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Egalitarian Sweden getting more unequal as tax cuts help the rich

FILE PHOTO: People participating in the class war safari observe buildings at the upper class district at Solsidan in Saltsjobaden near Stockholm
FILE PHOTO: People participating in the class war safari observe buildings at the upper class district at Solsidan in Saltsjobaden near Stockholm, Sweden January 28, 2012. REUTERS/Anders Wiklund/Scanpix Sweden/File Photo

April 9, 2019

By Simon Johnson

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – Sweden’s Social Democrat-led government will outline tax cuts for top earners on Wednesday, widening the gap between rich and poor in a country that has long enjoyed a reputation for social equality.

The boost for wealthy Swedes is part of a compromise deal, struck between center-left and center-right parties after a September election resulted in a hung parliament, aimed at excluding the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats from government.

It mirrors a dilemma facing politicians in other European countries such as Germany and Denmark where mainstream parties have faced a choice between papering over left-right animosity or giving populist parties a taste of power.

But with many Swedes increasingly unhappy with public services such as policing, schools and care for the elderly, analysts warn the tax cuts in fact risk fuelling xenophobia and populist sentiment, widely seen as rooted in growing inequality.

The policy, which will be outlined in a “mini-budget” update to the main autumn bill, scraps a 5 percent surcharge levied on the income of workers who earn more than about 700,000 Swedish crowns ($75,700) a year. The extra tax was introduced during the economic crisis of the early 1990s to support public finances.

Those top earners will still be heavily taxed compared with many other countries, at around 60 percent. But the move, which takes effect next year, is likely to widen the divide between society’s “haves” and “have nots”. It follows a series of policies in recent years that benefited the well-off, including the scrapping of a wealth tax.

While Sweden is still has one of the most equal societies, the divide between the richest and poorest people has grown faster than in any other developed nation in recent decades, according to the OECD. The organization uses the “Gini coefficient” to measure how equally income is distributed across society.

The 20 billion crown revenue loss from this tax cut and a wider income tax reduction introduced in December’s 2019 budget, will in part be offset by cuts in spending on care for the elderly and the overseas aid budget, and higher environmental taxes.

Some in the center-left Social Democrats are angry over what they see as a betrayal of the values of a party that built Sweden’s famed welfare state and engineered a society widely seen as setting the standard for equality and fairness.

“It’s about defending democracy and for our group that means defending the welfare state where no one is left behind,” said Markus Kallifatides, a Social Democrat lawmaker.

“Sweden is not that society anymore.”

But for many others, sidelining the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats is worth the price.

“Reducing taxes for high income earners is not going to reduce inequality, of course,” Swedish Finance Minister Magdalena Andersson told Reuters on March 29.

“There is no question this is not the priority of the Social Democrats, but you need to get a majority so you have to compromise.”

In September’s election, the Social Democrats posted their worst result for more than a century with the Sweden Democrats, eurosceptic nationalists who want to close the doors to asylum seekers, becoming the third-largest party.

To break the deadlock, the Social Democrats and Greens agreed a four-year, 73-point program with the Centre and Liberal parties who insisted on income tax cuts and deregulation of the housing rental and labor markets as the price of support.

NOT SO EQUAL

While the measures may be painful for the architects of Sweden’s welfare state, they are just part of a change that has been going on for years.

The top 1 percent in Sweden now own a greater share of the country’s wealth than the top 1 percent in the United States, according to Credit Suisse’s 2018 Global Wealth Report.

“There is a kind of renaissance of an economic aristocracy,” said Ola Pettersson, chief economist at the Swedish Trade Union Confederation.

While Sweden has not seen the kind of unrest that has hit some countries, there is a growing sense among many Swedes that riots in Stockholm in 2013 and a surge in gang violence are evidence of the kind of social fragmentation that has provided fertile soil for populists around Europe.

Until the 1970s, successive Social Democrat governments turned the screws on Sweden’s elite with high income taxes, wealth taxes, inheritance taxes, gift taxes and real estate taxes.

Many rich Swedes – like IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad – took their fortunes abroad.

Faced with the exodus, Sweden instituted market-oriented reforms and embraced small businesses and entrepreneurs.

A wealth tax, which had been reduced and watered down over many years, was abolished in 2007. High property tax has been replaced with a fee capped at 7,812 crowns.

Inheritance tax has also been scrapped. Compare that to Britain, where beneficiaries pay 40 percent tax over a threshold of 325,000 pounds ($425,000).

At the same time a decade of ultra-low rates has meant the value of real estate and stocks has soared, giving a boost to those who rely on capital gains as opposed to a monthly wage for the bulk of their income.

Between 2006 and 2014, a center-right government also started reducing income taxes, with the top rates – excluding the surcharge – coming down in steps to around 60 percent from about 90 percent in the late 1970s. Welfare benefits were cut.

“Sweden is the best country in the world: for rich people,” Jan Emanuel Johansson, a Social Democrat lawmaker-turned-healthcare businessman, said in a satirical video on YouTube.

The millionaire, a popular public figure who won Swedish reality TV survival series “Robinson”, said growing inequality would have exact a price for society as a whole, including social unrest on the streets.

“Either you can say, I don’t care. I’m one of the privileged and I can build a higher wall round my house,” he added. “Or we have to realize that what is bad for those who ride the subway, at some point in the future is going to be bad for those who drive a Rolls-Royce.”

(Reporting by Simon Johnson; Editing by Pravin Char)

Source: OANN

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Thai army chief warns against protests after disputed election

Thailand's Royal Army Chief General Apirat Kongsompong arrives before an interview with members of foreign media at the Thai Army headquarters in Bangkok
Thailand's Royal Army Chief General Apirat Kongsompong arrives before an interview with members of foreign media at the Thai Army headquarters in Bangkok, Thailand, April 2, 2019. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha

April 2, 2019

By Panu Wongcha-um

BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand’s army chief on Tuesday warned against protests after a disputed election, invoking the revered monarchy and castigating people he said “distort” democracy.

His words were the latest in a series of signals from the military and royalist establishment against opposition parties loyal to ousted ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

The inconclusive results to the March 24 election, pitting the party of the junta leader against an opposition alliance, have seen both the pro-army Palang Pracharat party and the opposition claim victory. Final results may not be clear for weeks.

General Apirat Kongsompong said the military would remain neutral in the election, in which his predecessor as army chief, Prayuth Chan-ocha, is seeking to stay in power as an elected prime minister, five years after he seized power in a coup.

“General Prayuth has to be on his own path and the army has to step back,” Apirat said. “We cannot get involved in politics.”

At the same time, Apirat made clear the military would not allow a repeat of past mass street demonstrations in which both supporters and opponents of Thaksin paralyzed Bangkok for months on end.

“I cannot let Thais settle their differences on the streets anymore,” Apirat told reporters, adding that both the eventual winners and losers in the election must settle their differences in parliament.

He also had harsh words for politicians he said “distort” democratic principles to make them incompatible with Thai culture that reveres the king above all else, a clear reference to Thaksin’s party and its allies.

“This is not right,” Apirat said of such politicians. “Thailand is a democracy with the king as the head of state.”

Thaksin-loyal parties have won every election since 2001, even after he was ousted in a 2006 coup.

Thaksin has remained an influential political figure despite having lived in self-imposed exile since he fled Thailand in 2008 to escape a corruption trial that he said was politically motivated.

Last week, six other parties joined with the pro-Thaksin Pheu Thai party in a “democratic front” alliance, which they claim will gain enough seats in parliament to try to form a government and block Prayuth from staying in power.

“People should accept winning and losing,” Apirat said. “Instead, they constructed a democratic side and a dictatorship side, which is not right. We are all Thais.”

The army chief also alluded to an election-eve statement from King Maha Vajiralongkorn, telling reporters on Tuesday “we must choose good people to govern so that bad people don’t have power”.

King Vajiralongkorn’s unexpected statement on March 23, which broke from his late father’s practised silence on politics, mentioned “good” and “bad” people but did not specify any one party or politician.

However, less than a week after the vote, the king issued an official command that stripped Thaksin of all royal honors and decorations he had been given.

The king’s command came on the heels of military moves to discredit Thaksin.

Last week the military said that Thaksin has acted “dishonorably” and stripped him from a pre-cadet school’s achievement award as well as deleting his name from the school’s hall of fame.

(Writing by Kay Johnson; Editing by Nick Macfie)

Source: OANN

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Trump aides repeat threat to shut down U.S.-Mexico border on migrant crisis

FILE PHOTO: A person looks through the border wall towards the United States at Border Field State Park in San Diego
FILE PHOTO: A person looks through the border wall towards the United States at Border Field State Park in San Diego, California, U.S. November 20, 2018. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo

March 31, 2019

By Humeyra Pamuk

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Trump administration on Sunday doubled down on its threat to shut down the southern border with Mexico, a day after it cut aid to Central American countries which President Donald Trump blasted for deliberately sending migrants to the United States.

Faced with a surge of asylum seekers from Central American countries who travel through Mexico, Trump said on Friday there was a “good likelihood” he would close the border this coming week if Mexico does not stop unauthorized immigrants from reaching the United States.

He also accused the nations of having “set up” migrant caravans and sent them north.

Speaking to ABC’s “This Week” show, White House acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney said the president had few other options in the absence of any support from Democrats for more border security or legislative action to change the immigration law.

“Faced with those limitations, the president will do everything he can. If closing the ports of entry means that, that’s exactly what he intends to do,” Mulvaney said. “We need border security and we’re going to do the best we can with what we have,” he added.

White House adviser Kellyanne Conway told “Fox News Sunday” that the situation at the border was at “melting point” and said the president was serious in his threat. “It certainly is not a bluff. You can take the president seriously.”

Neither Trump aide offered any specific details or timeline for the potential border shutdown.

At a Saturday rally on the border in El Paso, Texas, Democratic presidential hopeful Beto O’Rourke denounced Trump’s immigration policies as the politics of “fear and division.”

Trump has repeatedly said he would close the U.S. border with Mexico during his two years in office. His latest threat had workers and students who frequently cross the border worried about the potential disruption to their lives.

The government says it is struggling to deal with a surge in recent days of asylum seekers from countries in Central America who travel through Mexico and on Saturday cut aid to El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.

March is on track for 100,000 border apprehensions, Department of Homeland Security officials said, which would be the highest monthly number in more than a decade. Most of those people can remain in the United States while their asylum claims are processed, which can take years because of ballooning immigration court backlogs.

(Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk; Additional reporting by Howard Schneider; editing by Michelle Price and Lisa Shumaker)

Source: OANN

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China refuses to concede on U.S. demands to ease curbs on tech firms: FT

FILE PHOTO: U.S and China trade talks in Beijing
FILE PHOTO: Chinese staffers adjust U.S. and Chinese flags before the opening session of trade negotiations between U.S. and Chinese trade representatives at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, Thursday, Feb. 14, 2019. Mark Schiefelbein/Pool via REUTERS

March 24, 2019

(Reuters) – Ahead of fresh high-level trade talks this week, China is not conceding to U.S. demands to ease curbs on technology companies, the Financial Times reported on Sunday, citing three people briefed on the discussions.

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin are scheduled to travel to Beijing for talks starting on March 28, the White House said on Saturday.

The FT report said Beijing had yet to offer “meaningful concessions” to U.S. requests for China to stop discriminating against foreign cloud computing providers, to reduce limits on overseas data transfers and to relax a requirement for companies to store data locally.

China made an initial offer on digital trade that the United States judged as insufficient, the report said, citing a source.

China then retracted the offer after the United States demanded stronger pledges, the report said, without giving further details.

The White House and China’s Commerce Ministry did not respond to requests from Reuters for comment on Sunday.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that the talks aimed at resolving the trade dispute were progressing and a final agreement seemed probable.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Neil Fullick)

Source: OANN

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Chinese traders cut Australian coal imports over customs delays: sources

FILE PHOTO: A ship waiting to be filled with a load of coal can be seen behind a surfer riding a wave at Merewether Beach in Newcastle, located north of Sydney
FILE PHOTO: A ship waiting to be filled with a load of coal can be seen behind a surfer riding a wave at Merewether Beach in Newcastle, located north of Sydney in Australia, August 14, 2018. REUTERS/David Gray/File Photo

February 18, 2019

BEIJING (Reuters) – Chinese coal traders are halting purchases of Australian coal and coking coal as clearing times through China’s customs have at least doubled to 40 days or more, four traders at major buyers told Reuters on Monday.

The traders said only cargoes from Australia, the biggest supplier of the fuel to the world’s top consumer, were affected.

“We have stopped ordering coal from Australia because it is unknown how long the restriction will last,” said a manager at a Shanghai-based trading company who usually buys around 400,000 tons of Australian coal every month.

Customs clearance typically takes five to 20 days. Now it can be as much as 45 days, said the manager, asking not to be identified as he was not authorized to speak to the media.

It was not clear why China had stepped up checks on Australian imports but tension between Beijing and Canberra has grown in recent months over issues of cyber security and China’s influence in Pacific island nations.

China’s General Administration of Customs did not respond to a request for comment. There was no immediate response from the Foreign Ministry to a faxed request for comment.

Authorities at some ports notified importers verbally this month that Australian thermal coal and coking coal would take longer than usual to clear, the Shanghai-based manager said.

A Beijing-based coal trader and a purchasing manager at a coke plant received similar notifications. None of the buyers were aware of the reason.

China has curbed coal imports in the past to support domestic coal miners and reduce consumption to tackle air pollution. It restricted Indonesian coal imports in 2017, citing high impurities and low energy efficiency.

The Beijing trader said the restrictions on Australian imports were “the first time for Beijing to curb coal imports from a specific country but without a reason.”

Reuters reported in January that dozens of ships carrying coal and iron ore were waiting to unload outside ports due to possible customs delays.

The most-active thermal coal futures on China’s Zhengzhou Commodity Exchange hit 594 yuan ($87.79) a ton on Monday, just shy of the three-month peak of 595.6 yuan, although the contract closed down 1 percent 583.8 yuan a ton.

Benchmark Newcastle high energy thermal coal prices have dropped to $88 a ton, the lowest level in 19 months, consultancy Wood Mackenzie said.

The Shanghai trader said he had stopped buying from Australia and would purchase more from Indonesia and Russia.

The Beijing trader said she would reduce Australian imports.

A coal broker at state-backed mining group Minmetals said he had asked clients to put Australian imports on hold.

Refinitiv ship tracking data showed coal shipments departing from Australia’s Newcastle port to China fell 30 percent last month compared with December to 18.19 million tonnes.

As of Monday, shipments scheduled to leave in February were 12.78 million tonnes.

($1 = 6.7663 Chinese yuan renminbi)

(Reporting by Muyu Xu, Meng Meng and Dominique Patton; Editing by Edmund Blair)

Source: OANN

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Trump meets with Vietnam’s president ahead of Hanoi summit with North Korea’s Kim

President Trump paid a courtesy call Wednesday to the leaders of Vietnam, the nation hosting this week’s summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

During the visit, Trump and Vietnamese President Nguyen Phu Trong presided over the signings of several commercial trade deals affecting the airline industries of their two countries.

SOUTH KOREA HOPES TRUMP-KIM SUMMIT IN VIETNAM USHERS NEW ERA OF PEACE

U.S. aircraft manufacturer Boeing signed agreements with VietJet for 100 737 MAX planes and with Bamboo Airways for 10 787 Dreamliners as the two leaders looked on Wednesday.

U.S.-based aviation technology company Sabre also inked a deal with Vietnam Airlines.

The White House did not immediately provide details on the agreements.

Trump, who arrived in Hanoi on Tuesday, said he hoped for “great things” from his second meeting with Kim. The president is scheduled to meet with Kim later Wednesday in Hanoi for a second round of nuclear talks.

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The U.S. is attempting to achieve denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula following a series of missile tests by North Korea that have worried its immediate regional neighbors, such as China and Japan, and raised concerns that Pyongyang was developing weapons that could reach deep into the U.S. mainland.

The two heads of state previously met in Singapore last June.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Source: Fox News World

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DHS Secretary Nielsen to travel to southern border amid migration crisis

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen will travel to the southern border this week with plans to visit ports of entry and speak with law enforcement officials before joining President Trump in California on Friday near a section of border wall, DHS officials told Fox News.

Nielsen will travel to El Paso, Texas, on Wednesday to visit a port of entry, border station and be briefed by local officials, before traveling to Yuma, Arizona, on Thursday to meet with DHS leaders from Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for a roundtable with law enforcement and local officials, as well as representatives from non-governmental organizations.

TRUMP STANDS BY BORDER CLOSURE THREAT, AS AIDES SAY ALL OPTIONS BEING EXPLORED

El Paso has been hard hit by the surge in illegal immigrants coming across the southern border. The Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) sector and facility is currently over capacity by 280 percent, with more than 3,400 migrants in custody, officials say.

On Friday, Nielsen will travel to Calexico in California, where she is scheduled to join Trump in visiting the border wall and participate in a roundtable discussion on the border crisis and “the way forward.”

Trump has declared an emergency at the southern border, and in recent days has mulled closing the border in response to the increase in illegal border crossings -- while calling for Mexico to increase efforts to stop the migration flows across the border.

IT'S A 'CAT 5' IMMIGRATION CRISIS: NIELSEN

"If we don't make a deal with Congress...or if Mexico doesn't do what they should be doing...then we're going to close the border, that's going to be it, or we're going to close large sections of the border, maybe not all of it," he said.

"We're going to have a strong border or we're going to have a closed border," he said. "We're going to see what happens."

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

DHS announced that it is taking a “disaster response” approach to the crisis and that Nielsen has directed agencies to “surge resources and personnel” toward border security and migration management. Nielsen said the administration is treating the immigration crisis as a "Cat 5 hurricane disaster."

“We are bringing all of the agencies together; we're asking everybody to chip in,” Nielsen said on “Tucker Carlson Tonight.”

Source: Fox News 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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