Mil News US GOVERNMENT In the News

[rtomedic]

For John Bolton, Russia Is Part Of A New ‘Axis Of Evil’

The Trump administration seems to be hardening on Russia, but not fast enough for its incoming national security adviser. John Bolton wants President Trump to go on the offensive against Moscow — and not just when it comes to Vladimir Putin’s interference in American democracy.

Speaking last month at the Daniel Morgan Graduate School of National Security, Bolton laid out his proposed strategy to respond to Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election and to Russian aggression around the world. Bolton did not know that, only weeks later, he would be in a position to push his strategy as the top foreign-policy aide to the president.
The Trump administration has not done enough to respond to Russia’s attack on the United States and our democratic institutions, Bolton said, and Putin must pay a heavy price for his actions.

“I think that this is actually now the perfect time for President Trump to pivot to make it clear that he’s not going to permit additional [Russian] meddling, or meddling by any other foreign government in our election process,” Bolton said. “Whether [the Russians] were trying to collude with the Trump campaign or the Clinton campaign, their interference is unacceptable. It’s really an attack on the United States Constitution.”...more

https://inhomelandsecurity.com/bolt...ton-russia-axis-evil&utm_campaign=20180328IHS

 

[rtomedic]

Capitalism and Why It Ultimately Outlasts Socialism and Communism
In the last presidential election, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) called his proposed form of government “democratic socialism.” He tapped into a significant minority of Americans who believe that capitalism should be replaced by some form of socialism. But wasn’t the United States founded by agrarian capitalists and isn’t our economic system today capitalism?

If we look at recent polls and not just claims of the popular media, there is somewhat of a disconnect. In the 2017 YouGov Report, most Americans still prefer capitalism to socialism

The most significant age group supporting socialism over capitalism are the Millennials, one-third of whom favored socialism in the survey. More than four in 10 respondents opted for socialism.

A Gallup poll also indicates an increase in support for socialism. The poll sought to determine American opinion on income inequality. The results indicated that 63 percent of respondents believe that there is income inequality in the U.S. However, that figure is not too different from the 1980 percentage of 60 percent.

The survey also found that, while more Millennials support socialism than other age groups, the majority of Millennials still support capitalism by a wide margin. While hardly conclusive, the results of the survey and the poll indicate that the majority of Americans still believe in capitalism as their preferred economic system ...more https://inhomelandsecurity.com/capi...-socialism-communism&utm_campaign=20180406IHS

 

[rtomedic]

US, Russia Trade Rhetoric, Edge Toward Showdown Over Syria
MOSCOW (AP) — When the U.S. fired Tomahawk missiles at a Syrian airfield a year ago after a chemical weapons attack, the Pentagon gave Moscow advance warning to get its personnel out of harm’s way.

Since then, U.S.-Russian relations have soured, and the two nuclear powers have raised the ante, getting dangerously close to a potential military clash in Syria.

U.S. President Donald Trump has taunted Moscow to “get ready” for “nice and new and ‘smart'” missiles coming to punish Syria for a purported chemical attack on Saturday that killed at least 40 people. The tweet followed Russia’s warning that it will strike at incoming U.S. missiles and their launch platforms.

The defiant posture leaves both the White House and the Kremlin with fewer options to respond without losing face.

A stern statement last month by Russia’s top military officer effectively drew a red line on any U.S. strike. Gen. Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the Russian military’s General Staff, said Russian military officers are at Syrian facilities throughout the country and warned that “if a threat to our servicemen emerges, the Russian armed forces will take retaliatory measures against both missiles and their ...MORE

https://inhomelandsecurity.com/us-r...-showdown-over-syria&utm_campaign=20180412IHS


VA Still in Disarray Four Years after Veterans Wait-List Death Scandal
Four years have passed since a scandal erupted in 2014 at the Department of Veterans Affairs. At least 40 veterans died waiting for medical appointments at the Phoenix VA Health Care system in Arizona.

Once the dust settled, the public learned of a secret waiting list at the Phoenix facility. Veterans who had waited well beyond the 14-day maximum to see a physician were put on the list.

In order not to lose their bonuses, VA managers at the Phoenix VA facility set up the elaborate scheme to hide the fact that 1,400 to 1,600 veterans had waited many months to see a doctor. However, the wait times shown on documents sent to VA headquarters in Washington did not exceed the mandated 14-day limit. Republicans and Democrats in Congress were outraged by the mistreatment of our nation’s veterans.

But has anything really changed for the better? If anything, the VA problems have only spread to other facilities.

Problems Continue for the Troubled VA
At the beginning of March 2018, the Department of Veterans Affairs Inspector General released a report, which found that the Washington, D.C., VA Medical Center ...MORE

https://inhomelandsecurity.com/va-d...ars-veterans-scandal&utm_campaign=20180412IHS

 

[rtomedic]

Comey Speculates Russians May Have Damaging Info On Trump

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former FBI Director James Comey says he thinks it’s possible the Russians have compromising information on President Donald Trump, that there is “some evidence of obstruction of justice” in the president’s actions and that Trump is “morally unfit” for office.

Comey’s comments in an ABC News interview broadcast Sunday were almost certain to escalate his war of words with the president and further erode a relationship marked by open hostility and name-calling.

Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway criticized Comey on Monday, accusing him of peddling a “revisionist version of history” and sinking into the “gutter” with petty comments about the size of Trump’s hands and the length of his tie. “He looked a little shaky,” she offered on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

Hours before the interview was shown, the president, who fired Comey last year, unleashed a Twitter outburst that labeled Comey “slippery,” suggested he should be put in jail and branded him “the WORST FBI Director in history, by far!”

Comey’s televised remarks, coupled with the release of his forthcoming book, offer his version of events surrounding his firing and the investigations into Russian election meddling and Hillary Clinton’s email practices. Several of the episodes he describes in detail, including a private conversation about former White House national security adviser Michael Flynn, are central to special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation and his recollections are presumably valuable for prosecutors examining whether the president’s actions constitute obstruction of ...MORE

https://inhomelandsecurity.com/come...comey-russians-trump&utm_campaign=20180416IHS

 

[rtomedic]

Trump Orders Postponing Introduction of New Anti-Russian Sanctions - Reports
On Monday, White House spokesperson Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Washington is considering new anti-Russia sanctions in response to the alleged chemical weapons attack in the Syrian town of Douma, but added that no decision had been made.

According to The Washington Post, citing unnamed sources in the US administration, President Donald Trump has ordered to postpone the introduction of new sanctions after a comprehensive discussion with his aides.

The future punitive measures against Moscow were announced by US envoy to the United Nations Nikki Haley on Sunday, who said Washington was readying to sanction Moscow for supporting the Syrian government.

She said that the restrictions would hit the companies that are allegedly "dealing with equipment related to Assad and any chemical weapons use."

According to sources, Trump was "upset" that the sanctions were presented, as he "was not yet comfortable executing them." ...MORE

https://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/...sputnik01.htm?_m=3n.002a.2267.ph0ao0037n.235m

 

[rtomedic]

Trump Says Of Comey: 'He's Either Very Sick Or Very Dumb'
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump insists he “won’t be involved” in any attempt to interfere with the investigation into Russian election meddling — unless he changes his mind.

Trump also is renewing his attacks on James Comey, the FBI director he fired last year, accusing him of lying about Trump’s trip to Moscow in 2013 that has received fresh scrutiny. Early Friday, Trump accused Comey in a tweet of leaking classified information.

“He’s either very sick or very dumb,” Trump tweeted. On Thursday, the GOP-led Senate Judiciary Committee approved a measure that would safeguard special counsel Robert Mueller from being fired. The move came shortly after Trump, in a television interview, blasted the Justice Department, which oversees the special counsel’s investigation.

“I am very disappointed in my Justice Department. But because of the fact that it’s going on, and I think you’ll understand this, I have decided that I won’t be involved,” the president said in a telephone interview with “Fox & Friends.” ...MORE

https://inhomelandsecurity.com/trum...ry-sick-or-very-dumb&utm_campaign=20180427IHS


The JFK Saga: Even The (Supposed) Final Release Of Murder-Related Docs Has Caveat
COLLEGE PARK, Md. _ Those who know William Bosanko know better than to ask his opinion about President John F. Kennedy’s assassination. Martha Wagner Murphy’s husband is under orders not to reveal details of what she does for a living.

The two of them have led the final efforts at the National Archives to make public all government records about the JFK assassination almost 55 years ago _ a project that swelled to encompass 5 million pages spread across more than 300,000 documents.
It was all supposed to draw to a close last October, but President Donald Trump gave the CIA, FBI and other agencies another six months to argue for continued secrecy for some material. Then Thursday, the deadline day, the White House announced an unspecified number of documents would remain secret until Oct. 26, 2021. It cited “identifiable harm to national security, law enforcement, or foreign affairs … that outweighs the public interest in immediate disclosure.”

The National Archives said in a statement that 520 files remained secret because they involved sealed court matters that can only be opened under a judge’s order; were personal papers from former administration officials; or came from presidential libraries under stipulation that they remain secret for specified periods of time. In all, 19,045 documents were released but 15,584 have some information withheld through 2021.

Which isn’t going to help quash suspicions about JFK’s murder.

Few historical events have sparked conspiracy theories quite like the Kennedy assassination. Arm-chair experts argue with absolute conviction that the real perpetrator was not lone gunman Lee Harvey Oswald, killed days after the assassination, but the Russians, the Cubans, the mob, U.S. generals and their friends in the military-industrial complex, the CIA, the FBI, Kennedy’s successor Lyndon Baines Johnson or some combination. The material released over the last 25 years has put to rest some purported theories, but has helped fuel others ...MORE

https://inhomelandsecurity.com/the-...ated-docs-has-caveat&utm_campaign=20180427IHS

 

[rtomedic]

The National Debt and How It's Become America's Greatest Security Threat
Congress recently fired a shot across the bow of the Pentagon. The Defense Department was warned that it better take advantage of the two-year budget boost in defense spending because lean years are coming.

The U.S. now has to grapple with a $21 trillion national debt. Budget deficits are returning to the $1 trillion annual levels.

The top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), warned Defense Secretary James Mattis that “While 2018 and 2019 are great, I hope you are also planning for a lean future because we are looking at a trillion-dollar deficit this year.” Smith added that the U.S. national debt is approaching $22 trillion.

Potential Cause of the National Debt
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) attributes the growth in the budget deficit and the national debt to recently enacted tax cuts and increases in government spending signed into law by President Trump. Analysts believe the new tax package will do little to increase long-term economic growth.

Many people will use this CBO report as evidence that the recent tax reform bill and spending package that Trump signed is proof that the tax cut is the sole cause of the increase in the national debt and the growing federal budget deficit. But one has to also look back ...MORE

https://inhomelandsecurity.com/the-...test-security-threat&utm_campaign=20180430IHS

 

[rtomedic]

DOJ Inspector General Investigates Department and FBI for Political Bias
Is the U.S. facing a constitutional crisis? The Department of Justice Inspector General is investigating whether the DOJ and the FBI engaged in political bias when they investigated the Clinton email scandal.

The IG is also looking into how these two organizations obtained a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrant from a federal court. The FISA warrant was for conducting surveillance on then-candidate Donald Trump and his campaign.

This is a serious probe. If validated, it would fundamentally alter the very fabric of our constitutional Republic.

U.S. citizens expect their government officials to leave their own political opinions at home. However, serious issues have arisen since the election that question that expectation.

DOJ Inspector General to Release Report
The IG should release its findings this month. The investigation questions whether alleged political bias infected the DOJ and the FBI when they began investigating Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server which contained classified material. The probe is also looking into the considerably different methods of how the Michael Flynn investigation and the Russian collusion investigation were handled.

Recent DOJ and FBI actions have questioned their objectivity. A recent DOJ IG report was highly critical of former Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe, who was found to have lied or mislead IG investigators. That ...MORE

https://inhomelandsecurity.com/doj-investigates-fbi/
utm_source=IHS&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_content=https:inhomelandsecurity.comdoj-investigates-fbi&utm_campaign=20180503IHS

 

[rtomedic]

Does Trump Deserve Credit For The Korea Negotiations?
According to many national security observers, foreign dignitaries and the president himself, Donald Trump deserves a lot of credit for the seemingly successful Korea summit in Panmunjom late last week. Former acting CIA director Michael Morell told CBS News, “I think the president deserves credit for getting us this far. No president has put as much pressure on North Korea as Donald Trump has, and that’s a good thing.” CNN’s Stephen Collinson nicely captures the conventional wisdom on this subject:

Any way you cut it, President Donald Trump is entitled to significant credit for Friday’s historic opening between the two Koreas.

“Clearly, credit goes to President Trump,” South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour in Seoul. “He’s been determined to come to grips with this from Day 1.”

[Secretary of State Mike] Pompeo said in Brussels that “we would not be where we are today without President Trump’s maximum pressure campaign.” ...MORE

https://inhomelandsecurity.com/does...e-korea-negotiations&utm_campaign=20180501IHS

 

[rtomedic]

Trump Stands By CIA Nomination Of Gina Haspel, Dismissing Torture Concerns
President Trump offered full-throated support Monday for Gina Haspel, his nominee to become CIA director, dismissing concerns about her role in interrogations of terrorist suspects that prompted her offer to withdraw last week.

“My highly respected nominee for CIA Director, Gina Haspel, has come under fire because she was too tough on Terrorists,” the president wrote on Twitter. “Think of that, in these very dangerous times, we have the most qualified person, a woman, who Democrats want OUT because she is too tough on terror. Win Gina!”

Hapsel’s confirmation hearing is scheduled Wednesday with the Senate Intelligence Committee.

On Friday, Haspel sought to drop her nomination after some White House officials worried that her role in the interrogation of terrorist suspects could prevent her confirmation by the Senate, according to four senior U.S. officials.

Haspel told the White House she was interested in stepping aside if it avoided the spectacle of a brutal confirmation hearing and potential damage to the CIA’s reputation and her own, the officials said.

She was summoned to the White House on Friday for a meeting over her history with the CIA’s controversial interrogation program — which employed techniques such as waterboarding that are widely seen as torture — and signaled that she was going to withdraw her ...MORE

https://inhomelandsecurity.com/trum...ing-torture-concerns&utm_campaign=20180507IHS

 

[rtomedic]

Trump's Iran Decision Continues His Efforts To Reverse The Obama Energy Policy Legacy
The energy media is full of hyperventilating predictions of $100 oil this morning in the wake of President Donald Trump’s announcement that he is ending U.S. participation in the Iran Deal, which was implemented in 2015 via an executive agreement by then-President Barack Obama. At least one analyst is even predicting we could see $300 oil prices by 2020, all due to this single presidential decision.

All of which is nonsense, as Chris Helman so ably detailed in his piece at Forbes yesterday afternoon. The world is indeed “awash in oil,” as Chris says, and at most, the U.S. withdrawal from this agreement might mean that as much as 300,000 – 400,000 barrels of Iranian crude could be restricted from going onto the market by the end of 2018. Even that is a big “if”, because, as Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin pointed out late on Tuesday, the President’s decision to renew sanctions on Iran does not necessarily mean that the U.S. has even actually “pulled out” of the agreement.

What it does mean is that President Trump is putting renewed pressure on Iran and the other signatories to the agreement – France, Great Britain, China, Russia and others – to renegotiate the terms of the deal in a way that Mr. Trump considers more favorable to U.S. interests and goals. I’ve pointed this out several times before, but it bears repeating ...MORE

https://inhomelandsecurity.com/trum...energy-policy-legacy&utm_campaign=20180509IHS


US Withdraws from Iran Nuclear Deal, Reimposes Sanctions
U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday formally renounced the multinational nuclear agreement with Iran, decrying it as "a horrible one-sided deal that should have never, ever been made."

Trump, in remarks from the White House Diplomatic Room, declared that the United States is immediately reinstating all Iran-related sanctions it waived as part of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Agreement (JCPOA).

Trump then signed a memorandum ordering U.S. agencies to reinstitute all nuclear sanctions on Iran that were waived by Trump's predecessor, Barack Obama. ...MORE

https://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/...508-voa01.htm?_m=3n.002a.2286.ph0ao0037n.23rr


Trump's Decision To Withdraw From Iran Deal Sparks Criticism, Concerns
U.S. President Donald Trump has announced that the United States will withdraw from the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement, which he described as "defective at its core."

"I am announcing today that the United States will withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal," Trump said on May 8. "In a few moments, I will sign a presidential memorandum to begin reinstating U.S. nuclear sanctions on the Iranian regime," Trump said.

Trump said Washington "will be instituting the highest level of economic sanctions," he said.

Trump is operating under a May 12 deadline for deciding whether to reimpose U.S. sanctions on Iran.

The deal, worked out by the United States, five other international powers, and Iran, eased sanctions on Iran in exchange for Tehran restricting its nuclear program. ...MORE

https://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/...8-rferl01.htm?_m=3n.002a.2286.ph0ao0037n.23rw

 

[rtomedic]

Trump's CIA Pick Vows No Use of Harsh Techniques
U.S. President Donald Trump's pick to head the country's spy agency promised lawmakers not to revive a program featuring so-called enhanced interrogations of terror suspects but repeatedly refused to condemn the practices as illegal or immoral.

Wednesday's confirmation hearing for Central Intelligence Agency Deputy Director Gina Haspel, who is aiming to become the agency's first female director, gave much of the public its first look at the 61-year-old intelligence officer who has spent most of the last three decades rising through the ranks, while often working in the shadows.


Much of the hearing focused on Haspel's 2002 stint in Thailand during which she oversaw a secret CIA prison. Detainees there were subjected to waterboarding and other harsh interrogation techniques that are frequently denounced as torture. ... MORE

https://www.globalsecurity.org/inte...509-voa01.htm?_m=3n.002a.2287.ph0ao0037n.23st

 

[rtomedic]

Trump: Details on North Korea Summit Coming Soon
U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the date and location of his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un would be announced within three days, but that the meeting would not occur at the Korean Demilitarized Zone, which he had previously suggested was a possible venue.

Trump made the remarks to reporters at the White House, shortly after North Korea freed three American detainees.

The Korean-Americans are heading home with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who met with Kim for 90 minutes – the second such meeting in little more than a month.

Trump said he and Vice President Mike Pence would go to Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, to greet the freed Americans when they arrive at 2 a.m. (EDT) Thursday. ...MORE

https://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/news/dprk/2018/dprk-180509-voa01.htm?_m=3n.002a.2287.ph0ao0037n.23sy


Trump Warns Iran Not To Restart Nuclear Program
RFE/RL May 09, 2018

U.S. President Donald Trump on May 9 warned Iran not to resume its nuclear program, a day after announcing that America was leaving a landmark nuclear deal between world powers and Tehran.

I would advise Iran not to start their nuclear program," Trump said ahead of a cabinet meeting. "I would advise them very strongly. If they do, there will be very severe consequences."

Trump's warning came after announcing on May 8 that he was withdrawing the United States from the accord and was immediately restoring strict sanctions.

The 2015 agreement, worked out with Iran by the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain, Germany, and the European Union, lifted sanctions on Iran in exchange for Tehran limiting its nuclear program. The pact, designed to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear bomb, has been strongly criticized by Trump, who called it "a horrible one-sided deal that should have never, ever been made." ...MORE

https://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/news/iran/2018/iran-180509-rferl02.htm?_m=3n.002a.2287.ph0ao0037n.23t3


President in a televised address to people on JCPOA: Iran will remain in JCPOA: Rouhani
Tehran (ISNA) – Iranian President stressed that if Iran's goals are met by other siders, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) will stand, saying, "People must not be worried at all; we know from long ago that Trump cannot be trusted".

Speaking in a televised address to the people on the JCPOA, President Hassan Rouhani said, "As verified by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran has lived up to all its commitments and tonight, it was revealed who the unfaithful is".

He continued, "Today, we saw what we were reiterating from 40 years ago, and that is Iran is a country that lives up to its commitments and the United States is a country that has never done so". ...MORE

https://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/news/iran/2018/iran-180509-isna03.htm?_m=3n.002a.2287.ph0ao0037n.23t8

 

[rtomedic]

Senate Intelligence Committee Releases Interim Report On Election Security
The Department of Homeland Security mounted an “inadequate” response to counter a Russian government-affiliated campaign preparing to undermine confidence in the American voting process, the Senate Intelligence Committee determined in an interim report released Tuesday detailing recommendations for how to improve election security across states and systems.

The interim report, which identified at least 18, and potentially as many as 21, states whose election systems were targeted, is the first of four installments the committee is planning to release as part of its ongoing investigation into Russian interference during the 2016 elections, before concluding a final report in the fall that will address the greater themes of the investigation, including allegations of collusion between affiliates of President Trump and Russian officials. The other three, according to panel chairman Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), will address the intelligence committee’s assessment of Russia’s actions and intentions, the conduct of the Obama administration, and the exploitation of social media, in that order. The first of the three, an interim report on the intelligence community’s assessment of Russian interference, will be released next week, Burr said.

Late last month, the Republican majority of the House Intelligence Committee released its final Russia report, finding that the intelligence community did not adhere to its best practices when it determined that Russia had interfered in the U.S. election with the aim of aiding ...MORE

https://inhomelandsecurity.com/sena...on-election-security&utm_campaign=20180511IHS

 

[rtomedic]

Trump’s Foreign Policy Is One Part Reagan, One Part John Kerry


There was a tense moment during the 2016 Republican primary debates when former Florida governor Jeb Bush challenged Donald Trump for saying he would be “honored” to meet with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un for disarmament talks.

“I can’t tell you how big a mistake I think that is, to have bilateral talks with North Korea. It’s precisely what Kim . . . wants,” Bush lectured. “It will mean that China no longer is involved in convincing, along with us, for Kim . . . to get rid of his weapons. It’s a big mistake to do that.”

Trump was scornful in rebuttal, seeming to confuse Jeb Bush with his brother, the former president: “Just because he says it can’t be done, that you’d lose China, doesn’t mean it can’t be done. I mean, this is the man who said ‘There were weapons of mass destruction,’ ‘mission accomplished,’ said we could fight the war on the cheap — none of which were true. We could have bilateral talks with Kim . . . And we can get those weapons at the same time as we get China.”

Don’t remember this? All right, I admit: There was no such exchange in 2016. What you have just read is a slightly adjusted transcript ofthe Sept. 30, 2004, presidential debate, except I substituted Jeb Bush for then-President George W. Bush, and Trump for Democratic nominee John F. Kerry. (The Kim in these quotations is ...MORE


https://inhomelandsecurity.com/trum...-policy-reagan-kerry&utm_campaign=20180515IHS

 

[rtomedic]

Trump Backtracks, Says U.S. Will Not Endorse Final G7 Statement
U.S. President Donald Trump has thrown a summit of the Group of Seven (G7) leading industrialized nations into disarray, withdrawing his endorsement of a statement he initially had accepted, as a dispute between the United States and its allies intensified.

Late on June 9, Trump tweeted that based on "false statements" by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who hosted the G7 summit in Quebec, he had instructed U.S. representatives not to endorse the final communique, which the Canadian leader had said was agreed to by all G7 nations.

The communique expressed the need for trade cooperation, took a hard line on Russia, and stressed the importance of containing Iran's nuclear program.

"PM Justin Trudeau of Canada acted so meek and mild during our G7 meetings only to give a news conference after I left saying that, 'US Tariffs were kind of insulting' and he 'will not be pushed around.' ...MORE

https://www.globalsecurity.org/mili...0-rferl01.htm?_m=3n.002a.2313.ph0ao0037n.24of


White House Advisers Assail Canada's Trudeau Over Tariff Remarks
Key White House advisers assailed Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Sunday, contending that he "stabbed us in the back" and undermined U.S. President Donald Trump after Trump left the G-7 economic summit to head to Singapore for nuclear weapons talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Trump economic adviser Larry Kudlow blamed the Canadian leader for saying at a news conference that new U.S. tariffs on aluminum and steel were "insulting," prompting Trump to direct U.S. officials to rebuff its allies and refuse to sign the traditional end-of-summit communique in Quebec.

"We leave and then he pulls this sophomoric political stunt for domestic consideration," Kudlow told CNN. "You just don't behave that way. It's a betrayal."

Kudlow said Trump had negotiated the communique in "good faith," and had called at the summit for "no tariffs, free trade." But Kudlow said that after Trump left the gathering hours early to head to Singapore, "He gets up in a plane and then ... Trudeau stabs him." He said Trump "is not going to let a Canadian prime minister push him around." ...MORE

https://www.globalsecurity.org/mili...610-voa03.htm?_m=3n.002a.2313.ph0ao0037n.24ok

 

[rtomedic]

Trump Signs Order to End Migrant Family Separation on US Border
In what is being viewed as the most significant policy reversal of his 17-month administration, President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order ending the policy of separating migrant children from their parents who illegally crossed the southern border with Mexico into the U.S.

"It's about keeping families together while at the same time making sure that we have a very powerful, very strong border," Trump said as he signed the document just prior to departing the White House for a political rally in the state of Minnesota.

"I didn't like the sight or the feeling of families being separated," said Trump, adding that his wife, Melania, and his daughter, Ivanka, felt the same way.

The president's policy retreat follows a withering attack by Republican and Democratic officials who alike termed the family separations as inhumane. The actions left parents with little or no information about where their ...MORE

https://www.globalsecurity.org/secu...620-voa01.htm?_m=3n.002a.2321.ph0ao0037n.24xp