White House News (白宮消息) | Oct 15, 2020

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Twitter CEO calls blocking New York Post article without explanation 'unacceptable'

Oct. 15 - Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey said Wednesday that it was “unacceptable” for the social media platform to block users from linking to a New York Post article without context explanation for the decision.

“Our communication around our actions on the @nypost article was not great. And blocking URL sharing via tweet or DM with zero context as to why we’re blocking: unacceptable,” Dorsey tweeted Wednesday.     source


“Our communication around our actions on the @nypost article was not great,” Twitter CEO says

Oct. 15 - Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey admitted on Wednesday that the company did an “unacceptable” job of explaining why the platform started blocking users from sharing the link to a widely questioned and dubiously sourced New York Post story about Hunter Biden.

“Our communication around our actions on the @nypost article was not great. And blocking URL sharing via tweet or DM with zero context as to why we’re blocking: unacceptable,” Dorsey tweeted.     details

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey appeared to step back from the social media giant's restrictions on an article about VP Joe Biden on Wednesday night

Facebook is squashing a New York Post story which claims Joe Biden met with a Ukrainian businessman while he was Vice President, saying it needs to be fact-checked first by its chosen third party before they will allow people to share it more online.  The announcement came on Wednesday without any justification or explanation from the social media giant.  It thrusts into the spotlight again the exorbitant power Facebook has not only over the circulation of news but also over politics and the spread of information, and comes at a particularly tense moment given the Presidential election is in just three weeks.  

PBS NewsHour full episode, Oct. 14, 2020
Oct 15, 2020
Wednesday on the NewsHour, members of the Senate Judiciary Committee conclude their questioning of Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett. Plus: Legal and political analysis of Barrett’s testimony, early voting in Georgia, the security of mail-in ballots compared to older voting machines, a health expert on seeking COVID-19 immunity and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on his new book and the pandemic

White House News (白宮消息) | Oct 14, 2020

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US elections 2020: what if Donald Trump refuses to concede?
Trump has repeatedly stated that he may refuse to accept defeat in the coming election. As Lawrence Douglas explains, things could get very messy if the result is close

Oct. 14 - In the run-up to the 2016 election, Donald Trump famously declared that he would accept the result of the contest with Hillary Clinton, before pausing for dramatic effect and adding: “If I win.” Even after being sworn in as president he cast doubt over the legitimacy of millions of votes that had seen him lose the popular vote while winning in the electoral college.
This time around, with millions more than usual expected to vote by mail and with him trailing badly in the polls, Trump is once again questioning the legitimacy of the voting system.

Prof Lawrence Douglas, the author of the recently published Will He Go?, tells Anushka Asthana that the stage is being set for a disputed election if the result hinges on small margins and mail-in ballots, which take longer to count. In this scenario, he believes Trump is likely to refuse to concede if the vote goes against him.

It could open up a legal and political minefield that the US constitution and the separated powers of the US government is ill-equipped to deal with. One thing is clear: a new president must be sworn in at noon on 21 January 2020. But who turns up to that ceremony could be the result of a bitter and protracted battle.     source

Russia dismisses Trump administration efforts to secure nuclear arms deal before election

Oct. 15 - (CNN)Russia on Tuesday reject.ed assertions by the Trump administration that the US and Russia had come to a "gentlemen's agreement" on extending a key arms control agreement and dismissed the idea that a deal would be reached before the US presidential election.

US Special Presidential Envoy for Arms Control Marshall Billingslea on Tuesday said he believed "that there is an agreement in principle at the highest levels of our two governments" for the US to extend the New START Treaty "for some period of time" in exchange for Russia freezing its nuclear arsenal.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Rybakov quickly rebuffed the comments, saying the position on freezing the arsenal was "unacceptable," according to state run news agency RIA Novosti.     continue to read

Russia shuts down Trump admin's last-minute push to strike nuclear arms deal before election

Oct 15 - Russia dismissed claims from the Trump administration that Moscow and Washington had reached an agreement on extending a top arms control agreement, saying it was unlikely any deal would be reached prior to the November election.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Rybakov specifically pushed back on claims from administration officials that the U.S. would extend the New START Treaty for an undetermined period of time if Russia froze its nuclear arsenal.

"The US position in favor of putting a freeze [on the nuclear arsenal] has long been known to us, it is unacceptable to us. Not because we are against freezing, but because we need to deal with the problems of strategic stability as a complex," Rybakov told state run news agency RIA Novosti, according to CNN.

"If the Americans need to report to their superiors something about allegedly reaching an agreement with the Russian Federation before their elections, then they will not get it," he added.     continue to read

White House News (白宮消息) | Oct 13, 2020

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Christopher Steele

FBI spreadsheet exposed folly of Steele dossier claims, declassified copy shows
Document obtained by Just the News shows almost no intel reporting to support Steele's claims, except for suspect sources like Sputnik or the brother of a DNC operative.

Oct. 13 - An FBI spreadsheet that evaluated the credibility of Christopher Steele's dossier found almost no corroborating evidence from official intelligence reporting, leaving analysts to grope after flimsy sources like a Democratic operative, a Russian propaganda news site and U.S. news media story leaks that amounted to circular reporting.

In one entry, FBI analysts tried to evaluate one of Steele's most lurid claims — later debunked — that Trump was videotaped committing lewd sex acts with prostitutes at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Moscow. "There is no confirmation that Trump stayed here," they found. "There is no 'Presidential Suite' currently listed."
 
The 94-page document was obtained Monday by Just the News in a mostly declassified state, with some redactions...    continue to read

What Vladimir Putin Has Said about Joe Biden
Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses participants of the 7th Forum of the Regions of Russia and Belarus via video feed at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence, outside Moscow, on September 29, 2020. During a television interview last week, Putin said he sees an “ideological basis” for working with Biden if the former vice president wins the election on November 3.

Oct. 13 -...Putin said that Black Americans' fight for justice and equality in the U.S. was another issue on which Russia agreed with the Democratic Party. The Black Lives Matter movement reignited over the summer as protesters reacted to the death of George Floyd, a Black man who died while in police custody in Minneapolis on Memorial Day. Putin once again tapped into the history of the Communist Party to make his point, saying that communist leaders unified Black and white workers during the 1930s against "imperialism and capitalism."...   more details

PBS NewsHour full episode, Oct. 12, 2020
Oct 13, 2020
Monday on the NewsHour, the Senate Judiciary Committee begins confirmation hearings for Judge Amy Coney Barrett, President Trump’s latest nominee to the Supreme Court. Plus: An update from the presidential campaigns, global protests by Indigenous peoples, Rick Gates on President Trump, a competitive Texas congressional district, Politics Monday and the legacy of NBA superstar LeBron James.

White House News (白宮消息) | Oct 12, 2020

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Donald Trump on Sunday morning promised 'breathtaking' new revelations were imminent relating to the investigation into Russian support of his 2016 election campaign. Earlier in the week the president said he had authorized the declassification of all documents in connection with the probe, which ultimately sparked the Mueller investigation. Trump has demanded, with increasing urgency, the prosecution and jailing of those involved.

'We caught them cold, we have them cold': Trump promises 'breathtaking' new documents about Mueller's Russia probe will be released that 'prove Obama campaign and Hillary Clinton tried to set him up'

Oct. 12 - President Donald Trump promised on Sunday that 'breathtaking' new documents would soon be made public, relating to the events leading up to the Mueller probe.
Trump has already vowed to declassify all information surrounding the investigation into the Trump campaign's relationship with Russia.

On Sunday the president told Fox News' Maria Bartiromo that the documents proved the Obama administration and Hillary Clinton had tried to set him up.     more details

PBS NewsHour Weekend Full Episode October 11, 2020
Oct 12, 2020
On this edition for Sunday, October 11, President Trump says he is clear to hit the campaign trail, confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett are set to begin, and how a mobile truck is helping social workers reach out to people in need during the pandemic.

What is AXIOS Media?
AXIOS Media or Axios is a news and information company started in 2016 by Politico co-founder Jim VandeHei, former Chief White House correspondent at Politico, Mike Allen, and former Politico Chief Revenue Officer Roy Schwartz.

The future of American terror
Oct. 12, 2020

The FBI announced terrorism charges on Thursday against an anti-government militia group for plotting to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D). Now, University of Michigan professor Alexandra Minna Stern says that politically motivated violence may only get worse.

• Plus, the debate around whether another presidential debate will or won't happen.
• And, sports betting is one industry thriving during the pandemic.

Guests: Axios' Hans Nichols, Kendall Baker and University of Michigan professor Alexandra Minna Stern.
Credits: "Axios Today" is produced in partnership with Pushkin Industries. The team includes Niala Boodhoo, Carol Wu, Cara Shillenn, Nuria Marquez Martinez, Dan Bobkoff, Sara Kehaulani Goo, Alex Sugiura and Naomi Shavin. Music is composed by Evan Viola. You can reach us at podcasts@axios.com.

White House News (白宮消息) | Oct 11, 2020

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俄“航母超级杀手”或一年内入役 美：
将密切关注！20201009 |《今日关注》CCTV中文国际
Oct 10, 2020

Russia INF TreatyDeal on Nuclear Warhead Freeze Could Deter Next US Leader From U-Turns, Russian Lawmaker Says
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The signing of a Russian-US agreement on nuclear warhead freeze under the Donald Trump administration could become an incentive for its successor to hold back hawkish policies and stick to arms control principles, the first deputy chair of the Russian lower house's foreign affairs committee said.

Oct. 11 - "If such an agreement becomes a reality, then in any case, it is, first of all, an unconditional success of the forces that advocate for arms control and, hence, for preserving guarantees of preventing a new world war," Dmitry Novikov said.
According to the lawmaker, the signing of a freeze agreement would become not only a success for the current administration but also an incentive for its successor to stick to arms control commitments, in case Democrats come to power in November.

"The new head of the White House will have to choose between the roles of a peacemaker and a hawk. Democrats have already made some statements committing them to move toward maintaining control mechanisms on the most significant and serious types of weapons. If they suddenly make a U-turn on their policy after entering the White House, they will have to explain this at least," he added.

Such an agreement, Novikov went on, would also positively affect the situation in the world, "where too many security mechanisms have already been broken, making the world very fragile"...     continue to read

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想讓人人有藥醫成「超大人體實驗」？
Oct 10, 2020

Pompeo in Dubrovnik Warns Croatia Against Close Ties With China
October the 11th, 2020 - Mike Pompeo in Dubrovnik attracted a lot of media attention, and the former head of the CIA had a clear message to Croatia when it comes to doing business with the Chinese - Be careful.

Oct. 11 - As Novac/David Lekaj writes, "Open your eyes when doing business with China," was the message of the former head of the Central Intelligence Agency, who received his military training at the prestigious West Point and his doctorate in law from Harvard.

Mike Pompeo in Dubrovnik explained the geopolitical dangers and pitfalls of cooperation with China in great detail as part of the "17 + 1" initiative. His statement that "the Chinese just want to take money from Croatia" surprised the Croatian public, considering that newspaper columns have been filled with articles about Chinese investments in various projects within the country for several years. However, what was happening far from the radar of the Croatian public was the presentation of Alibaba Group founder Jack Ma to Chinese businessmen at the "Green Forum" on Tuesday (September the 29th) when he uttered almost the same words as Pompeo in Dubrovnik. All in all, we should encourage our government to seriously consider Croatia's further role in the "17 + 1" initiativ...   continue to read

White House News (白宮消息) | Oct 10, 2020

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Washington can initiate peace in the South Caucasus

Oct. 9 - As fighting intensifies between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, Washington’s silence is deafening. Domestic distractions are no excuse for the Trump administration to ignore a war that threatens to engulf Turkey, Russia and Iran, and place NATO partner Georgia in grave danger. Indeed, America is the sole power that can defuse the conflict and take a leadership role in a long-overdue peace settlement.

 
Fierce fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan has not subsided since September 27, making negotiations more difficult with each passing day. Battles are taking place along the line of contact that has separated Azerbaijani and Armenian forces since the 1994 ceasefire. Armenian-controlled cities in Nagorno-Karabakh region have been shelled, including the capital Stepanakert, as well as Azerbaijani villages on the other side of the line of contact, with both sides reporting civilian deaths. 

Armenian mid-range missiles have also hit civilian targets far beyond the conflict zone, reaching as far as the Absheron region near Azerbaijan’s capital Baku. Several missiles hit Azerbaijan’s second-largest city Ganja, located close to major oil and gas pipelines from the Caspian Sea to Europe. On October 6, Armenian forces reportedly fired a rocket targeting the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline in Azerbaijan’s Yevlakh region. The rocket barely missed the oil pipeline and the nearby South Caucasus natural gas line, but the threat to major energy, transportation and communication corridors remains high.     continue to read

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Armenia and Azerbaijan Agree to Cease-Fire in Nagorno-Karabakh

Pigeons fly near Holy Mother of God Cathedral in Stepanakert during a military conflict in the separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh, Oct. 9, 2020. Armenia and Azerbaijan say they have agreed to a cease-fire.

Oct. 9 - Armenia and Azerbaijan have agreed to a cease-fire in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region beginning at noon Saturday.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made the announcement in Moscow in the early hours Saturday after mediating 10 hours of talks between the two sides.
The agreement stated the truce would allow both sides to exchange prisoners and recover the dead. Lavrov said the cease-fire should pave the way for further talks on the settlement of the conflict.

The talks between the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan were held following an invitation by Russian President Vladimir Putin after nearly two weeks of fighting.

On Friday, United Nations human rights chief Michelle Bachelet called for an “urgent cease-fire” in Nagorno-Karabakh, citing a heavy toll on civilians.     continue to read

PBS NewsHour full episode, Oct. 9, 2020
Oct. 10 2020
Friday on the NewsHour, Hurricane Delta, a Category 2 storm, approaches the southwest Louisiana coast. Plus: The World Food Program receives the Nobel Peace Prize, Mark Salter on the legacy of John McCain, Saudi Arabia two years after Jamal Khashoggi’s murder, COVID-19 surges in battleground state of Wisconsin, politics with Mark Shields and David Brooks and remembering victims of the pandemic.

White House News (白宮消息) | Oct 9, 2020

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Nancy Pelosi vows to ‘talk about’ the 25th Amendment: Here’s what that is—again

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters that Democrats would discuss the amendment, which provides for removing a medically unfit president, on Friday.

Oct. 8 - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a Thursday press conference that Democrats plan to discuss the 25th Amendment, the constitutional provision that deals with replacing a president, on Friday.

The amendment was added to the Constitution in the 1960s after John F. Kennedy was assassinated, in order to clarify the rules for replacing a deceased or incapacitated president. It allows for the vice president and members of the Cabinet to remove a president who is unable to carry out the duties of office, with provisions for handling a dispute between the president and other officials about whether the president is fit for office.

• Explainer: What is the 25th Amendment?

Pelosi didn’t specify exactly what Democrats plan to discuss about the amendment, but, as The Hill reports, the discussion arose as she critiqued President Trump for not revealing more about his coronavirus diagnosis and the outbreak involving the White House. Pelosi declined to say whether she felt the amendment should be invoked to suspend Trump from office, but she later suggested that he might be in an “altered state” because of the drugs he’s been prescribed for COVID-19.

It seems unlikely the amendment will be invoked without a further change in the president’s health, since it requires either the president or the vice president to declare the president medically unfit. Both Trump and Vice President Mike Pence have said Trump is in good health after his treatment at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

It’s not the first time the topic has come up during Trump’s term in office. Two years ago, The New York Times reported that Rod Rosenstein—then the deputy U.S. attorney general—discussed recruiting Cabinet members to invoke the 25th Amendment. At the time, Rosenstein denied the report.   source

Nancy Pelosi suggests future discussion on Donald Trump's fitness for office 
Oct. 8, 2020
Nancy Pelosi teased a discussion about the 25th amendment, which pertains to the president’s removal from office if found unfit, which she said would be held tomorrow. The House speaker also spoke about Trump calling himself a 'perfect physical specimen'. She said the president owed it to the American people to share when he tested positive for Covid-19 after the White House refused to provide a timeline of the president’s testing before he was admitted to the hospital

WHAT DOES THE 25TH AMENDMENT SAY? CAN TRUMP'S CABINET REALLY TOPPLE HIM?

The 25th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution deals with presidential authority in the event of death or removal from office, and was ratified in 1967, in the wake of John F Kennedy's assassination.

What does the 25th Amendment say?

It is in four sections, all dealing with the president leaving office during his or her elected term. 

The first section states that the vice president takes over the Oval Office if the president dies or resigns – or is removed – something which the original Constitution did not clearly state.

Presidents of course can be removed by impeachment, a feature of the constitution from the start. They can also be removed through the 25th Amendment - of which more below.

Section II states that if the vice president dies, or resigns – or is fired – both the House and Senate have to confirm a new vice president. Until 1967, presidents could change vice presidents mid-term on their own if they got the vice president to agree to resign - not something that actually happened, but which was possible in principle.

Section III makes clear that a president can temporarily delegate his powers to the vice president, and later reclaim them when he - or she - is capable of serving. This is most often invoked if a president is under the influence of surgical anesthetic for a short period of time. 

Section IV is the amendment's most controversial part: it describes how the president can be removed from office if he is incapacitated and does not leave on his own...     continue to read

PBS NewsHour full episode, Oct. 8, 2020
Oct. 9 2020
Thursday on the NewsHour, it’s unclear when President Trump and Joe Biden will face off again after Trump declines a virtual debate. Plus: The debate between Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. Kamala Harris, Dr. Anthony Fauci on COVID-19 in the White House, a terror plot in Michigan, Afghan peace talks, fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan, a contentious Maine Senate race and taking the stage.

White House News (白宮消息) | Oct 8, 2020

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US President Donald Trump at a press conference in the East Room of the White House, October 2, 2019. 

Why Donald Trump is flying off the handle — even more than usual

Oct. 8 - Still suffering from an infection of SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, President Donald Trump unleashed an extended and aggressive tirade on Twitter following a period of relative radio silence while he was hospitalized.

He seemed to have returned from Walter Reed Medical Center with a vengeance. His furious tweeting, often in all caps, targeted his favorite subjects, including the Russia investigation, the media, Hillary Clinton, and former Vice President Joe Biden.

He called for “arrests” out of the Justice Department’s review of the handling of the Russia investigation, based on dubious reporting of selectively declassified documents from his own administration that showed no evidence of any clear crimes:

Attorney General Bill Barr, who has previously denigrated the administration’s predecessors and whipped up hopes that the investigation would punish the president’s enemies, appears to be disappointing Trump as it is many of his fans. Barr has previously said that the president’s tweeting about ongoing investigations make it “impossible” for him to do his job, but that hasn’t deterred Trump.     continue to read

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OCTOBER 2, 2020 | PART OF MARK MEADOWS UPDATES REPORTERS ON PRESIDENT'S CONDITIONMark Meadows Speaks with Reporters
White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows talked to reporters about President Trump and the First Lady’s testing positive for the coronavirus.

THAT WRAPS UP THIS CORONAVIRUS COMMITTEE HEARING WITH HEALTH SECRETARY ALEX A'S ARE HERE SEVERAL REPRESENTATIVES TALKED ABOUT PRESIDENT TRUMP'S ANNOUNCEMENT THAT HE AND FIRST LADY MELANIA TRUMP HAVE TESTED POSITIVE FOR COVID. THIS COMES AFTER A SENIOR ADVISOR HOPE HICKS WAS DIAGNOSED WITH CORONAVIRUS AFTER A CAMPAIGN RALLY IN MINNESOTA. THE WHITE HOUSE REPORTING PRESIDENT TRUMP IS EXPENSING QUOTE MILD SYMPTOMS. THE FIRST COUPLE HAVE BEGUN A 14 DAY QUARANTINE YOUR VICE PRESIDENT PENCE WAS TESTED IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE NEWS BROKE AND HIS OFFICE REPORTS THAT HE IS NOT INFECTED. IN ADDITION "THE ASSOCIATED PRESS" REPORTED SEVERAL OTHER MEMBERS OF THE PRESIDENT'S CABINET ARE UNDERGOING TESTING NOW. WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF MARK MEADOWS COMMENTED ON THE PRESIDENT'S CONDITION THIS MORNING. HERE'S WHAT HE HAD TO SAY. [BACKGROUND SOUNDS]   source and more details

Henry Kissinger says US needs ‘new way of thinking,’ warns of blowup with China

Oct. 8 - Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger said the US and China must establish rules of engagement for their increasingly tense competition or risk recreating the uncertainty that characterized global politics leading up to World War I.
“Our leaders and their leaders have to discuss the limits beyond which they will not push threats,” Kissinger, 97, said Wednesday in a virtual discussion hosted by the Economic Club of New York. “And then they have to find a way of conducting such a policy over an extended period of time.    more

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卻「不想繳保護費」不知免錢最貴？　覺青「願上戰場不願當兵」心態矛盾？
Oct. 8, 2020

Here’s What Could Happen If China Invaded Taiwan

Oct. 7 - (Bloomberg) -- Xi Jinping’s Chinese Communist Party has threatened to invade Taiwan for more than seven decades. Now fears are growing among analysts, officials and investors that it might actually follow through over the next few years, potentially triggering a war with the U.S.

In September, People’s Liberation Army aircraft repeatedly breached the median line in the Taiwan Strait, eliminating a de facto buffer zone that has kept peace for decades. The party-run Global Times newspaper has given a picture of what could come, urging China’s air force to patrol the skies over Taiwan and “achieve reunification through military means” if it fires any shots. Taiwan announced it would only shoot if attacked.     more