White House News (白宮消息) | Sep. 22, 2020

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Trump v. Mazars USA

Trump v. Mazars USA was a case argued before the Supreme Court of the United States on May 12, 2020, during the court's October 2019-2020 term. The case came on a writ of certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The case was consolidated with Trump v. Deutsche Bank AG.[2][3]
The court vacated the D.C. Circuit's decision in a 7-2 ruling and remanded the case. The court held that the lower courts (the D.C. Circuit and the 2nd Circuit) did not adequately consider whether congressional subpoenas requesting information from the president raise separation of powers concerns.[4] Click here for more information.

Oral argument was initially scheduled for March 31, 2020. However, the U.S. Supreme Court announced on March 16 that it was postponing the 11 oral arguments originally scheduled during its March sitting. In a press release, the court said the delay was "in keeping with public health precautions recommended in response to COVID-19."[5] COVID-19 is the abbreviation for coronavirus disease 2019, caused by SARS-CoV-2. On April 15, the court announced it had rescheduled the case for May 12, 2020.

• Click here for more information about the court's response to the coronavirus pandemic.
• Click here for more information about political responses to the pandemic.

HIGHLIGHTS

• The case: In both cases, certain U.S. House committees issued subpoenas requesting financial documents. One subpoena was issued to President Donald Trump's (R) accounting firm, Mazars USA, LLP ("Mazars"). Two others were each issued to Deutsche Bank and the Capital One Financial Corporation. The president, acting in his individual capacity, challenged the subpoenas' validity in federal district court. In each case, the district court ruled in favor of the U.S. House committees. The president appealed to federal circuit courts, which upheld the district courts' decisions in both cases. Click here for more details about Trump v. Mazars USA and here for more information about Trump v. Deutsche Bank AG.

• The issue: Whether the U.S. House Oversight and Reform Committee, Financial Services Committee, and Intelligence Committee have the "constitutional and statutory authority to issue" subpoenas to President Trump's accountant and to the president's creditors "demanding private financial records belonging to the president."[6][7]

• The outcome: The court vacated the D.C. Circuit's decision in a 7-2 ruling and remanded the case. The court held that the lower courts (the D.C. Circuit and the 2nd Circuit) did not adequately consider whether congressional subpoenas requesting information from the president raise separation of powers concerns.[4]

Manhattan's district attorney on Monday said the 'mountainous' allegations of misconduct linked to President Donald Trump and his businesses justified enforcing a subpoena for his tax returns and other financial records. The district attorney's office also suggested for the first time Monday that Trump could be investigated for tax fraud. 

Manhattan's district attorney says he has grounds to investigate Donald Trump for tax fraud and argues the president's returns should be released because of 'mountainous' allegations of misconduct

Sep. 22 - Manhattan's district attorney on Monday said the 'mountainous' allegations of misconduct linked to President Donald Trump and his businesses justified enforcing a subpoena for his tax returns and other financial records.

White House News (白宮消息) | Sep. 21, 2020

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"Looking at today's global landscape, it is clear that the common good is best served through more international cooperation, not less," the UN chief said on Friday.

"The UN's 75th anniversary, now more than ever, reminds us that multilateralism, consensus and cooperation must be instrumental in maintaining and safeguarding the principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter," the secretary-general said.

Guterres reiterated his stance on multilateralism under the current situation, noting it must be both "networked" and "inclusive"...He said he trusts that China will continue playing an important role in supporting multilateral efforts in building more equal and inclusive societies that are more resilient towards unprecedented global challenges...     more details

Trump urged the GOP-run Senate to consider 'without delay' his upcoming nomination to fill the seat vacated by Justice Ginsburg, who died Friday. Since 1869 nine justices have served on the nation's highest court. 'If he holds a vote in 2020, we pack the court in 2021', Kennedy tweeted Sunday. President Franklin D. Roosevelt attempted to pack the court with new judgeships in 1937 after watching the high court deal setbacks to his New Deal initiatives. That legislation was unpopular with the public and ultimately stalled. House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler wrote on Twitter: 'If Sen. McConnell and @SenateGOP were to force through a nominee during the lame-duck session -- before a new Senate and President can take office - then the incoming Senate should immediately move to expand the Supreme Court.' And Sen. Ed Markey tweeted Friday: 'Mitch McConnell set the precedent. No Supreme Court vacancies filled in an election year. Senator Elizabeth Warren, vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris, as well as former Rep. Beto O'Rourke had already raised the possibility of adding as many as six seats to the nine-seat court, even before Ginberg's death.

'If he holds a vote in 2020, we pack the court in 2021': Democrats threaten radical move to pack Supreme Court with extra justices if Trump's nomination goes through and they take the White House and the Senate

Sep. 21 - Democrats have threatened to pack the Supreme Court if Donald Trump's nomination gets confirmed following the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

White House News (白宮消息) | Sep. 20, 2020

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Ginsburg spent much of her legal career as an advocate for gender equality and women's rights, winning many arguments before the Supreme Court. She advocated as a volunteer attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union and was a member of its board of directors and one of its general counsel in the 1970s. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter appointed her to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, where she served until her appointment to the Supreme Court. Ginsburg received attention in American popular culture for her fiery liberal dissents...     source

Senator Mitch McConnell will be instrumental in ensuring Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee is confirmed.(Reuters: Yuri Gripas)

Ruth Bader Ginsburg was one of the most powerful women in America. What does her death mean for Donald Trump?

Sep. 20 - ...In political terms, Ginsburg's death is monumental.
It ratchets up the intensity of an already acrimonious Presidential race.
And it resets the playing field, with just 45 days until the election.

For that reason alone, it's a political windfall for Trump, who has tried desperately to shift attention onto anything other than the devastation wrought by the coronavirus and the parlous state of the economy.

Now the Republicans have a fresh battlefield on which to fight a major culture war, and it's a fight they've actually got a decent chance of winning.

There's little doubt Trump will nominate a replacement Supreme Court Justice in the coming days.

There's a lot of speculation about who it could be, but there's no question it will be a conservative judge.

That means a clear conservative majority on the bench that rules on many of the most consequential issues in America, like gun control, abortion, healthcare and same-sex marriage...     more detials

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White House News (白宮消息) | Sep. 19, 2020

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U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, left, stands next to Surinam's President Chan Santokhi, center, and Surinam's Foreign Minister Albert Ramdin at the presidential palace in Paramaribo, Sept. 17, 2020. Pompeo arrived in Brazil later in the day.

 Pompeo Lands in Brazil on Third Stop of Latin American Tour 

Sep. 19 - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived Friday in Brazil and visited a Venezuelan refugee processing center, while calling for democracy and for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to step down.

About 250,000 Venezuelan refugees are now in Brazil, with about 600 arriving daily before the border was closed because of the coronavirus. Pompeo visited the center alongside Brazil’s Foreign Minister Ernesto Araújo.

During a joint press conference in Guyana earlier in the day, Pompeo and Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali discussed the need for democracy in Venezuela.

"We know that the Maduro regime has decimated the people of Venezuela and that Maduro himself is an indicted narcotics trafficker. That means he has to leave," the secretary of state said, referring to U.S. drug trafficking charges against Maduro. “The United States and dozens of countries have made clear that Juan Guaidó is the duly elected leader of Venezuela. This is the objective — we want democracy and freedom and the rule of law.”     more details

PBS NewsHour full episode, Sept. 18, 2020
19 Sep 2020
Friday on the NewsHour, President Trump and Joe Biden make campaign stops in a new battleground state: Minnesota. Plus: Minnesota’s political evolution, the Trump administration’s fight against Chinese social media apps, the outlook for peace in Afghanistan, political analysis with Mark Shields and David Brooks, honoring COVID-19 victims and medical professionals find solace in music.

【精華】解放軍「步步逼近」警告美國次卿訪台？　
愛荷華州藏川普逆轉勝暗黑方程式？　美禁抖音微軟驚覺被陰了氣炸？
19 Sep 2020

China slams Pompeo for 'spreading rumors' during South America trip

Sep. 18 - ...China lent and invested heavily in resource-rich Latin America during the decade-long commodities boom that largely ended in 2014. The Trump administration has sought to highlight the heavy debts and economic deterioration those ties have left for close Chinese trade partners like Venezuela and Ecuador.

The Chinese embassy to Paramaribo said in a statement that "any attempt to sow discord between China and Suriname is doomed to fail."

"We advise Mr. Pompeo to respect facts and truth, abandon arrogance and prejudice, stop smearing and spreading rumors about China," it added.

China's embassy to neighboring Guyana issued a similar statement later on Friday after Pompeo visited Georgetown, arguing Beijing "attaches no political strings in bilateral pragmatic cooperations."...    source

美副国务卿访台 为“敲竹杠”而来 20200917 |《今日亚洲》CCTV中文国际
18 Sep 2020

White House News (白宮消息) | Sep. 18, 2020

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TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A senior adviser to the Iranian parliament speaker slammed Abu Dhabi and Manama’s normalization of ties with Israel as a sham linked to the US president's reelection campaign.

UAE, Bahrain’s Ties with Israel Part of Trump’s Reelection Campaign: Iranian Adviser
Sep. 18 - The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain’s move to establish normal relations with the Zionist regime is a fake and worthless show aimed at serving the US president’s reelection campaign, Iranian parliament speaker’s adviser for international affairs Hossein Amir Abdollahian said in a meeting with Austria’s ambassador to Tehran.

Criticizing the White House for its “arrogant behavior” in the announcement of the UAE and Bahrain’s deals with Israel, the Iranian adviser said the US has resorted to force and coercion to oblige some Persian Gulf states to establish ties with Israel.
“If the US were not pursuing an arrogant and humiliating behavior in this regard, there would be no need for Trump’s circus on the balcony of the White House,” Amir Abdollahian added.

Bahrain has become the fourth Arab government to reach a deal with Israel after Egypt, Jordan and the UAE.

The governments of Abu Dhabi and Manama have agreed to normalize ties with Israel as part of a diplomatic push by US President Donald Trump.

In early September, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei denounced the United Arab Emirates for betraying the Muslim world and regional nations by establishing ties with the Israeli regime, saying the treason would not last long while such a shame will taint the UAE forever.     source

伊朗否认欲暗杀美大使 特朗普：
若遭袭将千倍奉还！20200916 |《今日关注》CCTV中文国际
16 Sep 2020

US Troop Drawdown in Iraq Is Double-Edged Sword for Iran
US force reduction in Iraq reinforces the oft-used narrative that Iran is impervious to American imperialism but conversely undermines the efficacy of Supreme Leader Khamenei’s domestically-driven “Crusader” propaganda.

Sep. 17 - Furious over the targeted killing of Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani by the US military in Bagdad, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei demanded in January that “the Americans’ corruption-stirring presence should come to an end” in Iraq. As it happens, Christmas came early for Khamenei, at least in part.

Gen. Frank McKenzie, commander of US Central Command, announced on September 9 a drawdown of US troops in Iraq from 5,200 to 3,000. This statement comes as President Donald Trump attempts to bolster his November reelection by making good on previous campaign promises to withdraw the military from foreign entanglements.

Ayatollah Khamenei stands to secure a public relations victory from the drawdown. It not only reinforces the oft-used narrative that Iran is impervious to American imperialism but also allows Iranian leadership to flaunt its prowess in asymmetrical tactics and resistance politics.

Conversely, though, a US force reduction in Iraq undermines the efficacy of Khamenei’s domestically-driven “Crusader” propaganda.     more