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Australia cash rate seen lower for longer as more banks predict cuts: Reuters poll

Illustration photo of an Australia Dollar note
An Australia Dollar note is seen in this illustration photo June 1, 2017. REUTERS/Thomas White/Illustration

February 19, 2019

By Swati Pandey

SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia’s central bank will keep rates at record lows until at least early 2021, a Reuters poll showed, with an increasing number of analysts either predicting a cut or pushing back their rate hike calls in the face of rising economic risks.

A recent run of soft economic data at home, and the pressure on overall output from falling home prices and slowing consumer spending prompted the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) this month to shift to a neutral stance from its previous tightening bias.

Economists followed suit, with every single one of the 41 polled now predicting the cash rate at a record low 1.50 percent this year compared with three who had expected one 25-basis-point hike by end-2019.

The RBA has kept policy unchanged since last easing in August 2016, with a median of 28 economists seeing this record stretch of steady rates extending at least until the first quarter of 2021.

“For the rates outlook, the course of the economy will drive whether the RBA manages to hold rates steady for a while, or, as the risk has grown in recent months, the RBA cuts again,” National Australia Bank economist David de Garis said.

“If there is a move this year, it’s more likely to be an easing in policy.”

Indeed, as many as 10 of 37 economists polled expect at least one cut by the end of next year compared with seven in the previous poll.

The change in outlook comes as Australia’s once high-flying property market nosedives, raising questions over its impact on consumer spending.

If the September quarter is anything to go by, the economy might be in for a rough patch over the coming year. Gross domestic product in that period came in much weaker than expected while retail and car sales – indicators of consumer health – have remained tepid.

With the U.S. Federal Reserve also signaling a pause to its tightening cycle, the market completely wiped out the chance of any RBA hikes over the next two years.

Instead, investors are now pricing in a better-than 50-percent chance rates will be cut by year-end.

(Reporting by Swati Pandey; Editing by Shri Navaratnam)

Source: OANN

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Mulvaney vows Dems will ‘never’ see Trump’s tax returns, despite renewed push

Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney told "Fox News Sunday" in an exclusive interview that Democrats will "never" see President Trump's tax returns, days after a House Democrat committee chairman made the unprecedented demand that the IRS provide the documents.

Mulvaney's comments marked an apparent escalation in the White House's rhetoric on the issue. On Wednesday, Trump responded with a dismissive taunt to Democrats' renewed push for his tax information, but suggested he might be willing to provide the information pending the conclusion of an audit.

"Oh no, never -- nor should they," Mulvaney told Bill Hemmer, who is filling in for host Chris Wallace, when asked if Democrats will ever see the president's tax returns. "That’s an issue that was already litigated during the election. Voters knew the president could have given his tax returns. They knew that he didn’t and they elected him anyway."

Mulvaney added that Democrats "know" they won't get the returns, and "just want attention on the issue because they don’t want to talk to us about policy." A "fundamental" purpose of tax law, Mulvaney continued, is to protect the privacy of tax filers.

"If they don't get what they want in the Mueller report, they're going to ask for the taxes," Mulvaney said. "If they don't get what they want in the taxes, they're going to ask for something else. It doesn't surprise anybody."

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., arrives for a Democratic Caucus meeting at the Capitol in Washington, on April 2, 2019. Rep. Neal, whose committee has jurisdiction over all tax issues, has formally requested President Donald Trump's tax returns from the Internal Revenue Service for the past 6 years. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., arrives for a Democratic Caucus meeting at the Capitol in Washington, on April 2, 2019. Rep. Neal, whose committee has jurisdiction over all tax issues, has formally requested President Donald Trump's tax returns from the Internal Revenue Service for the past 6 years. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Told by a reporter on Wednesday at the White House that Democrats wanted six years of his tax returns, Trump didn't rule out the possibility permanently.

"Is that all? Usually it's 10," Trump responded. "So I guess they're giving up. We're under audit, despite what people said, and we're working that out -- I'm always under audit, it seems, but I've been under audit for many years, because the numbers are big, and I guess when you have a name, you're audited. But until such time as I'm not under audit, I would not be inclined to do that."

One of the president's personal lawyers later wrote a forceful four-page letter to the Treasury Department to oppose the Democrats' request, saying it would set a "dangerous precedent."

WHAT DID TRUMP ATTORNEY SAY IN LETTER OPPOSING DEMS' TAX RETURN DEMAND?

The request Wednesday by Massachusetts Rep. Richard Neal, who heads the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, was the first such demand for a sitting president's tax information in 45 years. The move set up a virtually certain legal showdown with the White House.

Neal made the request in a letter to IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig, asking for Trump's personal and business returns for 2013 through 2018. Neal told Rettig that Democrats have a duty "to ensure that the Internal Revenue Service is enforcing the laws in a fair and impartial manner."

“It is critical to ensure the accountability of our government and elected officials," Neal said in a statement. "To maintain trust in our democracy, the American people must be assured that their government is operating properly, as laws intend."

Neal specifically demanded the federal income tax returns from eight entities, including Trump National Golf Club-Bedminster, as well as statements specifying whether the returns were ever under audit. Neal also demanded all administrative files, including affidavits, related to each return.

Also on Sunday, Ways and Means committee member Dan Kildee, D-Mich., backed up Neal's request.

"It is not up to President Trump to determine whether or not this coequal branch of government has the tools available to it to make the deliberations necessary in order to make policy," Kildee told ABC News' "This Week" on Sunday.

And speaking later to Hemmer, Rep. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., said that Trump had promised to release his tax returns during the 2016 presidential campaign.

"This is not political," Luján insisted.

The president's congressional allies registered immediate and fierce disapproval to Neal's request throughout the week. The top Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee, Kevin Brady, R-Texas, wrote to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to decry what he called Democrats' "abuse" of their authority.

That provision of tax law generally prohibits the disclosure of personal tax information.

Brady wrote that while "transparency in our government is enormously important," the "privacy and freedom" of all taxpayers is paramount -- and that Congress should pass new disclosure laws if it sees a problem. Violating the privacy rights of one taxpayer, Brady asserted, "begins the process of eroding and threatening the privacy rights of all taxpayers."

Mulvaney, on Sunday, echoed those concerns.

"They know one of the fundamental principles of the IRS is to protect the confidentiality of you and me and everybody else who files taxes. They know that," Mulvaney said. "They know the terms under law by which the IRS can give them the documents, but political hit job is not one of those reasons."

CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Separately, Mulvaney charged that Democrats suffer from "Trump Derangement Syndrome" and were "blindsided" by Special Counsel Robert Mueller's findings that the Trump team had not colluded illegally with Russia.

Mulvaney also sounded a critical note on the 2020 Democrat presidential field, telling Hemmer "it's fun watching them implode," and that the party's leading candidates seem to want to "Make America Apologize Again" on an array of issues.

And asked whether Herman Cain is still up for a position on the Federal Reserve board despite longstanding sexual harassment allegations against him, Mulvaney responded, "Yes, and I think Herman would be a great member of the Fed."

Fox News' Bill Hemmer, Mike Emanuel, Chad Pergram and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: Fox News Politics

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South Korea staffs liaison office despite North Korea pull out

FILE PHOTO - The inter-Korean Kaesong Industrial Complex which is still shut down, is seen in this picture taken from the Dora observatory near the demilitarised zone separating the two Koreas, in Paju
FILE PHOTO: The inter-Korean Kaesong Industrial Complex which is still shut down, is seen in this picture taken from the Dora observatory near the demilitarised zone separating the two Koreas, in Paju, South Korea, April 24, 2018. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji/File Photo

March 25, 2019

By Joyce Lee

SEOUL (Reuters) – A convoy of dozens of South Korean officials left for an inter-Korean liaison office in North Korea on Monday in a bid to maintain fragile gains in relations with Pyongyang, despite North Korea’s decision to pull out of the office last week.

The liaison office in Kaesong, North Korea, was opened in September and had been one of the key developments made in the past year of detente between North Korea and South Korea.

South Korea’s Unification Ministry would not explain exactly what the 64 officials would be doing at the office without their North Korean counterparts, but a spokesman said Seoul is seeking to try to “normalize” operations at the office.

In a major setback for South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s attempts to engage, North Korea announced on Friday it was quitting the office, just hours after the United States imposed the first new sanctions on the North since the second U.S.-North Korea summit broke down last month.

Although South Korea did not directly link the North’s move to the breakdown of the summit, after which U.S. President Donald Trump said he would not be imposing more sanctions, experts said Pyongyang’s move seemed calculated to pressure South Korea into convincing the United States to ease sanctions.

“It appears to be North Korea pressuring South Korea; it could also be signaling how South Korea’s role is not needed or even meaningless, or even that North Korea’s announcement of a ‘new path’ is imminent,” said Kim Dong-yub, a North Korea and military expert at Kyungnam University’s Institute of Far Eastern Studies in Seoul.

Several North Korean state media outlets released statements on Monday criticizing Seoul for not pushing forward with inter-Korean economic projects while sanctions remain in place.

Some 39 South Korean officials and support staff with 17 vehicles left South Korea on Monday morning to work at the liaison office in the North, joining 25 South Koreans who had remained at the office over the weekend despite North Korea’s pullout, South’s Unification Ministry said.

“Although the North side has pulled out of the liaison office, the embers remain, and in order to guard the embers we are going to work today as usual,” Kim Chang-su, deputy chief of the liaison office, said on Monday as he left for Kaesong.

When asked what South Korean personnel will do at the office, Unification Ministry spokesman Baik Tae-hyun said “we are operating the Kaesong office, followed by putting in efforts to normalize the liaison office” without elaborating.

There are some North Korean personnel currently in Kaesong, including from North’s Central Special Zone Development Guidance General Bureau and support staff, Baik said at a press briefing on Monday.

(Reporting by Joyce Lee; Editing by Michael Perry)

Source: OANN

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Doug Schoen: Only US Leadership Can Stave Off Global ‘Collapse’

"Well, Doctor, what have we got – a republic or a monarchy?"

That question, posed to Benjamin Franklin as he departed Independence Hall in 1787 after the Founders finished drafting the Constitution, drew a sharp response from the canny inventor.

"A republic," he replied, "if you can keep it."

How best to protect, preserve, and promote the unique American experiment has been Douglas E. Schoen's singular focus throughout his storied career as a pollster, pundit, and writer.

His new book "Collapse: A World in Crisis and the Urgency of American Leadership" elevates his calling to a new level, offering a convincing case the political, cultural, and social pillars of American life are crumbling faster than anyone could have imagined.

Schoen begins with the premise that governing elites, both in the United States and abroad, have advanced their own interests at the expense of the Great Unwashed.

"Failed leadership seems to be the common denominator everywhere," he writes. "It's no wonder then, that we're seeing such anti-systemic, anti-elite motivation in country after country."

The most obvious manifestation of this disconnect between the governing classes and the hoi-polloi now resides at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, in the person of President Trump.

Schoen maintains "the problems and trends that led to Trump's shock emergence have been festering for years, in the United States and around the world."

At times Schoen, a centrist Democrat who served as one of President Bill Clinton's pollsters in the mid-90s, pins some of the blame for the downward spiral on former President Obama.

He was especially critical of Obama's "ruinous nuclear deal with Iran," which he says "has all but guaranteed Tehran will become a nuclear power."

But, at other times, Schoen turns his critical eye on Trump, particularly his penchant for Twitter storms that tend to undermine allies and staffers trying to promote his agenda. The author suggests the jury's still out on whether Trump can provide the leadership that America and the West so sorely need.

"For now at least," Schoen writes, "it comes down to Donald Trump. Is he up to it? Does he want to be? The answers to those questions will tell us much."

His roster of the crises plaguing the West includes unfettered migration by those who refuse to assimilate into their new societies; growing income inequality; failing schools; stagnant economies outside of the United States; the continual low-probability, high-impact threat of terrorism; and the rise of illiberal, authoritarian governments – Russia, China, and Iran – that increasingly challenge the U.S.-dominated global order.

He also addresses the West's well-documented "crisis of faith," including the sharp spike in Americans who claim no religious affiliation.

Says Schoen:

"That the decline of religious faith would transpire roughly in tandem with a loss of faith in Western ideals, history, and culture, I believe, is no accident."

The most obvious fallout from the failure of Western politicos to advance the interests of their citizens, he says, is the collapse in the perceived legitimacy of institutions once assumed to be reliable fixtures in public life. He cites the example of the Edelman Trust Barometer, an annual survey that measures public faith in institutions like government, law, business, media, non-profits, etc. In 2017, it registered the sharpest decline in trust in major institutions in the survey's history.

"The public has grown increasingly disgusted with elite institutions," Schoen writes, "especially government, but also business and the media."

The loss of trust in established institutions has consequences. Indeed, Schoen insists, "Trump's rise would not have been possible without the loss of trust in government and institutions."

And he goes on to show the rise of populism is growing abroad as well, noting "Europe's little Trumps" in Germany, France, the U.K., and The Netherlands have been gaining influence for some time.

But it remains to be seen whether Trump-ism can cure what ails America.

"What worried me about candidates Trump," he writes, "was that he seemed to see America First to the exclusion of an American role in the world."

Any book aiming to be more than just another Jeremiad regarding the many dilemmas besetting Western Civilization faces a major hurdle, namely, prescribing realistic alternatives that illuminate a brighter alternative future.

Fortunately, Schoen has the keen intellect and vast experience the job requires. He bases his approach on what he terms "assertive democratic idealism." He reasons, because there is no substitute for global American leadership, Obama's "leading from behind" mantra "meant in practice not leading at all," he says – it is critical to assert U.S. power and influence in the most effective way possible.

"America must lead," the author declares, "and its leadership depends not only on the revival of its institutions and the faith and confidence of its people but also on an approach and a vision that, put into practice, will deliver constructive results for the country, its allies and the world at large. I call it assertive democratic idealism."

Schoen seems equally willing to criticize Democrats or Republicans. But his larger goal in "Collapse: A World in Crisis and the Urgency of American Leadership" is one that transcends mere politics.

History, he warns, is pretty clear about one thing: The United States still stands as the world's indispensable nation. And unless its commander in chief and its people are prepared to lead on the global stage, the middle will not hold, and collapse is sure to follow.

"It is my fervent hope," he concludes, "that the United States will get the leaders it needs to steer a course of American leadership that, in my view, remains the last, best hope for the world."

Source: NewsMax America

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Mexico to close infamous island penal colony

Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador says he will close a famed island penal colony off the country's Pacific coast.

Lopez Obrador says the federal prison on the largest of the Islas Marias will be converted into a cultural and environmental education center. About 200 of its approximately 600 inmates will be released, with the rest relocated to other prisons.

The prison founded in 1905 on Maria Madre passed through periods of infamous brutality. When Panama closed its Isla Coiba penal colony in 2004, Isla Marias was the last one remaining in the Americas.

Lopez Obrador said Monday the new cultural center will be named after Jose Revueltas, who was imprisoned there and wrote the novel "Walls of Water."

Source: Fox News World

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Gaza parrot gets treatment from Israeli animal rights group

An ailing parrot in the blockaded Gaza Strip has received treatment from an Israeli animal rights group after its Palestinian owner appealed for help via Facebook.

Abdullah Sharaf said Tuesday his African grey parrot, Koki, drank bleach that burned a hole in his throat. He says local veterinarians, ill-equipped to handle specialized cases, suggested his exotic pet be put down.

Unconvinced, Sharaf appealed via Facebook to an animal rights group in central Israel, which agreed to help. The group sent a mobile surgery clinic to the Israel-Gaza frontier and successfully treated the bird at the crossing.

Israel and Egypt have imposed a blockade on Gaza since the Islamic militant group Hamas seized power in 2007. Palestinians in Gaza face severe travel restrictions, making it difficult to get specialized medical treatment.

Source: Fox News World

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SPLC: Trump 'Fear-Mongering' Fuels Rise of Hate Groups

The number of hate groups operating in the United States rose 7 percent to an all-time high last year, the Southern Poverty Law Center said on Wednesday, attributing the increase largely to anti-immigrant rhetoric from President Donald Trump.

The SPLC, which has tracked hate groups since 1971, found there were 1,020 operating in the United States in 2018, breaking the 1,018 record set in 2011. It marked the fourth consecutive year of growth.

The group blamed Trump, whose administration has focused on reducing illegal and legal immigration into the United States.

"The words and imagery coming out of the Trump administration and from Trump himself are heightening these fears," Heidi Beirich, director of the SPLC's Intelligence Project, told reporters on a conference call. "These images of foreign scary invaders threatening diseases, massive refugee caravans coming from the south. This is fear-mongering."

The White House has repeatedly rejected charges of bias leveled at Trump, often citing the effects that a strong economy have had on minority communities. It did not respond to a request for comment on the report on Wednesday.

The SPLC defines hate groups as organizations with beliefs or practices that demonize a class of people. The number of groups has risen 30 percent since 2015 when Trump declared his presidential candidacy.

The last surge in new hate groups came in the early years of Barack Obama's presidency, a reaction to the first black U.S. president, the group said. The number rose 9 percent during the first three years of Obama's administration to reach the prior record then dropped until 2015.

The group also cited online incitement for the rise. Despite efforts to regulate content on mainstream websites including Facebook, the internet still provides the most fertile ground for hate groups to recruit new members, SPLC said.

The non-profit said the growth of hate groups appeared to spur some who share their ideologies to take violent action. It cited Robert Bowers, who is accused of killing 11 worshippers at a Pittsburgh synagogue in October while shouting "All Jews must die."

As part of SPLC's count of hate groups, black nationalist groups rose 13 percent to 264 in 2018, an increase SPLC attributed to a backlash against Trump's policies.

Some of the SPLC's targets have criticized the Montgomery, Alabama-based organization's findings, saying it mislabeled legitimate organizations.

Earlier this month the founder of the Proud Boys, a self-described men-only club of "Western chauvinists," sued the center for defamation. He contended the Proud Boys oppose racism, while the SPLC said it stood by its research.

Source: NewsMax Politics

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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.

SUBSCRIBE TO HOWIE’S MEDIA BUZZMETER PODCAST, A RIFF OF THE DAY’S HOTTEST STORIES

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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