US. A spy in the old days, when our country was respected and strong, would be executed,” he said in 2014.

    If Mr Snowden was brought before a US court, his lawyers would doubtless use Mr Trump’s words to argue that it was impossible for him to receive a fair trial.

    Michael Morrell, the former deputy head of the CIA and a supporter of Hillary Clinton, wrote in January that Mr Snowden would be “the perfect inauguration gift” from the Russia leader to the new US president.

    “This would give President Putin one of the things he desires the most – being seen at home and abroad as an equal of the US,” Mr Morrell said.

    He suggested that Mr Trump would relish being seen as the one who brought Mr Snowden home – something that Barack Obama was never able to do – and that capturing Mr Snowden would “would go far in healing the wounds” between the President and America’s spies.

    It was not clear from the intercepted intelligence how close Mr Putin was to making a decision nor which way he was leaning on the choice.

    Mr Snowden is technically a guest of the Russian government and in January a spokeswoman for the Russian foreign ministry said he would be allowed to stay for “a couple more years”.

    He first arrived in Russia in June 2013 after fleeing from Hong Kong.

    Russia does not have an extradition treaty with the US so it is not clear what mechanism would be used to hand Mr Snowden over, though the two countries have exchanged prisoners and spies in the past.

    “I am confident that President Putin is creative enough to find a way within his own legal system to deport Snowden,” said Mr Morrell. “In fact, I’m certain of it.”

    Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian foreign ministry, put out a cryptic statement in response to the report, saying that Russia was still formulating its policy towards the US and that Mr Trump’s efforts were being hampered by domestic political opponents.

    “It is evident that the pressure on the new administration on the part of political opponents within the United States continues,” she said.

    Meanwhile, CNN reported that US intelligence had corroborated parts of a 35-page dossier that former MI6 spy Christopher Steele had created on Mr Trump’s background.

    None of the confirmed information relates to salacious allegations about prostitutes that were contained in the dossier, CNN said, and were focused instead on claims about conversations between Russian citizens which the US now believes to be accurate.

    Sean Spicer, the White House press secretary, said in response: “We continue to be disgusted by CNN’s fake news reporting.”

     

    Culled from www.telegraph.co.uk

  • U.S. Appeals Court rules against travel ban as Trump kicks

     

    The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday refused to reinstate President Donald Trump’s Executive Order, which temporarily banned citizens from seven countries into the U.S.

    The three-member panel, in its unanimous ruling, upheld a Feb. 3 decision by a U.S. District Court judge, James Robart, in Seattle that halted the ban nationwide.

    “We hold that the government has not shown a likelihood of success on the merits of its appeal, nor has it shown that failure to enter a stay would cause irreparable injury, and we, therefore, deny its emergency motion for a stay.

    “The American people have an interest in free flow of travel, in avoiding separation of families, and in freedom from discrimination,” the judges – Michelle Friedland, William Canby Jr, and Richard Clifton – said in a 29-page unanimous ruling.

    However, President Trump immediately indicated his intention to challenge the ruling at the Supreme Court.

    “See you in court, the security of our nation is at stake,” Trump tweeted shortly after the ruling.

    The Trump administration had appealed the ruling by Robart, and asked that the ban be reinstated.

    The decision came six days after Robart froze the travel ban nationwide after challenges from Washington and Minnesota states.

    Robart said both states had the right to challenge Trump’s order and were likely to succeed.

    “The state has met its burden in demonstrating immediate and irreparable injury,” Robart said in his ruling.

    The U.S. Department of Justice filed a notice of appeal on Saturday.

    In a hearing on Tuesday at the Appeals Court the administration claimed that the ban was motivated by terrorism fears,and questioned the argument that it unconstitutionally targeted Muslims.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that the president’s executive order banned entry for citizens from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen for 90 days.

    It also put a 120-day hold on the general refugee programme.

    Trump defended the ban as a important to national security.

    However, the decision was met with protests across the country.

     

  • Trump cabinet confirmation slowest since George Washington

    Trump cabinet confirmation slowest since George Washington

    The confirmation of U.S. President Donald Trump’s cabinet by the Senate is the slowest in history since the time of the first U.S. President George Washington, with five confirmation out of 15.

    The correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Trump’s fifth cabinet official and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos was only confirmed on Tuesday after Vice President Mike Pence broke the 50-50 Senate tie-vote.

    A document from the Senate Republican Communications Centre showed that at this time previously, most presidents have had their cabinet confirmed.

    “The Senate’s confirmation of Trump’s Cabinet is the slowest in modern history… Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan had their whole Cabinets confirmed at this point.

    “Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama were nearly finished; and even George H.W. Bush had nine of his Cabinet secretaries in place despite opposition from a Democratic Senate.

    “Trump, though, has only four Cabinet secretaries confirmed, although several more – including attorney general nominee Jeff Sessions – are expected to clear this week,” the document stated.

    “The sluggish pace of Cabinet-level approvals is unusually slow and shows no signs of easing, as Senate Democrats vow to continue stalling tactics that could last weeks.”

    The centre noted that as of Feb. 6, Trump was still waiting on confirmation of 11 of his initial Cabinet secretaries.

    “He has the fewest Cabinet secretaries confirmed at this point in his presidency of any incoming president since George Washington,” it added.

    According to it, at this point, Obama had 12 of 15 cabinet officials confirmed with seven confirmed on Day 1 of his presidency.

    George W. Bush had 14 of 14 cabinet officials confirmed with seven on the first day.

    Bill Clinton had 13 of 14 cabinet officials confirmed with 13 confirmed by the second day of his inauguration while George H. W. Bush had nine of 14 cabinet officials confirmed as at this time during his presidency.

    Ronald Reagan had 12 of 13 cabinet officials confirmed with 12 by on the third day of his inauguration.

    Jimmy Carter had 11 of 11 cabinet officials confirmed with eight confirmed on the first day and the rest by the end of the first week.

    Richard Nixon had 12 of 12 cabinet official confirmed as at this time during his presidency with 11 of them confirmed on the first day.

    John F. Kennedy had 10 of 10 cabinet officials confirmed, all of them confirmed on the second day of his inauguration.

    Dwight D. Eisenhower had nine of 10 cabinet officials confirmed as at this time with eight of them confirmed on the second day of his presidency.

    The centre said “for 50 years, every incoming president from James Garfield in 1881 to Franklin D. Roosevelt 1933 had all of their cabinet officials confirmed on Day 1.

    “This is the longest it has taken to confirm a majority of the President’s Cabinet after he was inaugurated since President George Washington set-up the government of the United States in 1789.”

    Senate Leader Mitch McConnell has accused Democrats for the delay, saying they were having a tough time coming to grips with the election results.

    “Republicans will eventually win all these confirmation battles, even if ‘the sluggish pace of cabinet-level approvals is unusually slow, in fact the slowest since President George Washington.

    “Senate Democrats are slow-walking the installation of Trump’s cabinet to a historic degree, Republicans will eventually win all these confirmation battles, but it will be time-consuming and ugly.”

  • Drake slams Donald Trump

    Drake slams Donald Trump

    Drake recently showed a part of him people rarely see at a London show. He spoke against Trump without making reference to him. He stood up for his convictions.

    “For some reason in my room, they got the TV set to CNN. Every day I wake up, I see this bullshit going on in the world,” Drake told a jam-packed crowd in England. “People trying to tear us apart, trying to make us turn against each other.”

    He continued, “So tonight, my proudest moment isn’t selling tickets or having people sing my songs. My proudest moment, if you take a look around this room, you’ll see people from all races, all places, and all we did tonight was come inside this building, show love, celebrate life, more life and more music. And I just want you to understand, if you ever thought for one second that any one man is gonna tear this world apart, you’re out of your mothafuckin’ mind. It’s on us to keep this shit together. Fuck that man!”

    https://youtu.be/iofylU_Xc6w

  • Trump team gone wild: Now UN ambassador threatens Russia

    Trump team gone wild: Now UN ambassador threatens Russia

    By Daniel Mcadams

    What a week in US foreign policy! First President Trump approves a commando raid in Yemen that was a total fiasco, leaving one US soldier and scores of innocent women and children dead. Then Trump’s Iran-obsessed National Security Advisor, Gen. Michael Flynn, hijacks a White House Press conference to put Iran “on notice” over its legal testing of a missile and the false claim that it is involved in the Yemen war.

    But today marks an own-goal hat trick! Today, President Trump’s Ambassador to the United Nations, former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley used her first appearance before the UN Security Council to condemn Russia for the renewed violence in eastern Ukraine.

    Haley told the Security Council:

    I consider it unfortunate that the occasion of my first appearance is one in which I must condemn the aggressive actions of Russia. It is unfortunate because it is a replay of too many instances over many years in which United States representatives have had to do that.

    What were the “aggressive actions of Russia”? She did not say. Does she accuse Russia of another “invasion” of Ukraine, as Obama’s mouthpieces endlessly claimed without proof? What exactly did she mean?

    But it got even stranger.

    Haley went on to tell the Council that US sanctions on Russia would not be lifted until Crimea is returned to Ukraine:

    The United States continues to condemn and call for an immediate end to the Russian occupation of Crimea. Crimea is a part of Ukraine. Our Crimea-related sanctions will remain in place until Russia returns control over the peninsula to Ukraine.

    That’s quite different from what President Trump has been saying. Asked in July whether the US would end US sanctions on Russia and recognize that Crimea is Russian, President Trump — Haley’s boss — said, “Yes. We would be looking at that.”

    Is this a new policy? Should we not be hearing such a dramatic shift from Trump? Or at least Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, now ensconced in Foggy Bottom?

    While Ambassador Haley blames the Russians for the re-start of fighting in eastern Ukraine, the real cause may be a bit closer to home. Violence in eastern Ukraine began flaring up not long after a New Year’s Day visit to the front lines in Ukraine by Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC), where the two Senators encouraged the Kiev forces to renew their war against the separatist east.

    Graham told Ukraine’s 36th Separate Marine Brigade:

    I admire the fact that you will fight for your homeland. Your fight is our fight. 2017 will be the year of offense. All of us will go back to Washington and we will push the case against Russia. Enough of a Russian aggression. It is time for them to pay a heavier price. Our fight is not with the Russian people but with Putin. Our promise to you is to take your cause to Washington, inform the American people of your bravery and make the case against Putin to the world.

    Not to be outdone, McCain urged the Ukrainian army and president to renew the war:

    I believe you will win. I am convinced you will win and we will do everything we can to provide you with what you need to win. We have succeeded not because of equipment but because of your courage. So I thank you and the world is watching and the world is watching because we cannot allow Vladimir Putin to succeed here because if he succeeds here, he will succeed in other countries.

    McCain and Graham actually appeared in a video distributed by Ukrainian President Poroshenko encouraging Kiev forces to attack. Watch this shocking video here.

    The areas around Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine have been bombarded by Kiev forces for the last several days and elsewhere in Donetsk grad missiles are raining down. And even the US government’s own propaganda mouthpiece, RFE-RL has admitted that the violence in Ukraine is the result of Kiev’s forces engaged in a “creeping offensive” against eastern Ukraine — in clear violation of the Minsk II accords.

    Yet Trump’s Ambassador to the United Nations took her first appearance before the Security Council to place all of the blame on Moscow’s doorstep. With all evidence to the contrary. Just like her predecessor, the warmongering Samantha Power.

    If President Trump is serious about wanting to improve relations with Russia, this is a curious way to go about doing it. If his appointments are not serving his intended policy well it is not too early to make some re-adjustments. He made a name for himself uttering the line, “you’re fired!” Might be time to start dusting the phrase off. We can provide the list.

    Starting one’s presidency threatening war on Iran and condemning Russia for an offensive in which it is not involved is not the best way to re-assure the war-weary Americans who voted for Trump over Hillary the hawk.

     

  • Thousands protest in London against Trump’s refugee temporary ban

    Thousands protest in London against Trump’s refugee temporary ban

    Thousands of protesters on Saturday demonstrated outside the U.S. Embassy in London against American President Donald Trump over his temporary ban on refugees and nationals from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering U.S.

    The protesters held black banners with blood stains bearing slogans including: “No to Trump. No to War’’; “Trump: Special Relationship? Just Say No’’ against the ban and Trump’s foreign policy.

    Trump had a week ago signed an order putting a four-month hold on entrance of refugees into the U.S. and temporarily barred travellers from Syria and six other Muslim-majority countries.

    However, on Friday, a Seattle federal judge on Friday put a nationwide block on U.S. President Donald Trump’s week-old executive order that had temporarily barred refugees and nationals from seven countries from entering U.S.

    The judge’s temporary restraining order represents a major setback for Trump’s action.

    The White House said late Friday that it believed the ban to be “lawful and appropriate” and that the U.S. Department of Justice would file an emergency appeal.

    Early Saturday morning, Trump criticised the ruling, warning of big trouble if a country could not control its borders.

    However, many in Britons were angry about the measure, which they saw as discriminatory, and the time it took for Prime Minister Theresa May’s Government to criticise it.