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Nigerian Brothers Rat Out Smollett, Telling Everything

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The two men who participated in the allegedly staged attack on Empire actor Jussie Smollett told Chicago police that the singer-actor was behind “creating” a threatening letter sent to him on the set of the program, according to a report.

Chicago’s local CBS affiliate, WBBM Channel 2, reports Smollett allegedly “orchestrated” the racist and homophobic assault on himself after the letter failed to evoke a large enough reaction.

The development comes after ABC News reported Tuesday that the FBI and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service officials are investigating whether Smollett was involved in the letter’s January 22 delivery. The letter, which contained powered aspired and the phrase “Die black fag,” is currently undergoing tests at an FBI crime lab.

In a statement to CNN, Chicago police spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said that a HAZMAT team had been sent to Cinespace Studios, where the show was being filmed, upon the letter’s discovery.

Police are seeking to re-question Smollett amid allegations that he staged the attack with the brothers — Abimbola “Abel” and Olabinjo “Ola” Osundairo — who were extras on Empire. Anna Kavanagh, a press representative for Smollett, said Monday that the actor has no plans to meet with police and that his lawyers would keep an “active dialogue” going with authorities on his behalf.

On Saturday evening, CBS Chicago’s Charlie De Mar reported that at least one of the brothers was directed by Smollett to purchase the rope at the Crafty Beaver hardware store, and he and his brother were paid $3,500 and promised an additional $500 later.

Smollett, who is gay and African-American, told police that two masked men had doused him with an unknown chemical substance as they spewed racist and anti-gay insults at him. The actor also claimed that his attackers had looped a thin rope around his neck and screamed “This is MAGA country!” before fleeing the area.

On Tuesday, the Los Angeles City Attorney’s office confirmed to NBC News that Smollett had pleaded no contest to driving under the influence and driving without a license, along with providing false information to law enforcement in 2007. The actor was sentenced to probation for two years and given a choice to pay a fine or serve jail time, NBC News 10 reported.

Meanwhile, the Fox Broadcasting Company, the network behind Empire, will keep Smollett on as a series regular, according to a report. “Jussie was supposed to have 9 scenes and a big musical number in the second to the last episode — which is being shot now — but, 5 of his scenes have been cut, and his musical number has been 86’d,” TMZ reported.

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Trump Extends China Tariff Deadline, Cites Progress in Talks

President Donald Trump said on Sunday he would delay an increase in U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods thanks to “productive” trade talks and that he and Chinese President Xi Jinping would meet to seal a deal if progress continued.

The announcement was the clearest sign yet that China and the United States are closing in on a deal to end a months-long trade war that has slowed global growth and disrupted markets.

Trump had planned to raise tariffs to 25 percent from 10 percent on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports into the United States if an agreement between the world’s two largest economies were not reached by Friday.

After a week of talks that extended into the weekend, Trump said those tariffs would not go up for now. In a tweet, he said progress had been made in divisive areas including intellectual property protection, technology transfers, agriculture, services and currency.

As a result, he said: “I will be delaying the U.S. increase in tariffs now scheduled for March 1. Assuming both sides make additional progress, we will be planning a Summit for President Xi and myself, at Mar-a-Lago, to conclude an agreement. A very good weekend for U.S. & China!”

Mar-a-Lago is the president’s property in Florida, where the two men have met before.

The president did not set a new deadline for the talks to conclude, but he told U.S. state governors gathered at the White House that there could be “very big news over the next week or two” if all went well in the negotiations.

The White House did not provide specific details on the kind of progress that had been made.

The Chinese government’s top diplomat, State Councillor Wang Yi, told a forum in Beijing on Monday that the talks had made “substantive progress”, providing positive expectations for the stability of bilateral ties and global economic development, China’s Foreign Ministry said.

China’s official Xinhua news agency said in a commentary that the goal of an agreement was getting “closer and closer”, but also warned that negotiations would get more difficult as they approached the final stages.

“The emergence of new uncertainty cannot be ruled out, and the long-term nature, complexity, and difficulty of China-U.S. trade frictions must be clearly recognized,” Xinhua said.

Trump and Xi called a 90-day truce last year to give their advisers time to negotiate a deal. The threat of tariff increases represented significant leverage for the Trump team as Beijing is trying to stabilize China’s cooling economy.

“We can’t be sure whether this constitutes a major cave or success because we don’t know the details of what has been negotiated. But ... agreeing to extend negotiations a few more weeks definitely is in China’s interests,” said Scott Kennedy, a China expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

“At this point, the U.S. has likely gotten all it’s going to get out of China.”

J.P. Morgan Asset Management market strategist Tai Hui said the move suggested both sides wanted a settlement of the dispute and added that further tariff escalation would have added to concerns about the U.S. growth outlook.

Markets, which have been sensitive to the dispute as it has slowed global growth, and some U.S. trade associations cheered Trump’s move.

U.S. equity index futures opened higher on Sunday evening as trading kicked off for the week. S&P 500 e-mini futures ticked higher after Trump’s tweets on trade, suggesting Wall Street would open on positive footing on Monday morning.

Asian shares scaled a five-month high and the Australian dollar, a proxy for China investments, got a 0.4 percent lift from the news. 

Trump inclined to extend China trade deadline

Chinese stocks and the yuan jumped at the start of trade, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite index up 2.1 percent, its highest since Aug. 1, and the yuan hit its strongest level against the dollar since July.

Trump leaves on Monday for Vietnam, where he will hold a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The president, who faces a re-election battle next year, has portrayed his engagement with Kim and forcefulness with China as key successes of his presidency.

ENFORCEMENT STICKING POINT

Trump said on Friday there was a “good chance” a deal would emerge. But his lead trade negotiator, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, emphasized then that some major hurdles remained. Lighthizer has been a key voice in pushing China to make structural reforms.

China’s negotiators stayed for the weekend and the two sides discussed the thorny issue of how to enforce a potential trade deal on Sunday, according to a person familiar with the talks. Tariffs and commodities were also on Sunday’s agenda, he said.

Negotiators have been seeking to iron out differences on changes to China’s treatment of state-owned enterprises, subsidies, forced technology transfers and cyber theft.

Washington wants a strong enforcement mechanism to ensure that Chinese reform commitments are followed through to completion, while Beijing has insisted on what it called a “fair and objective” process. Another source briefed on the talks said that enforcement remained a major sticking point as of Saturday.

Reuters reported on Wednesday that both sides were drafting memorandums of understanding (MOUs) on cyber theft, intellectual property rights, services, agriculture and non-tariff barriers to trade, including subsidies.

Trump said he did not like MOUs because they are short-term, and he wanted a long-term deal. That sparked a back-and-forth with Lighthizer, who argued that MOUs were binding contracts, before saying they would abandon the term altogether going forward.

The source familiar with the talks played down the apparent tension between the top trade negotiator and the president, saying Trump, a former New York businessman, had viewed MOUs from a real estate perspective, while Lighthizer had done so from a trade perspective. There was no daylight between the two men, the source said.

At the White House event with governors on Sunday, Trump said Lighthizer was doing a “fantastic” job.

Source: NewsMax Politics

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Indonesia nickel boom on track to overshadow palm oil: investment chief

Chief of Indonesia's BKPM Thomas Lembong talks during an interview with Reuters in Jakarta
Chief of Indonesia's Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) Thomas Lembong gestures as he talks during an interview with Reuters at his office in Jakarta, Indonesia, March 27, 2019. REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan

March 27, 2019

By Ed Davies and Gayatri Suroyo

JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesia’s nickel-related industries such as the production of stainless steel and battery materials are set to surpass the value of its second-biggest export earner, palm oil, in the next 10 to 15 years, its investment board chief said on Wednesday.

Southeast Asia’s biggest economy suffered a drop in foreign direct investment last year, but one area that attracted more overseas money was nickel processing, including a $4 billion Chinese-led project to produce battery-grade nickel chemicals to power electric vehicles (EVs).

Indonesia is also set to overtake Japan and India to become the world’s second-biggest producer of stainless steel behind China, when it reaches an industry ministry target of producing 4 million tonnes a year from its main production site at Morowali, on the island of Sulawesi.

“Our palm oil industry is worth about $18 to $20 billion in exports. I could see nickel and its derivatives, stainless steel, carbon steel, lithium-ion battery cells, surpassing that in the next 10 to 15 years,” Thomas Lembong, chief of the Indonesia Investment Coordinating Board, said in an interview.

Indonesia’s large nickel laterite ore reserves – prized for nickel pig iron used in stainless steel production – are also a vital ingredient for lithium-ion batteries used to power EVs.

Developers led by Chinese companies – including stainless steel-maker Tsingshan Holding Group, battery firm GEM Co Ltd and units of lithium battery maker Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd (CATL) – started building a lithium battery project in Morowali in January.

“Tsingshan is in the lead, but there are at least two other Chinese conglomerates who are catching up to them,” said Lembong, who predicted three to four major manufacturers would eventually emerge in the battery sector.

The industrial park in Morowali and another $10 billion park being built on the island of Halmahera are part of Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative, but Lembong noted that Tsingshan was also bringing in Japanese investors to take a 40 percent stake.

“To me that’s a great example of where Belt and Road is going. More open, more inclusive, professionalised,” he said.

Indonesia has a history of simmering resentment towards China and a minority ethnic Chinese community so investment from its giant neighbor can be sensitive.

Reports have circulated on social media suggesting the Chinese-led project had brought in a huge influx of Chinese workers, although authorities say only around 3,000 workers are foreign out of nearly 30,000 in Morowali.

“I predict the public will realize the benefits of these investments fast enough to swing public support around to become very supportive of Chinese investment in years to come,” Lembong said.

Indonesia, the second-largest car production hub in Southeast Asia after Thailand, has also been looking to position itself as a global hub for producing and exporting EVs to Asia and beyond.

Indonesia has announced plans to introduce a fiscal scheme that will offer tax cuts to EV battery producers and automakers, as well as preferential tariff agreements with other countries that have a high EV demand.

Industry Minister Airlangga Hartarto said on Feb. 13 that Indonesia aimed for 20 percent of vehicle production to be EVs by 2025, representing about 400,000 vehicles.

The deputy minister for industry, Harjanto, also said last December that Hyundai Motor Co, the world’s fifth-largest automaker, plans to start producing EVs in Indonesia as part of an $880 million auto investment.

Lembong declined to name potential EV investors, saying that “it’s quite a leap” from producing batteries to building EVs, at least until domestic usage grows.

“If you don’t have a large user base of EV, then why bother producing here. But electric cars are not going to take off for as long as diesel and gasoline are subsidized,” he said.

(Reporting by Ed Davies and Gayatri Suroyo; Editing by Tom Hogue)

Source: OANN

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Slovak prosecutor resigns over contacts with suspect in journalist murder

FILE PHOTO: First anniversary of the murder of the investigative reporter Jan Kuciak and his fiancee Martina Kusnirova in Bratislava
FILE PHOTO: Demonstrators light up their mobile phones as they take part in a protest rally marking the first anniversary of the murder of the investigative reporter Jan Kuciak and his fiancee Martina Kusnirova in Bratislava, Slovakia, February 21, 2019. REUTERS/David W. Cerny/File Photo

March 29, 2019

BRATISLAVA (Reuters) – A Slovak deputy general prosecutor resigned under pressure on Friday over his contacts with the main suspect in the murder of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak, the second such departure in the high-profile case.

The murder of Kuciak, who wrote about political corruption and fraud cases and was found shot dead at home along with his fiancee in February 2018, prompted the largest protests in Slovakia since the end of Communist rule in 1989 and led to the resignation of its prime minister, Robert Fico.

General prosecutor Jaroslav Ciznar said his deputy, Peter Sufliarsky, had agreed to resign, effective Monday, after admitting to exchanging hundreds of text messages with the man charged with ordering Kuciak’s murder, prior to his arrest.

Some of the messages with the accused – politically connected businessman Marian Kocner – in which Sufliarsky discusses politics, were leaked by the media on Wednesday.

Kocner, who was the subject of some of Kuciak’s reporting, was charged earlier this month with ordering the journalist’s murder. He denies any wrongdoing.

Sufliarsky said on Thursday the communication was a mistake but denied cooperating with the suspect in any way.

Another deputy general prosecutor was fired in January for having had online contacts with a second suspect in the murder.

Public distrust in political leaders has kept attention on any signs that the murder was linked to ruling circles.

The killing has also been a major factor in a presidential election in which opinion polls show liberal political novice, Zuzana Caputova, favoured to defeat the ruling party’s candidate in a run-off vote on Saturday.

(Reporting by Tatiana Jancarikova; Editing by Frances Kerry)

Source: OANN

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Politico: Trump and Congress Now in ‘Total War’

The showdown between the White House and House Democrats is growing more bitter as new battles break out and ignite a total war, Politico is reporting.

Now, even modest compromises may be unobtainable as both sides ready for protracted fights in federal court.

Here are some of the key disputes.

  • House Democrats are warning they could hold an administration official in contempt. The official, who had overseen security clearances, was instructed by the White House not to cooperate with Congress.
  • The administration refused to turn over six years of President Donald Trump’s personal and business tax returns by a 5 p.m. Tuesday deadline and asked for additional time to consult with the Department of Justice.
  • The White House is trying to block the House Judiciary Committee from bringing in former White House counsel Don McGahn for testimony, according to The Washington Post. McGahn was mentioned in special counsel Robert Mueller’s report.
  • Trump has filed suit to block a subpoena for his financial records from the House Oversight and Reform Committee.

“It’s a pretty extraordinary and outlandish situation right now,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., a member of the House Oversight panel. “It’s like a curtain has fallen down over the White House.”

And Politico noted that Trump’s attorneys, who are challenging a subpoena for his financial records, wrote in court papers: “The Democrat Party, with its newfound control of the U.S. House of Representatives, has declared all-out political war against President Donald J. Trump."

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Source: NewsMax Politics

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Media ‘vilify’ border agents and ‘romanticize’ illegal immigrants, says National Border Patrol Council President

National Border Patrol Council President Brandon Judd said on “Fox and Friends” Thursday morning that the media “vilify” border patrol agents while they “romanticize” migrants coming to the U.S. illegally.

“It's so frustrating and disappointing to see that border patrol agents are vilified for strictly enforcing the laws that Congress put in place,” Judd said, in response to a question whether border patrol agents are becoming more mindful of their enforcement amid the criticism from the media.

“We're trying to protect the American public. Yet, they romanticize those people crossing the border illegally and vilify the good guys that are trying to do the job for the American public.”

We're trying to protect the American public. Yet, they romanticize those people crossing the border illegally and vilify the good guys that are trying to do the job for the American public.”

— National Border Patrol Council President Brandon Judd

OBAMA'S BORDER CHIEF WARNS CONGRESS: IMMIGRATION CRISIS 'AT A MAGNITUDE NEVER SEEN IN MODERN TIMES'

Judd also welcomed President Trump’s suggestion of bringing additional troops to the existing 6,000 at the border to deal with the crisis, saying the border patrol doesn’t have enough resources to deal with the surge in illegal border crossings.

“What we are looking at is all of our resources being pulled from the field as the [Chief Patrol Agent Rodolfo Karisch] testified that we just don't have the resources in the field to deal with the numbers of people that are crossing the border,” he said.

“What we are looking at is all of our resources being pulled from the field as the [Chief Patrol Agent Rodolfo Karisch] testified that we just don't have the resources in the field to deal with the numbers of people that are crossing the border.”

— Brandon Judd

“And what we have to look at is the number of people that are actually getting away, evading apprehension. Texas Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz from the same sector said within this fiscal year alone, we have 25,000 people that were able to evade apprehension.

“Those are people we do not know what their purpose for coming into the United States are. We don't know where they are from. That's a very dangerous situation and dynamic we are setting up,” he added.

BORDER PATROL OFFICIAL: CARAVAN-SIZE INFLUX OF MIGRANTS ARRIVING EVERY WEEK IN RIO GRANDE VALLEY

Karisch testified before Congress earlier this week, claiming that a caravan-size influx of migrants is flooding across the border each week in just a single sector.

“Much media attention has focused on caravans coming across from Central America,” he said at a Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing. “But the fact is that RGV is receiving caravan-equivalent numbers every seven days.”

Karisch said his sector has apprehended people from 50 different countries, including China, Bangladesh, Turkey, Egypt and Romania. “People are traveling across hemispheres to attempt to illegally enter the U.S., using the same pathways as the Central Americans,” he said.

The National Border Patrol Council President also said the leadership changes in the administration, particularly the resignation of Kirstjen Nielsen, is for the better.

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“It's absolutely for the better. If you look at Secretary Nielsen, she is second to none in cybersecurity. That's where her expertise lies. Unfortunately, she did not have that experience in border security,” he said.

“So we elevated the commissioner of customs and border protection who had a career at CBP to face the problems that the DHS is looking at in the face right now and that is border security.”

Source: Fox News Politics

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Algeria orders early university holiday as students spur protests

A woman protests against Algeria's President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, in Algiers
A woman protests against Algeria's President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, in Algiers, Algeria March 8, 2019. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra

March 9, 2019

By Hamid Ould Ahmed and Lamine Chikhi

ALGIERS (Reuters) – Algerian authorities on Saturday ordered an early start to the spring university holiday, an apparent attempt to weaken two weeks of student-led protests against President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.

The Higher Education Ministry’s decision came a day after tens of thousands of demonstrators packed central Algiers to challenge the veteran leader’s 20-year-old rule in the biggest protests in the capital in 28 years.

Without giving a reason for the move, the Ministry said in a decree that the spring break would be brought forward by 10 days, starting on Sunday instead of March 20.

Algerians desperate for jobs and angry at unemployment, corruption and an elderly elite seen as out of touch with the young have taken to the streets since Feb. 22 to protest the 82-year-old’s plans to seek a fifth term in an April 18 election.

Many of the demonstrations — the largest since 1991 when the army canceled elections Islamists were poised to win — started at university premises before spilling out onto the streets.

The ailing Bouteflika is in hospital in Geneva and has rarely been seen in public since suffering a stroke in 2013.

On Thursday he issued his first warning to protesters, saying the unrest, now entering its third week, could create chaos in the oil- and natural gas-producing North African country.

Bouteflika has offered to limit his term after the election and has vowed to change the “system” that runs the country, but the protest movement has galvanized discontent among different sectors, particularly students and young families.

Some long-time allies of Bouteflika, including members of the ruling party, have expressed support for the protesters, revealing cracks within a ruling elite long seen as invincible.

Friday’s protests were largely peaceful but some clashes between youths and police broke out in the evening and state media said 110 protesters and 112 policemen had been hurt in the unrest.

(Additional reporting by Aziz El Yaakoubi in Dubai; Writing by Ulf Laessing; Editing by Helen Popper)

Source: OANN

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FILE PHOTO: Small toy figures are seen in front of a displayed Huawei and 5G network logo in this illustration picture
FILE PHOTO: Small toy figures are seen in front of a displayed Huawei and 5G network logo in this illustration picture, March 30, 2019. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic

April 26, 2019

By Charlotte Greenfield

WELLINGTON (Reuters) – China’s Huawei Technologies said Britain’s decision to allow the firm a restricted role in building parts of its next-generation telecoms network was the kind of solution it was hoping for in New Zealand, where it has been blocked from 5G plans.

Britain will ban Huawei from all core parts of 5G network but give it some access to non-core parts, sources have told Reuters, as it seeks a middle way in a bitter U.S.-China dispute stemming from American allegations that Huawei’s equipment could be used by Beijing for espionage.

Washington has also urged its allies to ban Huawei from building 5G networks, even as the Chinese company, the world’s top producer of telecoms equipment, has repeatedly said the spying concerns are unfounded.

In New Zealand, a member of the Five Eyes intelligence sharing network that includes the United States, the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) in November turned down an initial request from local telecommunication firm Spark to include Huawei equipment in its 5G network, but later gave the operator options to mitigate national security concerns.

“The proposed solution in the UK to restrict Huawei from bidding for the core is exactly the type of solution we have been looking at in New Zealand,” Andrew Bowater, deputy CEO of Huawei’s New Zealand arm, said in an emailed statement.

Spark said it has noted the developments in Britain and would raise it with the GCSB.

The reports “suggest the UK is following other European jurisdictions in taking a considered and balanced approach to managing supplier-related security risks in 5G”, Andrew Pirie, Spark’s corporate relations lead, said in an email.

“Our discussions with the GCSB are ongoing and we expect that the UK developments will be a further item of discussion between us,” Pirie added.

New Zealand’s minister for intelligence services, Andrew Little, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

British culture minister Jeremy Wright said on Thursday that he would report to parliament the conclusions of a government review of the 5G supply chain once they had been taken.

He added that the disclosure of confidential discussions on the role of Huawei was “unacceptable” and that he could not rule out a criminal investigation into the leak.

The decisions by Britain and Germany to use Huawei gear in non-core parts of 5G network makes it harder to prove Huawei should be kept out of New Zealand telecommunication networks, said Syed Faraz Hasan, an expert in communication engineering and networks at New Zealand’s Massey University

He pointed out Huawei gear was already part of the non-core 4G networks that 5G infrastructure would be built on.

“Unless there is a convincing argument against the Huawei devices … it is difficult to keep them away,” Hasan said.

(Reporting by Charlotte Greenfield; Editing by Himani Sarkar)

Source: OANN

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FILE PHOTO: The logo commodities trader Glencore is pictured in Baar
FILE PHOTO: The logo of commodities trader Glencore is pictured in front of the company’s headquarters in Baar, Switzerland, July 18, 2017. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann

April 26, 2019

(Reuters) – Glencore shares plunged the most in nearly four months on Friday after news overnight that U.S. regulators were investigating whether the miner broke some rules through “corrupt practices”.

Shares of the FTSE 100 company fell as much as 4.2 percent in early deals, and were down 3.5 percent at 310.25 pence by 0728 GMT.

On Thursday, Glencore said the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission is investigating whether the company and its units have violated some provisions of the Commodity ExchangeAct and/or CFTC Regulations.

(Reporting by Muvija M in Bengaluru)

Source: OANN

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Well, Joe Biden didn’t exactly clear the field.

I don’t think it matters much that Biden waited until yesterday to become the 20th Democrat vying for the nomination, even though it exposed him to weeks of attacks while he seemed to be dithering on the sidelines.

A much greater warning sign, in my view, is the largely negative tone surrounding his debut. He is, after all, a former vice president, highly praised by Barack Obama, who has consistently led in the early primary polls, and beating President Trump in head-to-head matchups. Yet much of the press is acting like he’s an old codger and it’s just a matter of time before he keels over politically.

This is all the more remarkable in light of the fact that the vast majority of journalists and pundits know and like Joe Biden and his gregarious personality.

The reason is that Biden, after a half-century in politics, lacks excitement, and the press is magnetically attracted to novel and unorthodox types like Beto and Mayor Pete. You don’t see Biden on the cover of Vanity Fair, and a grind-it-out win by a conventional warrior doesn’t set journalistic hearts racing.

JOE BIDEN ANNOUNCES 2020 PRESIDENTIAL BID: 3 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE FORMER VICE PRESIDENT

For many in the media, Biden isn’t liberal enough, at least not for the post-Obama era. He doesn’t promise free college and free health care and has a history of working with Republicans, such as John McCain (whose daughter Meghan loves him, and Biden will hit “The View” today.)

What’s more, Biden’s campaign style — speak at rallies, rack up union endorsements — seems hopelessly old-fashioned when we measure popularity by Instagram followers. News outlets are predicting he’ll have trouble getting in the online fundraising game, leaving him reliant on big donors, which used to be standard practice.

And then there’s the age thing. Biden would be the oldest president to be inaugurated, at 78, and he looked a step slow in encounters with reporters yesterday and a few weeks ago.

But what if the journalists are in something of a Twitter bubble, and the actual Democratic Party is much more moderate? We saw that with the spate of allegations by women of unwanted touching, which dominated news coverage until polls showed that most Dem voters weren’t concerned. In that wider world, the Scranton guy’s connection to white, working-class voters could help him against Trump in the industrial Midwest.

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Biden denounced the president’s term as an “aberrant moment” in his launch video, saying four more years would damage the country’s character and “I cannot stand by and watch that happen.”

But first, he’d have to win the nomination in the face of an unenthusiastic press corps.

A New York Times news story said Biden would be “marshaling his experience and global stature in a bid to lead a party increasingly defined by a younger generation that might be skeptical of his age and ideological moderation.”

The Washington Post quoted Democratic strategists as saying that Biden faces an “uphill battle” and “isn’t necessarily the heir apparent to Obama, despite being his No. 2 in the White House for eight years. They argue voters will judge Biden by the span of his decades-long career and are worried the veteran pol hasn’t yet found a winning formula for his own candidacy.”

The liberal Slate said the ex-veep’s rivals view him as a “paper tiger”:

“Biden is something more like a 2016 Jeb Bush: a weak establishment favorite whose time might be past … Biden’s biggest challenge in the primary will be a compromised past spanning nearly 50 years.”

“Compromised” suggests a history of scandal, yet what Slate means is political baggage, such as his backing of a Clinton-era crime bill unpopular with black voters today. Yet I think the rank and file isn’t as concerned about a vote back in 1994, or even the Anita Hill hearings, as the chattering classes.

BIDEN’S SENATE RECORD, ADVOCACY OF 1994 CRIME BILL WILL BE USED AGAINST HIM, EX-SANDERS STAFFER SAYS

One of the few left-leaning pundits to suggest the press is underestimating Biden is data guru Nate Silver at 538:

“Media coverage could nonetheless be a problem for Biden. Within the mainstream media, the story of Biden winning the nomination will be seen as boring and anticlimactic. That tends not to lead to favorable coverage. Meanwhile, some left-aligned media outlets may prefer candidates who are some combination of more leftist, more wonkish, more reflective of the party’s diversity, and more adept on social media.

“If Biden is framed as being out of touch with today’s Democratic Party and that narrative is repeated across a variety of outlets, it could begin to resonate with voters who don’t buy it initially. If he’s seen as a gaffe-prone candidate, then minor missteps on the campaign trail could be blown up into big fumbles.”

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Look, it’s entirely possible that Biden could stumble, get lapped in fundraising and just be outclassed by younger and savvier rivals. He was hardly a great candidate in 1987 and in 2008.

But if the former vice president finds his footing and the field narrows, the press will be forced to change its tune, and we’ll see a spate of stories about how Joe Biden has “grown.”

Source: Fox News Politics

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South Africa's 400m Olympic gold medallist and world record holder Wayde van Niekerk looks on as he attends South African Championships in Germiston
South Africa’s 400m Olympic gold medallist and world record holder Wayde van Niekerk looks on as he attends South African Championships in Germiston, South Africa, April 25, 2019. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko

April 26, 2019

GERMISTON, South Africa (Reuters) – Olympic 400 meters champion Wayde van Niekerk has backed South African compatriot Caster Semenya in her battle with the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), which now appears to have taken a new twist.

Semenya, a double 800 meters Olympic gold medalist, is waiting for the outcome of her appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to halt the introduction of new regulations by governing body IAAF that would require her to take medicine to limit her natural levels of testosterone.

The IAAF wants female athletes with differences of sexual development who run in events from 400 meters to a mile, to reduce their blood testosterone level to below five (5) nmol/L for a period of six months before they can compete, saying they have an unfair advantage.

“She’s fighting for something beyond just track and field, she’s fighting for woman in sports, in society and I respect her for that,” Van Niekerk told reporters.

“I will support her and with the hard work and talent that she’s been putting into the sport. With what she believes in and what she’s dreaming for, I’ve got a lot of respect for her.

“I really hope and pray that everything just goes from strength to strength for her.”

Semenya has sprung a surprise at the on-going South African Athletics Championships though, ditching the 800 meters and instead competing over 1,500 and 5,000-metres – the latter one would not require her to medically lower her testosterone level.

She stormed to victory in the 5,000-metres final in a modest time of 16:05.97, but looked to have lots left in the tank as she passed the finish line.

Semenya beat fellow Olympian and defending national 5,000m champion Dominique Scott in Thursday’s final but the latter admitted she is unsure whether the 800m specialist could be a serious Olympic contender over the longer distance.

“Honestly‚ I have no idea‚” Scott said. “Before today I probably would have said no. It’s hard to compare a 5,000 at altitude to a 5,000 at sea level.

“But I think she’s an amazing runner and I don’t think there’s any limit or ceiling on what she can do.”

Van Niekerk, the 400m world record holder, had to abort his comeback from a knee injury, that had sidelined him for 18 months, following a combination of cold weather and a wet track.

“We are trying to take the correct decisions now early in the year so as not to put myself in any harm,” he said.

“It was a bit chilly this entire week prepping and coming through here as well it was quite cold and it caused bit of tightness in my leg. We decided to not risk it.

“My recovery is going well and I would like to be back in competition this year, but will only do so if I can deliver a good performance.

“I am a competitor and respect my opponents, so I need to be at my best when I return.”

(Reporting by Nick Said, additional reporting by Siyabonga Sishi; editing by Sudipto Ganguly)

Source: OANN

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The suspected leader of the Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka died in the Shangri-La hotel, one of six hotels and churches targeted in the attacks that killed at least 250 people, authorities said.

Police said Mohamed Zahran, leader of the National Towheed Jamaat militant group, had been killed in one of the bombings. The group’s second in command was also arrested, police said.

Zahran amassed an online following for his hate-filled sermons. Some were delivered before a banner depicting the Twin Towers.

Sri Lankan authorities said Friday that Islamic cleric Mohammed Zahran died in the blast at the Shangri-La hotel during the Easter Sunday atatcks that killed at least 250 people. 

Sri Lankan authorities said Friday that Islamic cleric Mohammed Zahran died in the blast at the Shangri-La hotel during the Easter Sunday atatcks that killed at least 250 people.  (YouTube)

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Friday that the attackers responsible for the bombings were supported by the Islamic State group. Around 140 people in Sri Lanka had connections to ISIS, Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena said.

“We will completely control this and create a free and peaceful environment for people to live,” he said.

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Investigators determined the attackers received military training from someone called “Army Mohideen.” They also received weapons training overseas and at some locations in Sri Lanka, according to authorities.

A copper factory operator arrested in connection with the bombings helped Mohideen make improvised explosive devices, police said. The bombings have led to increased security throughout the island nation as authorities warned of another attack.

Source: Fox News World

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