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Baptist pastor among recipients of suspect’s threatening letters, authorities say

A California man arrested in Tulsa, Okla., this month is accused of mailing more than 40 threatening letters across the country to a list of recipients that includes a Baptist pastor in Dallas, according to a report.

The suspect, identified as Darnell Ray Owens, 32, of Sacramento, faces a seven-count indictment that was handed down Thursday by a federal grand jury, the Dallas Morning News reported.

Owens was awaiting extradition to California to grace the charges, the report said.

FORMER AMAZON WORKER PLEADS GUILTY IN CONNECTION WITH LETTERS THREATENING PRESIDENT TRUMP, PREDECESSORS

“I will assassinate your pastor in the name of Allah,” Owens wrote in a letter to the 13,000-member First Baptist Church in Dallas, according to federal authorities. The congregation is led by Dr. Robert Jeffress, a Fox News contributor.

“I will burn down Christian churches … this is a threat,” the letter to the Dallas church continued. The letter also contained a white powder that was found not to be harmful, Dallas Fire-Rescue spokesman Jason Evans told the newspaper.

Another letter was mailed to an elected official in Sacramento, the Sacramento Bee reported.

“I knew you was going to not charge those corrupt racist cops,” the letter said, according to the Bee. “You have failed this city and the people. So I am making a threat on your life, I will assassinate you with a bullet to your head, you will not survive I will watch your body shake as the life in you leaves.”

The letter appeared to refer to the case of Stephon Clark, a 22-year-old black man who was killed by police in California’s capital city in March 2018.

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In other letters, Owens threatened LGBTQ groups and individuals, police departments, apartment complexes, white people, Christians – and even members of his own family, the Morning News reported.

The charges that Owens faces include identity theft because the letters had phony return addresses, the report said. Other charges include threat or hoax involving a biological weapon, the Morning News reported.

Source: Fox News National

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Notre Dame Cathedral fire: US politicians express condolences as landmark burns

Many American politicians tweeted their sadness Monday over the massive blaze at the French capital’s iconic Notre Dame Cathedral.

“Today, we are all Parisians, as we mourn the mighty Notre Dame cathedral engulfed in flames. The world stands united as we pray for the people of France,” tweeted Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, echoing many sentiments across the Internet.

The catastrophic fire engulfed the upper reaches of Paris’ soaring medieval church as it was undergoing renovations Monday, threatening one of the greatest architectural treasures of the Western world as tourists and Parisians  alike looked on aghast from the streets below.

“We’re all sickened by the fiery destruction of Notre Dame, an irreplaceable structure that exemplified the spirit, grandeur and creativity of humanity at its best. We grieve at its loss. The world is a poorer place,” Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of Forbes Media Steve Forbes‏ tweeted.

President Trump wrote on Twitter after the fire broke out Monday: “So horrible to watch the massive fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris” and made suggestions for how first responders should tackle it.

He said: “Perhaps flying water tankers could be used to put it out,” adding: “Must act quickly!”

Firefighters were trying to contain the fire when the cathedral’s spire collapsed. Authorities say the wooden interior now is burning.

The fire came less than a week before Easter amid Holy Week services.

The blaze collapsed the cathedral’s spire and spread to one of its landmark rectangular towers.

“Everything is burning, nothing will remain from the frame,” Notre Dame spokesman Andre Finot told French media. The 12th-century cathedral is home to incalculable works of art and is one of the world’s most famous tourist attractions.

The cause of the blaze was not known.

Rising Democratic star, and presidential candidate Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Ind.t weeted: “I still remember the beauty of an Easter Mass I attended at Notre Dame cathedral some twenty years ago. Dreadful to see such destruction at one of the world’s most wondrous places.”

Peter Daou‏, liberal adviser to Hillary Clinton and John Kerry, tweeted: “Make no mistake: The soul-crushing loss of #NotreDame is especially devastating because we're living at a time in history where humanity seems lost.”

Source: Fox News World

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Trump assembles 2020 war chest


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On the roster: Trump assembles 2020 war chest - Report: Biden debates adding VP choice to announcement - GOP redistricting moderated Dems’ 2018 gains - The Judge’s Ruling: Can the president break the law? - Petco’s policy is no bull

TRUMP ASSEMBLES 2020 WAR CHEST
Fox News: “While President Trump is facing murmurs of a primary challenge – as well as a massive field of Democratic candidates jockeying to take him on – the incumbent president enters the 2020 melee with an undeniable advantage: a war chest that would be the envy of any modern president. Unlike most incumbents, Trump started his re-election bid on day one of his presidency. He filed papers with the Federal Election Commission within hours of being inaugurated on Jan. 20, 2017. Many saw it as a comical – albeit in character – step for the audacious Trump. Yet, by doing so he was able to raise huge sums of money four years before the election. According to recent FEC data, the Trump campaign has raised over $67 million from 2017 to 2018, with nearly $20 million on hand. Combined with the hauls from two major joint fundraising groups – Trump Victory and the Trump Make America Great Again Committee – the president has raised over $130 million as of the end of 2018, with over $35 million on hand.”

Economic models show a Trump 2020 landslide - Politico: “But if the election were held today, he’d likely ride to a second term in a huge landslide, according to multiple economic models… Credit a strong U.S. economy featuring low unemployment, rising wages and low gas prices — along with the historic advantage held by incumbent presidents. While Trump appears to be in a much stronger position than his approval rating and conventional Beltway wisdom might suggest, he also could wind up in trouble if the economy slows markedly between now and next fall, as many analysts predict it will. And other legal bombshells could explode the current scenario. Trump’s party managed to lose the House in 2018 despite a strong economy. So the models could wind up wrong this time around. Despite all these caveats, Trump looks surprisingly good if the old James Carville maxim coined in 1992 — ‘the economy, stupid’ — holds true in 2020.”

Trump charged his own campaign $1.3 million - Forbes: “Donald Trump has charged his own reelection campaign $1.3 million for rent, food, lodging and other expenses since taking office, according to a Forbes analysis of the latest campaign filings. And although outsiders have contributed more than $50 million to the campaign, the billionaire president hasn’t handed over any of his own cash. The net effect: $1.3 million of donor money has turned into $1.3 million of Trump money. In December, Forbes reported on the first $1.1 million that President Trump moved from his campaign into his business. Since then, his campaign filed additional documentation showing that it spent another $180,000 at Trump-owned properties in the final three months of 2018.”

Pence pushing for anti-Trumpers to donate this time around - Politico: “When Vice President Mike Pence appeared before some of the GOP’s most powerful donors at the iconic Pebble Beach golf course on Monday evening, he did something that would’ve been unthinkable a few years ago. Over a surf and turf dinner, the vice president showered praise on Paul Singer, a prominent New York City hedge fund manager who spent millions of dollars in 2016 bankrolling TV ads painting Trump as ‘too reckless and dangerous to be president.’ … The private dinner provides a window into a behind-the-scenes, Pence-led mission: to ensure that Republican givers who never came around to Trump in 2016 are on board for 2020. With Democrats already raking in colossal amounts of cash, Republicans estimate they’ll need to raise around $1 billion — a figure that will require the party’s donor class to be all-in.”

THE RULEBOOK: PUT UP A BRAVE FRONT  
“But whatever may be our situation, whether firmly united under one national government, or split into a number of confederacies, certain it is, that foreign nations will know and view it exactly as it is; and they will act toward us accordingly.” – John Jay, Federalist No. 4

TIME OUT: HBD BACH!
Time: “Now you can harmonize like Johann Sebastian Bach thanks to Google’s first ever AI-driven Doodle. To celebrate the German composer’s March 21, 1685 birthday, Doodle lets users compose a melody in Bach’s style. … Bach was born in a small town of Eisenach in Germany to a family with strong musical background. Influenced by his father who worked as the director of the town’s musicians, Bach started out as a chorister before learning the violin. Much of his legacy is attributed to his genius mastery of the violin. More than 300 years after his death, 1,000 pieces of Bach’s work have lived on in manuscripts and are performed worldwide. John Eliot Gardiner, an English Bach conductor compares listening to the German composer to snorkelling. ‘Being in Bach’s music has that sense of otherness: it’s another world we enter … You put your mask on, and you go down to a psychedelic world of myriad colours.’”

Flag on the play? - Email us at HALFTIMEREPORT@FOXNEWS.COM with your tips, comments or questions.

SCOREBOARD
Trump job performance 
Average approval:
 41 percent
Average disapproval: 53.6 percent
Net Score: -12.6 points
Change from one week ago: down 1.8 points 
[Average includes: CNN: 43% approve - 51% disapprove; Gallup: 39% approve - 57% disapprove; Monmouth University: 44% approve - 52% disapprove; Quinnipiac University: 38% approve - 55% disapprove; IBD: 41% approve - 53% disapprove.]

REPORT: BIDEN DEBATES ADDING VP CHOICE TO ANNOUNCEMENT
Axios: “Close advisers to former Vice President Joe Biden are debating the idea of packaging his presidential campaign announcement with a pledge to choose Stacey Abrams as his vice president. Why it matters: The popular Georgia Democrat, who at age 45 is 31 years younger than Biden, would bring diversity and excitement to the ticket — showing voters, in the words of a close source, that Biden ‘isn't just another old white guy.’ But the decision poses considerable risk, and some advisers are flatly opposed. Some have pointed out that in a Democratic debate, he could be asked why no one on the stage would be a worthy running mate. Advisers also know that the move would be perceived as a gimmick. Biden's position on the issue couldn't be learned — we were just told about the advisers' debate. Biden has discussed selecting a running mate early, a move that one senior Democrat said could hurt him by feeding ‘an air of inevitability,’ CNN reported. Biden's office declined to comment. Abrams met Biden in Washington last week to discuss her next political steps, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.”

Delaney calls on Kasich or Hogan to challenge Trump - Politico: “Democratic presidential candidate John Delaney on Thursday said a Republican, such as former Ohio Gov. John Kasich or Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, should challenge President Donald Trump in 2020. ‘Unless Republicans believe that Donald Trump is a fair and accurate representation of the Republican party as a whole, they should put up a challenger to run against him in the primary election,’ he said in a statement, adding that few Republicans ‘have shown the courage to stand up to Trump.’ … ‘Voices like John Kasich and Governor Hogan, from my state, would do an enormous service to not just their party, but to their fellow Americans to stand up and challenge this President,’ Delaney said.”

Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet getting closer to 2020 announcement - Denver Post: “U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet is taking the final steps toward becoming the second Colorado Democrat in the 2020 race for president, with a possible announcement coming soon, sources familiar with his plan have told The Denver Post. Craig Hughes, a longtime adviser, said a final decision has not been made. ‘We’re making progress towards a decision and encouraged by what we are seeing and hearing,’ Hughes said. While an announcement is not imminent, Bennet could announce within a month, the Democratic sources said. Bennet, Colorado’s senior senator, has been considering a run since the fall.”

Klobuchar gets caught citing bad data about reducing black incarceration - WaPo: “In response to a sharp question from [CNN’s Jake] Tapper about what [Sen. Amy] Klobuchar did as a prosecutor to deal with ‘stark racial disparities’ in the ratio of African Americans sent to Minnesota jails, the 2020 presidential hopeful had a ready answer: The incarceration rate fell 65 percent ‘from the beginning of my term to the end.’ CNN reported that Klobuchar’s staff later clarified that she was talking about the jail population, not the prisons, in Hennepin County. … [But] it wasn’t true. … The prison admission rate for African Americans did drop during her tenure, though how much credit she can claim is subject to dispute. … On national television, Klobuchar claimed a figure that should have been unbelievable to herself.”

Colin Reed: ‘Will the 3 Bs (Beto, Biden and Bernie) leave Elizabeth Warren on the sidelines in 2020? - Fox News: “It’s been less than three months since Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., became the first Democratic presidential hopeful to enter the race, but it may as well have been three years. Look at how the political landscape has shifted since Warren’s surprise New Year’s Eve announcement. … In the past, Warren could count on raising both in spades. Now, she’s losing in the battle for resources and attention, having been overshadowed by the three B’s of Biden, Bernie and Beto. … One bright spot for Warren is the upcoming debates – assuming that she is able to meet the qualifying requirements. Having gone to college on a debate scholarship, Warren can be formidable dissecting her political opponents when the lights are shining brightest. … Had Elizabeth Warren entered the presidential race in 2016, she very well could be president. Now it seems as though her moment has come and gone.”

GOP REDISTRICTING MODERATED DEMS’ 2018 GAINS
AP: “Democrats won more votes, regained control of the U.S. House and flipped hundreds of seats in state legislatures during the 2018 elections. … Yet it wasn’t as bad as it could have been for Republicans. That’s because they may have benefited from a built-in advantage in some states, based on how political districts were drawn, that prevented deeper losses or helped them hold on to power, according to a mathematical analysis by The Associated Press. The AP’s analysis indicates that Republicans won about 16 more U.S. House seats than would have been expected based on their average share of the vote in congressional districts across the country. In state House elections, Republicans’ structural advantage might have helped them hold on to as many as seven chambers that otherwise could have flipped to Democrats, according to the analysis. The AP examined all U.S. House races and about 4,900 state House and Assembly seats up for election last year using a statistical method of calculating partisan advantage that is designed to flag cases of potential political gerrymandering.”

THE JUDGE’S RULING: CAN THE PRESIDENT BREAK THE LAW?
This week Fox News Senior Judicial Analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano discusses previous presidents who used the power of the Oval Office for acts that are deemed criminal: “Legal scholars have been fascinated for two centuries about whether an American president can break the law and remain immune from prosecution. … During the Great Depression, Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered banks to confiscate gold from Americans who had purchased and possessed it lawfully. Wasn't that theft? In the early 1970s, Richard Nixon used the CIA to spy on Americans and to frustrate the FBI's efforts to investigate a burglary at the Democratic National Committee's Watergate headquarters, and then he denied doing any of this. Wasn't that an invasion of privacy and obstruction of justice and using a federal office for deception? …Can the president legally break the law? If he can, we will soon be back to the Nixon days. And we all know how they ended.” More here.

PLAY-BY-PLAY
Rep. Elijah Cummings reveals Jared and Ivanka use private email accounts for official business - NYT

New Congress will hit three month mark with not much to show - WaPo

Roger Stone invokes 5th Amendment, refuses to turn over documents for top Dem's probe - Fox News

AUDIBLE: BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY
“We’ll make sure a space is cleared off for him, just in case he decides to jump on anything.” – Kirsten Neves, co-owner of Tuckerman Brewing Co. in Conway, N.H., told Politico in reference to Beto O’Rourke’s tendency to stand on elevated surfaces.

Share your color commentary: Email us at HALFTIMEREPORT@FOXNEWS.COM and please make sure to include your name and hometown.

PETCO’S POLICY IS NO BULL
KXAN: “A Texas rancher found a unique way to test out Petco’s ‘all leashed pets are welcome’ policy. He took his African Watusi steer, Oliver, into the store. Vincent Browning's goal was to see if the company stands by its claim. The pair walked into the store, and Oliver was greeted by employees without a problem. Browning said on Facebook that the Atascocita Petco was by far his and Oliver's favorite by far. African Watusi steer are typically between 1,000 and 1,600 pounds. Their demeanor is generally described as docile.”

AND NOW, A WORD FROM CHARLES…
“As a moderate carnivore myself, I confess to living in Jeffersonian hypocrisy. It’s a bit late for me to live on berries and veggies. … And while I don’t demand that every chicken I consume be certified to have enjoyed an open meadow and a vibrant social life, if I can eat free range, I will.” – Charles Krauthammer (1950-2018) writing in the Washington Post on May 7, 2015.

Brianna McClelland contributed to this report. Want FOX News Halftime Report in your inbox every day? Sign up here.

Source: Fox News Politics

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Rainstorm hits south Nepal; PM says 25 dead, hundreds hurt

A rainstorm swept through villages in a farming region of southern Nepal on Sunday, and the government said the 25 reported deaths and hundreds of injuries were likely to increase.

Nepal's Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli said on Twitter he had received a report of 25 people killed and 400 injured.

He said security forces were alerted. Rescue helicopters with night vision capabilities were waiting for the weather to clear to help bring the injured from the villages to medical facilities.

Government administrator Rajesh Poudel said the number of deaths would likely increase as the storm had hit many villages in the Bara district, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) south of the capital, Kathmandu.

He said police and army rescuers were fanned around the district trying to reach the villages, but rescue efforts were difficult at night.

The injured were being brought to a hospital by cars and ambulances, but roads in many villages had been blocked by fallen trees and electricity poles.

Poudel said most of the deaths and injuries were because of flying objects, falling huts and trees. Most people in the district are farmers.

Source: Fox News World

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NSA Recommends Dropping Controversial Mass Surveillance Program, Report Says

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Source: InfoWars

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French court ruling due in UBS $6 billion tax case

FILE PHOTO: Logo of Swiss bank UBS is seen in Zurich
FILE PHOTO: The logo of Swiss bank UBS is seen in Zurich, Switzerland October 25, 2018. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann/File Photo

February 20, 2019

By Inti Landauro and Emmanuel Jarry

PARIS (Reuters) – A French court will rule on Wednesday whether UBS, Switzerland’s largest bank, helped wealthy French clients evade taxes between 2004 and 2012 and launder the proceeds.

French prosecutors are demanding a 3.7 billion euro ($4.2 billion) fine, while the French state is seeking an additional 1.6 billion euros in damages. Such a combined penalty would be a record for France and exceed the Swiss bank’s 2018 net profit.

UBS denies any wrongdoing and the case could drag on for years if appealed by either side. It has set aside $2.46 billion to cover potential losses from litigation and regulatory requirements.

The French trial follows a similar case in the United States, where UBS accepted a $780 million settlement in 2009 and in Germany, where it agreed to a 300 million euro fine in 2014. UBS last month reported a 2018 net profit of $4.9 billion.

European banks have come under pressure from regulators to tighten compliance with anti money laundering rules since the financial crisis and will scrutinize the ruling, analysts say.

“Bankers in Europe are watching this case closely and will try to assess how exposed they are to similar risk,” Thierry Bonneau, a banking law professor at Paris Pantheon-Assas University, said ahead of the ruling.

The penalty French prosecutors are seeking is high by European standards, although in the United States judges have levied higher fines including the $8.9 billion a U.S. court in 2015 ordered BNP Paribas to pay for violating U.S. economic sanctions against Sudan, Cuba and Iran.

GOLF AND HUNTING

The French court ruling marks the culmination of a seven-year investigation and aborted settlement negotiations.

French prosecutors say UBS sent Swiss bankers to golf tournaments, classical music concerts and hunting parties to solicit new clients illegally, while the bank is also alleged to have helped its clients launder the money involved.

The prosecutors said UBS was “systematic” in its support to tax-evading customers and that the laundering of proceeds from the tax fraud was done on an “industrial” scale.

Under French law, those convicted of money laundering can be ordered to pay a fine totaling half the amount laundered. The prosecution estimates UBS’s customers hid billions of euros from the French tax authorities.

Prosecutors told the court that UBS’s bankers would hand over business cards without any logo and used computers which carried software allowing data to be quickly erased.

Six former UBS executives, including its former head in France, Raoul Weil, could be fined of between 50,000 and 500,000 euros and suspended jail terms if convicted. The six have all pleaded not guilty in the case.

Lawyers for UBS have called the magnitude of the possible penalty “irrational” and “extravagant” and said prosecutors failed to bring material evidence against the bank.

UBS, whose lawyers said the case had become politicized, turned down a settlement offer of 1.1 billion euros, an amount the bank was later requested to pay as a court bond.

($1 = 0.8851 euros)

(Reporting by Inti Landauro, Emmanuel Jarry and Angelika Gruber; editing by Richard Lough)

Source: OANN

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Howard Schultz: Republicans and Democrats too busy fighting to solve country’s problems

Democrats and Republicans need to spend less time fighting each other, and more time working to solve the country's problems.

That's according to former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, who appeared on “Fox & Friends” Thursday morning to discuss his economic policies, the immigration crisis and a possible presidential run as an independent candidate.

“Well I think you just showed clips of people who are well-intentioned, love the country but they're out of touch with these kind of policies that in my view are not realistic,” Schultz said to start the interview, responding to clips of 2020 Democratic candidates calling for policies like the Green New Deal or Medicare for all.

Schultz will be featured on a Town Hall airing on Fox News Thursday at 6:30 PM ET hosted by Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum where he will discuss his story, his vision for America and why he’s considering running for the nation’s highest office.

EX-STARBUCKS CEO HOWARD SCHULTZ 'SERIOUSLY' MULLS PRESIDENTIAL RUN, BASHES TRUMP AS 'NOT QUALIFIED' 

They're out of touch with these kind of policies that in my view are not realistic

— Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz on Democrats pushing policies like the Green New Deal and Medicare for all

He continued in the "Fox & Friends" interview: “I think the American people are searching for a longing of truth, authenticity and obviously policies that can be passed.

“The reason I decided to consider running as an Independent is... the fact that the two party system is broken. We can't have a moral society if we don't have a moral government.

“But we have issues right now that must be solved.”

Schultz criticized both Democrats and Republicans for “weaponizing” the immigration issue and not finding a solution.

“Right now we have the same kind of situation whether you like the Democrats or Republicans. It doesn't even matter. Nancy Pelosi is not going to give the president a victory. It’s not going to happen,” Schultz said.

“The Republicans are correct. We need fierce strict borders and we need verification. But the issue also is about humanity. In my view the Dreamers should be given a pathway to citizenship.”

Schultz also said the wealthy should be taxed more and was surprised when the hosts of “Fox & Friends” asked,  just how much?

2020 DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY GETS CROWDED

FILE - In this Feb. 7, 2019, file photo, former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz speaks at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)

FILE - In this Feb. 7, 2019, file photo, former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz speaks at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)

Schultz said the amount the wealthy should be taxed didn’t matter, it was the "wrong issue."

"The issue is how do we get a handle around 22 trillion dollars of debt that under this president has been at. We've added a trillion dollars of debt we're paying five billion dollars of interest expense. This has been a Republican issue," Schultz said.

Source: Fox News Politics

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U.S. President Trump departs for travel to Indianapolis from the White House in Washington
U.S. President Donald Trump talks to reporters as he departs for travel to Indianapolis, Indiana from the White House in Washington, U.S., April 26, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

April 26, 2019

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said trade talks with China are going very well, as the world’s two largest economies seek to end talks with a trade agreement to defuse tensions.

Trump said on Thursday he would soon host China’s President Xi Jinping at the White House.

Earlier this week, the White House said that Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer would travel to Beijing for more talks on a trade dispute marked by tit-for-tat tariffs between the two countries.

(Reporting by Jeff Mason; Writing by Makini Brice; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

Source: OANN

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U.S. President Donald Trump hosts Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day at the White House in Washington
U.S. President Donald Trump gives a thumbs up to his audience as he hosts Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day at the White House in Washington, U.S., April 25, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

April 26, 2019

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday praised Russian President Vladimir Putin’s comments on North Korea this week following the Russian leader’s summit with Pyongyang’s Kim Jong Un.

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump also said China was helping with efforts aimed at the denuclearization of North Korea.

(Reporting by Jeff Mason and Makini Brice; Writing by Susan Heavey; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

Source: OANN

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Representatives of Russian Transneft, Ukranian Ukrtransnafta, Polish Pern and Belarusian Belneftekhim gather to hold talks on fixing tainted oil supplies to Europe, in Minsk
Representatives of Russian Transneft, Ukranian Ukrtransnafta, Polish Pern and Belarusian Belneftekhim gather to hold talks on fixing tainted oil supplies to Europe, in Minsk, Belarus April 26, 2019. REUTERS/Vasily Fedosenko

April 26, 2019

By Katya Golubkova and Andrei Makhovsky

MOSCOW/MINSK (Reuters) – Russia is confident it can soon resolve a problem of polluted Russian oil contaminating a major pipeline serving Europe and affecting supplies as far west as Germany, a senior official said on Friday at talks with importers about the issue.

Russian Deputy Energy Minister Pavel Sorokin did not give a precise timeframe but Moscow has previously said it would pump clean oil to the border with Belarus from April 29, seeking to end a crisis hitting the world’s second-largest crude exporter.

Sorokin was speaking at talks with officials from Belarus, Poland and Ukraine in Minsk on the issue. Belarus said the issue had cost it $100 million, while analysts say alternative supply routes for refiners cannot fully fill the gap.

Poland, Germany, Ukraine and Slovakia have suspended imports of Russian oil via the Druzhba pipeline. Halting those supplies has knock-on effects further along the network.

The problem arose last week when an unidentified Russian producer contaminated oil with high levels of organic chloride used to boost oil output but which must be separated before shipment as it can destroy refining equipment.

Russia’s Energy Ministry said pipeline monopoly Transneft and other Russian companies had a plan to mitigate the effects of the contaminated oil. It did not give details.

Russian officials have said contaminated oil has already been pumped into storage in Russia and Friday’s talks would focus on how to partially withdraw the tainted crude from the Druzhba pipeline running via other countries.

The suspension cuts off a major supply route for Polish refineries owned by Poland’s PKN Orlen and Grupa Lotos, as well as plants in Germany owned by Total, Shell, Eni and Rosneft.

Some refiners have outlined plans for alternative supplies, but analysts say other routes cannot meet the shortfall.

OIL PRICES

Ukraine’s Ukrtransnafta suspended the transit of oil through the pipeline on Thursday, closing supplies via Druzhba’s southern route to Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary.

The pipeline issue, which has supported global oil prices, lifted Russian Urals crude differentials to an all-time high on Thursday.

With pipeline supplies to Europe shut, Russia faces a challenge of how to divert about 1 million barrels per day (bpd) that was meant to be shipped through the network to other destinations at the time when export capacity is at its limits.

State-run Russian Railways held talks with energy firms on using up to 5,000 rail tankers to transport crude, RIA news agency reported on Friday.

Concerns about the quality of Urals crude also caused delays in loadings at the Baltic port of Ust-Luga, when buyers refused to lift cargoes, resulting in a brief shutdown of the port on Wednesday and Thursday. An Ust-Luga official and traders said on Friday loadings had resumed.

Russian loading plans indicate it aims to boost Urals exports in May before the expiry of a deal on output cuts agreed with the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies, Reuters calculations and Energy Ministry data show.

The provisional loading plan for Russia’s Baltic Sea ports and Novorossiisk in May show exports rising to 10.7 million tonnes, the highest level in half a decade.

Minsk estimated its loss from lower oil product exports due to contaminated Russian oil at around $100 million, Russia’s Interfax news agency reported on Thursday, citing Belarusian state oil company Belneftekhim.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak, in charge of government energy policy, said this week that those found responsible for contaminating the oil could be fined. He did not provide names.

(Reporting by Agnieszka Barteczko in WARSAW, Sandor Peto in BUDAPEST, Jason Hovet in PRAGUE, Matthias Williams and Natalia Zinets in KIEV, Katya Golubkova, Olesya Astakhova, Gleb Gorodyankin, Olga Yagova and Maxim Rodionov in MOSCOW, Andrei Makhovsky in MINSK; writing by Katya Golubkova; editing by Michael Perry and Edmund Blair)

Source: OANN

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FILE PHOTO - A worker sits on a ship carrying containers at Mundra Port in the western Indian state of Gujarat
FILE PHOTO: A worker sits on a ship carrying containers at Mundra Port in the western Indian state of Gujarat April 1, 2014. REUTERS/Amit Dave/File Photo

April 26, 2019

(Reuters) – India has once again delayed the implementation of higher tariffs on some goods imported from the United States to May 15, a government official said on Friday.

The new tariff structure was to come into force from May 2, the spokeswoman said without citing reasons for the delay.

Angered by Washington’s refusal to exempt it from new steel and aluminum tariffs, New Delhi decided in June last year to raise the import tax from Aug. 4 on some U.S. products including almonds, walnuts and apples.

But since then, New Delhi has repeatedly delayed the implementation of the new tariff.

Trade friction between India and the U.S. has escalated after U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans earlier this year to end preferential trade treatment for India that allows duty-free entry for up to $5.6 billion worth of its exports to the United States.

In a further blow, U.S. on Monday demanded buyers of Iranian oil stop purchases by May or face sanctions, ending six months of waivers which allowed Iran’s eight biggest buyers including India to continue importing limited volumes.

(Reporting by Manoj Kumar in New Delhi and Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D’Silva and Raissa Kasolowsky)

Source: OANN

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One of Joe Biden’s newly-hired senior advisers has seemingly had a very recent change of heart.

Symone Sanders, a prominent Democratic strategist and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., staffer in 2016, was announced as one of the big-name members of Team Biden on Thursday.

But Sanders, who has also served as a CNN contributor, is seen in resurfaced footage from November 2016 expressing her opposition to a white person leading her party after Donald Trump’s election.

“In my opinion, we don’t need white people leading the Democratic party right now,” Sanders told host Brianna Keilar during a discussion on Howard Dean potentially becoming DNC chairman.

BIDEN HIRES FORMER BERNIE SANDERS’ SPOKESPERSON AS SENIOR ADVISER

“The Democratic party is diverse, and it should be reflected as so in leadership and throughout the staff, at the highest levels. From the vice chairs to the secretaries all the way down to the people working in the offices at the DNC,” she said.

Sanders wrapped up her remarks by saying: “I want to hear more from everybody. I want to hear from the millennials and the brown folks.”

Footage of the interview was resurfaced by RealClearPolitics.

After news of her hiring broke on Thursday, Sanders backed her new boss on Twitter.

TRUMP ASSESSES 2020 DEMS; TAKES SWIPES AT BIDEN, SANDERS; DISMISSES HARRIS, O’ROURKE; SAYS HE’S ROOTING FOR BUTTIGIEG

“@JoeBiden & @DrBiden are a class act. Over the course of this campaign, Vice President Biden is going to make his case to the American ppl. He won’t always be perfect, but I believe he will get it right,” she wrote.

The hiring of Sanders has been viewed as another indication of the expected tough fight that Biden and Sanders are in for as the two frontrunners battle a deep Democratic field.

While Sanders himself didn’t torch Biden as he jumped into the race, it’s clear that many of his progressive supporters view the former vice president as a threat.

Biden’s entry into the race – at least in the early going – sets up a battle between himself and Sanders, who thanks to his fierce fight with eventual nominee Hillary Clinton for the 2016 Democratic nomination, enjoys name ID on the level of the former vice president.

BIDEN VOWS THAT ‘AMERICA IS COMING BACK,’ SPARKING ‘MAGA’ COMPARISONS

Justice Democrats — who also called Biden “out-of-touch” – is an increasingly influential group among the left of the party. They’ve championed progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York as well as Sanders. The group was founded by members of Sanders 2016 presidential campaign.

Biden has pushed back against the perception that he’s a moderate in a party that’s increasingly moving to the left. Earlier this month he described himself as an “Obama-Biden Democrat.”

And Biden said he’d stack his record against “anybody who has run or who is running now or who will run.”

Former Democratic National Committee chair Donna Brazile – a Fox News contributor – highlighted that “Joe Biden can occupy his own lane in large part because he’s earned it. He’s earned the right to call himself whatever.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

But she emphasized that “elections are not about the past, they’re about the future…I do believe he has the right ingredients. The question is can he find enough people to help him stir the pot.”

Fox News Andrew O’Reilly contributed to this report.

Source: Fox News Politics

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