TheNewsGuru

Tag: trump

  • Uber CEO pulls out of Trump’s business council

    Uber CEO pulls out of Trump’s business council

    The Chief Executive of Uber, Mr Travis Kalanick on Friday backed out of a business advisory council set up by Donald Trump, a week after the new U.S. president issued an immigration order that raised concerns for the ride-hailing company and its employees.

    Kalanick spoke briefly with Trump about the order “and its issues for our community,” and told the president he “would not be able to participate” in the council, he said in an email sent to employees and seen by newsmen.

    “Joining the group was not meant to be an endorsement of the president or his agenda but unfortunately it has been misinterpreted to be exactly that,’’ Kalanick wrote.

    The immigration order temporarily suspended the U.S. refugee programme and banned travelers from seven Muslim-majority nations.

    Kalanick was one of 16 company executives chosen to participate on the council.

    The group was scheduled to have its first meeting on Friday.

    Report says there have been protests worldwide against Trump’s executive order.

    Many U.S. multinationals, technology companies in particular, were also outraged by it, pointing, among other things, to the importance of immigration and certain visas in contributing to their success.

    “Immigration and openness to refugees is an important part of our country’s success and quite honestly to Uber’s.

    “There are many ways we will continue to advocate for just change on immigration but staying on the council was going to get in the way of that,’’ he said.

  • Trump shows he revels in dangerous chaos

    By Jesse Jackson

    President Donald Trump’s most recent provocation — suddenly issuing an order banning the admission into the United States of refugees and immigrants from seven predominantly Muslim countries — created chaos and fury that had to be expected.

    Airports across the world were engulfed with demonstrators. Judges issued emergency orders staying enforcement of parts of the order. Families found their children studying abroad unable to return home, or their loved ones attending a funeral stranded in an airport. Translators who had risked their lives for American soldiers in Iraq suddenly found their green cards useless and their lives at great risk. Both intelligence professionals and State Department diplomats have protested the order.

    Trump clearly revels in this chaos. He proves to his voters that he’ll fulfill his campaign promises, despite opposition. He shows them that he’s getting things done. He postures strong on securing Americans against foreign terrorists. He defines his opponents as bleeding heart liberals, more concerned about rights than security, more internationalist than nationalist. He views this all as a win.

    Trump’s act is based on a lie: that America is not careful in vetting those refugees from battle zones that seek refuge in our country from violence or persecution. In fact, our vetting is already among the most stringent in the world. Trump told the Christian Broadcasting Network that Christians would be given preference over other religious groups, asserting falsely that under Obama, “If you were a Muslim you could come in, but if you were a Christian, it was almost impossible.” In fact, last year we admitted virtually as many Christian refugees as Muslims, despite the fact that far more Muslims are at risk and seeking refuge. But this president has shown that he’s prepared to act on the basis of “alternative facts” when he so chooses.

    The real problem is that the unintended consequences are likely to be far more dangerous than doing nothing. For ISIS and al-Qaida, the order is gift. It feeds their argument that the Muslim world is facing a war on Islam led by the Great Satan (the U.S.) intent on persecuting Muslims.

    The anger and hatred generated will make it more difficult for moderate Muslim leaders to cooperate with the U.S. At home, a Muslim community under siege — and faced with rising hate crimes — is likely to become more closed, not less, and less cooperative, not more. If we will not respect their rights and security, they will be less likely to be concerned for ours.

    Across the world, the order reveals an America that is frightened, not strong, and insular, not expansive. Trump has just mocked his own argument that our allies should bear a fair share of the defense burden, for he’s made it clear the U.S. will not do its part in offering refuge to the displaced — many of them driven from their homes by wars that we started or continue. And America’s claim to be a champion of human rights has just been weakened by our own actions once more.

    The irony here is that Trump gets the threat wrong. Seven countries were singled out for special prohibition — a ban on all travelers, not just refugees for 90 days, visa or no visa. Not one person from those countries has killed any Americans in a terrorist attack inside the U.S. The perpetrators of American terrorist attacks in Boston, San Bernardino, Calif., Fort Hood in Texas, and Orlando, Fla. — did not come from the countries banned, and all were radicalized homegrown individuals.

    Similarly, the hijackers of 9/11 did not come from the countries that are banned. They came from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Lebanon, none of which are on the list.

    There must be some other reason than terrorist threat for the selection. It may not simply be coincidental that the countries listed for bans are those where Trump’s company does no business, while the nations from which the 9/11 attackers came — and yet are exempted — are places where Trump has done or tried to do business.

    Democrats have said they would try to get the order rescinded for its trampling of human rights, its lack of preparation and confused definitions. The real question is whether Republicans embrace this action or make their opposition known. Trump is happy to mock Democrats. His aides know that he has to learn to work with Republicans who control majorities in both houses of Congress.

    Thus far, Republicans such as Sens. John McCain, Lindsey Graham and Jeff Flake have risked Trump’s wrath by objecting to the order. It is revealing that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell chose to duck — saying the courts would decide whether the order is constitutional — while House Speaker Paul Ryan chose to embrace the order rather than criticize it. These are not profiles in courage.

     

  • Trump fires acting attorney general for questioning immigration ban

    President Donald Trump has fired the acting US attorney general after she questioned the legality of his immigration ban.

    Sally Yates, who was appointed by Barack Obama, ordered justice department lawyers not to enforce the president’s executive order.

    A White House statement accused Ms Yates of “betraying” the justice department and being “weak on borders”.

    Mr Trump replaced her with Dana Boente, US attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.

    Mr Boente said he was “honoured to serve President Trump” and immediately directed his department to enforce the controversial order.

    Mr Trump also replaced the acting director of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Daniel Ragsdale, who has been in the post since 20 January. He is the former deputy director.

    No reason was given for Mr Ragsdale’s sacking. He has been replaced by Thomas Homan, the executive associate director of enforcement and removal.

    Mr Trump’s order temporarily banned nationals from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the US, and sparked street protests in the US and abroad.

    Ms Yates, a career prosecutor who served as deputy attorney general under Barack Obama, said in a letter that she was “not convinced” that the president’s order was lawful.

    “As long as I am the acting attorney general, the department of justice will not present arguments in defence of the Executive Order,” she said.

    Within hours, the White House announced: “President Trump relieved Ms Yates of her duties.”

    A statement claimed she had “betrayed the department of justice by refusing to enforce a legal order designed to protect the citizens of the United States”.

    It also described her as “weak on borders and very weak on illegal immigration”.

    Democrats hits back at Ms Yates’ dismissal. Senator Chuck Schumer, the party leader, said in a statement that the “attorney general should be loyal and pledge fidelity to the law, not the White House. The fact that this administration doesn’t understand that is chilling”.

    Donald Trump’s critics are calling it the “Monday Night Massacre”. That’s a reference to President Richard Nixon’s Saturday night sacking of his attorney general during the depths of the Watergate scandal of 1973, the last time top justice department officials were forced out by a president.

    This time around is a bit different, however. Acting Attorney General Sally Yates essentially forced Mr Trump’s hand when she ordered justice department lawyers not to defend the president’s recent immigration order in court.

    Mr Trump could not abide such defiance from an Obama Administration holdover due for replacement soon anyway. Once again, however, his White House team could not help but turn the rhetorical volume up to 11 in announcing the firing, accusing Ms Yates of having “betrayed” the justice department.

    Ms Yates’s move follows on the heels of a similarly extraordinary reaction to a letter, signed by more than 100 career state department officials, condemning the immigration action as un-American.

    It’s easy to imagine that this administration – just over a week in power – feels set against a Washington bureaucracy seeking to undermine it at every turn. If that kind of bunker mentality grows in the days ahead, this political bloodletting likely will be only the beginning.

    Her replacement, Mr Boente, was also appointed by Barack Obama, in 2015. He was confirmed by the US Senate – making him eligible for appointment while Mr Trump waits for his own nominee to be approved.

    Senator Jeff Sessions is awaiting Senate approval.

    Ms Yates was questioned by Mr Sessions in 2015 at her confirmation hearing for the post of deputy attorney general. He pressed her on whether the attorney general and deputy attorney general should say no to the president if the president asked for something “unlawful”.

    “I believe the attorney general or deputy attorney general has an obligation to follow the law and the constitution,” she said.

    Meanwhile, hundreds of diplomats and foreign servants have been drafting a “dissent cable” to formally criticise the president’s executive order.

    A draft version of the cable said that immigration restrictions will not make the US safer, are un-American and will send the wrong message to the Muslim world.

    The ban bars citizens from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.

    The White House has consistently defended Mr Trump’s executive order despite the controversy, with press secretary Sean Spicer saying diplomats should “get with the programme”.

    In addition, former President Barack Obama has apparently broken with the convention of former presidents avoiding comment on their successors.

    Commenting on the protests about the immigration order, President Obama said he was “heartened”.

    “Citizens exercising their constitutional right to assemble, organise and have their voices heard by their elected officials is exactly what we expect to see when American values are at stake,” he said in a statement, which did not mention Mr Trump by name.

  • Trump state visit plan ‘very difficult’ for Queen

    Trump state visit plan ‘very difficult’ for Queen

    Theresa May’s decision to invite Donald Trump to a state visit has put the Queen in a “very difficult position”, a former head of the Foreign Office says.

    Lord Ricketts told the BBC the speed of the invitation had “surprised” him.

    A petition calling for the state visit to be cancelled has gathered more than 1.6 million signatures. A rival pro-visit petition has more than 90,000.

    On Monday, thousands of people joined UK protests against Mr Trump’s travel ban on seven mainly Muslim countries.

    The controversial immigration measures prompted an emergency debate in Parliament.

    Theresa May’s decision to invite Donald Trump to a state visit has put the Queen in a “very difficult position”, a former head of the Foreign Office says.

    Lord Ricketts told the BBC the speed of the invitation had “surprised” him.

    A petition calling for the state visit to be cancelled has gathered more than 1.6 million signatures. A rival pro-visit petition has more than 90,000.

    On Monday, thousands of people joined UK protests against Mr Trump’s travel ban on seven mainly Muslim countries.

    The controversial immigration measures prompted an emergency debate in Parliament.

    Lord Ricketts, who was permanent secretary at the Foreign Office from 2006 to 2010, said it was unprecedented for a US president to be invited for a state visit in their first year in the White House.

    In a letter to the Times, he questioned whether Mr Trump was “specially deserving of this exceptional honour” and described the invitation as “premature”.

    “It would have been far wiser to wait to see what sort of president he would turn out to be before advising the Queen to invite him.

    “Now the Queen is put in a very difficult position,” he said.

    Lord Ricketts told BBC Radio Four’s Today programme the state visit should be delayed until later in the presidency, and Mr Trump should instead be invited for an official visit this year, “centred mainly on political talks with the prime minister”.

    He said the Queen would want to receive the president in a “celebratory, warm, friendly visit”, but a state visit at the moment would seem “quite controversial”.

    It got the Queen directly involved with “this early turbulent period of the Trump presidency, when these controversial policies are being announced and so on,” he said.

    No date has yet been announced for the state visit. Such events often include a stay at Buckingham Palace hosted by the Queen.

    But Conservative MP Andrew Bridgen said that at a time when MPs were beginning debates over the government’s bill to start the Brexit process, “we certainly need that special relationship with the US even more acutely than normal”.

    “The offer of a free trade deal with the US quickly will be a huge benefit to our negotiations over the next two years as we negotiate our exit from the EU and access to the single market,” he said.

    Mr Bridgen added that he thought it unlikely that Mr Trump would visit the UK in the next 90 days, by which point “his issues around the travel ban will be resolved one way or another”.

    Former Foreign Secretary William Hague said the Queen would take a state visit “in her stride”, saying she had in the past hosted “tyrants” such as Romania’s former leader, Nicolae Ceausescu, and would cope “effortlessly” with a “brash billionaire from New York”.

    Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Lord Hague added: “Most of us do not warm to Donald Trump or agree with the policies of his first 10 days.

    “We can still, however, believe that our government should be the one he is most likely to listen to, and that Americans of all persuasions are among our closest friends.

    “That means that when we ask the president to visit, we don’t rescind the invitation.”

    Mrs May’s office said on Monday she was “very happy” to extend the invitation to Mr Trump on behalf of the Queen.

    BBC diplomatic correspondent James Landale said Downing Street was still “standing very firm” on the invitation but there could be flexibility about when Mr Trump visited the UK.

    The prime minister has been under growing pressure to say whether or not she was briefed on the US travel restrictions when she met President Trump in Washington last week.

    The ban affects citizens from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. Critics have called it a “Muslim ban” although the Trump administration denies this.

    US entry ban victims tell their stories

    Farah ‘relieved’ after US travel change’

    Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson told MPs on Monday he would not comment on “confidential conversations” between the two leaders.

    Mrs May faced heavy criticism when she refused several times to condemn the restrictions when asked during a visit to Turkey.

    Downing Street later issued a statement saying she “does not agree” with Mr Trump’s travel ban but that US immigration was a matter for the US government.

    But during demonstrations in London on Monday, the crowd chanted slogans including “Shame on May”.

    Protesters packed Whitehall, causing the closure of Parliament Square. They held banners accusing Mr Trump of Islamophobia and Mrs May of appeasing him.

    Demonstrations also took place in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Manchester, Newcastle, Sheffield, Oxford, Cambridge, Brighton, Gloucester, Leeds, York, Liverpool, Leicester and several other towns and cities.

    Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has said Mr Trump should not be welcomed to Britain “while he abuses our shared values with his shameful Muslim ban and attacks on refugees’ and women’s rights”.

     

    Culled from www.bbc.com

  • Trump nominates Neil Gorsuch as Supreme Court Judge

    US President Donald Trump has nominated, Neil Gorsuch, a Federal Appeals Court Judge, to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia.

    Trump announced Gorsuch’s nomination at a televised event at the White House on Tuesday night.

    He described the nomination of the Supreme Court Judge as the most important decision of the US President.

    “I am a man of my word. I will do as I say,” Trump said, adding: “today, I am keeping my promise to the people of the United States to nominate a Supreme Court Judge that everybody will respect”.

    “The most important decision the President of the United States can make is that of the Supreme Court Judge of the United States.

    “They can serve for 50 years, enjoys bi-partisan support; he’s among the finest and most brilliant Judge.

    “This is the man our country badly needs to uphold the rule of law and justice.”

    “This is a man beyond reproach, who has served our country, and therefore deserves respect,” Trump said apparently referring to the Democrats.

    The president expressed the hope that his nomination would be confirmed without any blockade by the Senate Democrats who have been prepared to carry out a revenge of the blockade of former President Barack Obama’s nominees by the Republicans.

    Gorsuch, in his remarks, accepted his nomination by Trump and thanked him for the great responsibility.

    “You have given me the most solemn assignment,” Gorsuch told Trump.

     

  • Obama backs protests against Trump’s Refugee Order

    Breaking his silence only 10 days after he left office, former President Barack Obama has backed nationwide protests against President Donald Trump’s Refugee Order on Monday.

    In a strongly worded statement issued through a spokesman, Kevin Lewis and reported by networks, Obama said he was “heartened by the level of engagement taking place in communities around the country”.

    “Citizens exercising their constitutional right to assemble, organise and have their voices heard by their elected officials is exactly what we expect to see when American values are at stake.

    “With regard to comparisons to President Obama’s foreign policy decisions, as we’ve heard before, the President fundamentally disagrees with the notion of discriminating against individuals because of their faith or religion.”

    The former president rejected Trump’s defence on Sunday that his executive orders restricting travel from seven countries were “similar to what President Obama did in 2011 when he banned visas for refugees from Iraq for six months”.

    “The 2011 order did not ban visas for refugees, who by definition don’t travel on visas.

    “It tightened the review process for citizens of Iraq and for refugees from the six other countries, while Trump’s is a near-blanket order applying to nearly all residents and citizens of all seven countries.”

    Former presidents walk a fine line between staying politically engaged and avoiding knocking their successor.

    President George W. Bush, for example, remained markedly silent on politics during Obama’s eight years in office.

    But Obama’s relationship with Trump is different, and Monday’s statement made clear that the former president will stay engaged and outspoken on political action.

    Trump’s order temporarily banned immigration from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Yemen and Somalia and indefinitely stopped Syrian refugees from coming to the United States.

    The White House has compared Trump’s action to what Obama did in 2011 when “he banned visas for refugees from Iraq for six months,” Obama’s move was much narrower in scope.

    It was crafted in response to two Iraqi refugees implicated in a bomb making scheme and while it did not outright ban refugees from coming to the U.Saudi. it did increase the amount of vetting each Iraqi refugee received.

    Trump defended his executive order on Monday in the wake of protests across the country.

    He said that America would “continue to show compassion to those fleeing oppression” but wOuld “do so while protecting our own citizens and border”.

    “I have tremendous feeling for the people involved in this horrific humanitarian crisis in Syria.

    “My first priority will always be to protect and serve our country, but as President I will find ways to help all those who are suffering,” Trump said.

     

    NAN

  • Why I banned nationals of 7 Islamic countries from the US – Trump

    …says

    President also placed a 6 months ban on Iraqi immigrants in 2011

    Ban not targeted at Muslims

    President Donald Trump of the United States has said the the executive order banning citizens of seven countries from entering the US was not targeted at Muslims but curbing terrorism which is fast becoming rooted in the US and the world at large.

    TheNewsGuru.com recalls that President Trump had while announcing the erection of a wall along the US-Mexico border, declared a ban on the nationals of Syria, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen from entering the United States.

    Trump noted that the policy was similar to the one implemented by his predecessor, Barack Obama in 2011.

    Read full statement below…

    “America is a proud nation of immigrants and we will continue to show compassion to those fleeing oppression, but we will do so while protecting our own citizens and border. America has always been the land of the free and home of the brave.

    “We will keep it free and keep it safe, as the media knows, but refuses to say. My policy is similar to what President Obama did in 2011 when he banned visas for refugees from Iraq for six months. The seven countries named in the Executive Order are the same countries previously identified by the Obama administration as sources of terror. To be clear, this is not a Muslim ban, as the media is falsely reporting.

    “This is not about religion – this is about terror and keeping our country safe. There are over 40 different countries worldwide that are majority Muslim that are not affected by this order. We will again be issuing visas to all countries once we are sure we have reviewed and implemented the most secure policies over the next 90 days.

    “I have tremendous feeling for the people involved in this horrific humanitarian crisis in Syria. My first priority will always be to protect and serve our country, but as President I will find ways to help all those who are suffering.”

    See screenshot of President Trump’s statement below:

     

  • Hollywood declare war on Trump

    After President Donald Trump’s controversial order halting immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries, the big names in Hollywood gathered for the 23rd annual SAG awards.

    It seemed like Hollywood had planned to leverage on the night as a way to share their strong opinions about the President’s immigration ban.

    David Harbour took the stage with the rest of the 16-ensemble cast of Stranger Things and spoke about being united and standing out against bullies.

    According to him:”I would just like to say that in light of all that’s going on in the world today, it’s difficult to celebrate the already celebrated Stranger Things. We are united in that we are all human beings and we are all together on this wonderful painful, horrible painful joyous exciting and mysterious ride that is being alive. We will as per Chief Jim Hopper punch some people in the face when they seek to destroy the weak and the disenfranchised and the marginalized and we will do it all with soul with heart and with joy.”

    Ashton Kutcher also passed another strong message with his opening remarks. The actor said:” Everyone at airports who belong in my America, you are a part of the fabric of who we are…we welcome you.”

    As he accepted his award for best supporting actor in the film ‘Moonlight’ Mahershala Ali shared a very personal story. In his words:”What I learned from working on is that we see what happens when you persecute people. They fold into themselves— and what I was so grateful about in having the opportunity to play Juan was playing a gentleman who saw a young man folding into himself as the result of the persecution of his community, and taking the opportunity to tell him that he mattered, that he was okay, and to accept him, and I hope that we do a better job at that.”

     

    “We kind of get caught up at the minutiae, and the details that make us all different. I think that there’s two ways of seeing that; there’s an opportunity to see the texture of that person and the characteristics that make them unique.”

     

    “And then there’s the opportunity to go to war about it, and say that that person is different from me and I don’t like that, so let’s battle. “

     

    “My mother is an ordained minister, I’m a Muslim; she didn’t do back-flips when I called her to tell her I converted 17 years ago. “

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • US hopes to have ‘fantastic’ relationship with Russia – Trump

    President Donald Trump of United States says though he is not too close with President Vladimir Putin of Russia, his administration hopes to have a fantastic relationship with the country.

    Trump, who made the remarks during a joint news briefing with visiting UK Prime Minister Theresa May, explained that getting along well with Putin would be a “great asset”.

    “We look forward to have great relationship with all countries. We believe we can have a great relationship with Russia, China and other countries.

    “That will be a great asset. I don’t know the gentleman (Putin). I hope we have a fantastic relationship. I don’t know if we won’t.

    “I will be going to represent the American people. If it works out fine, that will be great against fighting ISIS but I will be representing the American people,” Trump said.

    According to him, however, it is too early to be talking about lifting sanctions on Russia.

    “With ongoing strain relations with Mexico over his insistence on the Mexicans paying for the border wall between the two countries, Trump said he had an hour phone call with Mexico’s president Enrique Nieto.

    “We have a very great call” he said. “I think it was a very friendly conversation” adding, “I and the Mexico’s president spoke for about an hour”.

    The president also said that the two countries are going to renegotiate their trade deals and other aspects of their relations.

    According to him, he thinks he and May can get on well, saying he is not as brash as people think.

    May, in her remarks, described her talks with Trump as a significant moment, saying the U.S.-UK defence relationship is the deepest of any two countries.

    According to her, she and Trump discussed how to take forward immediate high-level talks on trade, adding a trade deal between the two countries is in the national interests of both.

    The prime minister said they discussed how to defeat Da’esh and all other extremist organisations by deepening intelligence between the two countries.

    Contrary to Trump’s remarks that NATO had outlived its purpose, May said she and Trump pledged “firm and unwavering” commitments to the regional security organisation, but with reforms to fight terrorism and cyber crimes.

    May, however, said the UK wanted sanctions against Russia and Putin to continue until the Minsk agreement is implemented.

    She said she conveyed the Queen of England’s hope that Trump would come to the UK for a state visit in July and that Trump has accepted.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that May became the first foreign leader to visit Trump since his inauguration on Jan. 20.

  • ‘Forces of evil won’t defeat power of good again,’ Trump assures Americans

    ‘Forces of evil won’t defeat power of good again,’ Trump assures Americans

    United States President, Donald Trump has vowed that the forces of evil would never defeat the power of good, particularly throughout his presidency.

    Trump stated this in his message on the 2017 International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust from the White House.

    “In the name of the perished, I pledge to do everything in my power throughout my Presidency, and my life, to ensure that the forces of evil never again defeat the powers of good.

    “Together, we will make love and tolerance prevalent throughout the world,” Trump said.

    He expressed regrets over the unfortunate incident, saying it was impossible to explain the sufferings and pains that the people went through.

    “It is with a heavy heart and sombre mind that we remember and honour the victims, survivors, heroes of the Holocaust.

    “It is impossible to fully fathom the depravity and horror inflicted on innocent people by Nazi terror.”

    He, however, expressed gratitude to those he said risked their lives to save the innocent.

    “Yet, we know that in the darkest hours of humanity, light shines the brightest.‎

    “As we remember those who died, we are deeply grateful to those who risked their lives to save the innocent,” Trump said.

    TheNewsGuru.com recalls that the Holocaust was genocide in which Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Germany and its collaborators killed about six million Jews from 1941 to 1945.

    The victims included 1.5 million children and represented about two-thirds of the nine million Jews, who had resided in Europe.

    Some definitions of the Holocaust include the additional five million non-Jewish victims of Nazi mass murders, bringing the total to about 11 million.

    Killings took place throughout Nazi Germany, German-occupied territories, and territories held by allies of Nazi Germany.