Justice Department special counsel John Durham has released a 306-page report criticising the FBI for launching an investigation into whether Donald Trump’s presidential campaign conspired with Russia to influence the 2016 national election. Durham claimed that the FBI began the investigation without any evidence which directly incriminated members of the campaign, and that specialists who were never consulted would have advised that there was no basis for the action. Durham also says that the FBI failed to verify allegations contained in a Democratic Party-financed dossier compiled by former British spy Christopher Steele. The investigation resulted in only one conviction, and Durham did not suggest that political bias played any part in the FBI’s behaviour. The FBI said it has taken corrective measures prevent a similar situation arising.
The loss of Tucker Carlson by Fox News, America's top-rated cable news channel, has led to not only a drop in the network's viewers but also a rise in ratings for even more right-wing channels such as Newsmax. However, the exit of such a polarising figure could have a greater impact as research suggests the audience for Fox News is open to persuasion. Carlson's audience of 3m people in his final week dropped to 1.5m the following week after he was fired, casting doubt on pundits' beliefs that viewers would simply find a new preferred source of politically biased content.
Massachusetts U.S. Attorney, Rachael Rollins, will resign following an ethics investigation by the Justice Department's inspector general. She will submit a letter of resignation to President Joe Biden on Friday. The investigation scrutinised her appearance at a political fundraiser featuring First Lady Jill Biden and other potential issues. Rollins previously served as the district attorney for Boston and surrounding communities before serving as Massachusetts' top federal law enforcement officer in 2022.
Former US Vice President Mike Pence is expected to announce his candidacy for the Republican 2024 presidential nomination soon. Pence seeks to establish a Reagan coalition of evangelicals, fiscal conservatives and national security hawks, taking on his former boss Donald Trump. The former Vice President plans to highlight clear domestic and foreign policy differences with Trump. He is expected to espouse a policy of “free trade with free nations”, support a national abortion ban and differentiate himself from Trump by backing Ukraine against Russia in what he sees as a new “Cold War”.
The Quad, an informal alliance of democracies consisting of the US, Japan, India and Australia, has been given new momentum under President Biden, who is set to visit Japan this month. The last summit of Quad leaders, held in Tokyo, led to a programme aimed at curbing illegal fishing across the Indo-Pacific. The group initially came together as a “core group” in response to the devastating Boxing Day tsunami in 2004, while its origins as a formal Quadrilateral Security Dialogue go back to a call by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2007. The Quad essentially fell apart the following year, amid concerns that it would alienate China. However, nationalist governments in Japan and India have renewed interest in the group in recent times. China has dismissed the Quad as a means of undermining its interests, with Beijing warning that it contains the “obsolete Cold War and zero-sum mentality”.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has criticized Donald Trump over his comments that the state's recently approved six-week abortion ban is "too harsh." DeSantis suggested the bill had widespread support among those opposed to abortion and noted that Trump hadn't given his position on the issue. The increased exchanges between DeSantis and Trump come as DeSantis edges closer to making a bid for the GOP nomination in the 2024 presidential race. Abortion is already a major issue in the field of Republican presidential candidates.
The 10,000 migrants a day who surged across the Mexico-U.S. border in the few days before the Trump restrictions were lifted were not an aberration, they are the start of a new normal says Thomas Friedman in the New York Times. The first 50 years after World War II were a great time to be a weak nation-state, particularly in Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa. Now no superpower wants to touch weaker countries because all they will win is a bill. Climate change is pounding countries, particularly their subsistence farmers. Populations have exploded. More than two-thirds of the world has a smartphone and can get information and misinformation faster than ever, as well as easily connect with a human trafficker online. Friedman argues that if we are going to thrive in the 21st century, we need to double down on our single greatest competitive advantage: our ability to attract the most high-aspiring migrants and the most high-I.Q. risk takers, who start new businesses.
Former US President Donald Trump has called the 2016 FBI probe into his campaign’s ties with Russia a “Democrat Hoax” and “Crime of the Century” in response to he release of the report by John Durham, the special counsel appointed by Trump to investigate the origins of the Russia investigation. Despite the investigations and claims of wrongdoing by Trump and members of his administration and party, Durham’s report found no new targets for charges, and information that was already in the public domain. The report criticised the FBI’s handling of the case, pointing out flaws and suggesting corrective action be put in place.
A case challenging the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) decision to approve a medication used for medical abortions over two decades ago will move to a federal appeals court in New Orleans. The case concerns mifepristone and relates to the FDA's initial approval in 2000, as well as actions to make the drug more accessible. It comes nearly a year after the US Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade ruling establishing abortion rights. It is expected that the case will reach the Supreme Court, with judges nominated by Donald Trump set to play a significant role.
China is attempting to persuade both sides of the Ukraine conflict to resume negotiations, casting itself as a neutral and helpful global leader. This move comes as China becomes increasingly pessimistic it can prevent the deteriorating US-China relations. While Beijing wishes to preserve its relationship with Russia, it fears that its position viewed as pro-Russia will poison its reputation in Europe, further harming its security environment. As a result, China has attempted to be neutral and offer its good offices to bring both sides to the negotiating table.
The Ukrainian conflict presents complicated challenges for China, potentially strengthening US alliances in Europe and beyond. As a result, Beijing has begun to offer its good offices to resolve the crisis, articulating a vision for global security and becoming more involved diplomatically. China aims to position itself as neutral and limit its support for Russia, even as it prioritizes its partnership with its closest strategic partner.
Recent remarks by the Chinese ambassador to France that the status of Crimea depends on how the problem is perceived provoked widespread condemnation, and 80 European lawmakers urged the French government to expel the ambassador. The Chinese government tried to downplay the situation, stating that the ambassador was only expressing his personal views. China is likely to do just enough to cast itself as a helpful and responsible global leader but not enough to be held accountable for achieving an end to the Ukraine conflict on terms that would be fair and acceptable to both sides.
Tuesday saw an array of primary elections take place across the US, including for governors and mayors that will have spillover effects for the 2024 presidential elections. Among the early takeaways were that Republicans in Kentucky have chosen Daniel Cameron as their candidate for governor in November, after he bested a field of 12 contenders. Cameron, the state's first Black attorney general, also received an endorsement from former President Donald Trump. Other takeaways were that Pennsylvania Democrats retained their first majority in the state's house in 12 years in a recent special election outside Philadelphia, and Cherelle Parker is likely to be Philadelphia's first female mayor after the recent primary. Elsewhere, elections in Florida and Colorado saw Republicans lose their seats to Democrats and independents, respectively. Finally, in nationally significant developments, election deniers failed to gain traction in Kentucky, and Parker distinguished herself for proposing a tough-on-crime approach in Philadelphia.
US president Joe Biden’s decision to bypass the Quad summit in Sydney is a major victory for China, which loathes the informal grouping of India, Japan, Australia and the US, which seeks to present an alternative to China’s authoritarianism. The Quad’s power lies in what it represents, with its goal being to offer an alternative to Beijing’s whims. “Beijing has concluded that the Quad represents one of the most consequential challenges to Chinese ambitions in the years ahead”, according to Kevin Rudd, Australia’s man in Washington.
UFC maintains links with Russian fighters and fighters connected to sanctioned Chechen warlord despite Ukraine invasion
CNN
23-05-17 07:33
Critics have raised questions about the Ultimate Fighting Championship's (UFC) decision to allow Russian fighters to compete following the country's invasion of Ukraine. The sport has a global fan base of over 700m, and UFC fighters in Russia have helped bring in approximately $50m in TV and sponsorship deals, according to John S Nash, an MMA and boxing financial analyst. Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov's recent posting of a video featuring UFC fighters Kamaru Usman, Justin Gaethje and Henry Cejudo has also prompted concern. Kadyrov has been sanctioned over allegations of human rights violations, and has expressed his support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Senate Intelligence Committee's report confirms the Mueller report's finding that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to aid Trump and harm Clinton. Putin personally ordered the hack and “Moscow’s intent was to harm the Clinton campaign, tarnish an expected Clinton presidential administration, help the Trump Campaign after Trump became the presumptive Republican nominee, and undermine the U.S. democratic process,” the report said. Neither report found evidence of direct coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia. Mueller and the Senate report found that Trump campaign officials "welcomed" any foreign assistance, even though it was illegal and against US election norms.
In the summer of 2016, the FBI opened its Crossfire Hurricane counterintelligence investigation based on a tip from an Australian diplomat who was concerned that George Papadopoulos had hinted that Russia had dirt on Clinton. After WikiLeaks released the Democratic National Committee emails, the Australian government sent a cable to the State Department summarizing what Papadopoulos had said, and the FBI quickly upgraded its probe into examining four Trump campaign advisers - Papadopoulos, energy consultant Carter Page, foreign policy expert Michael Flynn and then-campaign chairman Paul Manafort.
There were concerns that the FBI failed to follow investigative norms, the Durham report concluded. The report acknowledged four previous inquiries into Russian interference in 2016, but focused on the FBI’s handling of intelligence received from the Australia tip, claiming the investigation could have been opened more appropriately as an assessment or preliminary investigation.
Democrats and the majority of voters believe that President Joe Biden, who will turn 81 in November, should not run for a second term. However, those questioning Biden's age must consider that the vice-president - Kamala Harris - could also attract scrutiny when she runs. Democrats and much of the “mainstream” media are working off an invisible memo that tells them to avoid talking about Biden's age, however this cannot last. Biden must now elevate Harris's role to become a bigger factor next year and focus on key issues that will appeal to voters.
Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden has labelled the leader and deputy of the UK Labour Party, Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner, the “Phil and Holly of British politics”. The comparison was made after Rayner criticised the Conservative government over its performance on issues including child poverty and the NHS during Prime Minister’s Questions. Last week, British television hosts Philip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, who work together on the show This Morning, were subject to rumours of a disagreement.
Maxime Bernier, leader of the right-wing People’s Party of Canada, is likely to lose a June 19 by-election in the Manitoba riding of Portage-Lisgar, according to political scientist Royce Koop. The riding repeatedly votes Conservative and the Conservatives have a strong candidate in Branden Leslie, Candice Bergen’s former campaign manager. In the 2021 election, Bernier’s party won the highest vote share of any Canadian riding with 22% of the popular vote in Portage-Lisgar, but the party is now said to be on the wane in the face of populist Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre.
4 Asian Canadians are dismantling the pervasive and harmful 'model minority myth'
CBC
23-05-17 11:00
Younger generations in Canada's Asian community are calling for an end to the "model minority myth," a stereotype of Asian Canadians being intelligent, quiet, and obedient that they say constrains how they are viewed and live their lives. This month, CBC News spoke to four Asian Canadian artists and activists who are using their crafts to dismantle the stereotype that persists in every aspect of their lives, keeping them from being viewed and living as their full authentic selves. The activists think the myth erases the "full self," and they see it as a symptom of white supremacy.
The vast majority of Americans see risks associated with artificial intelligence (AI), according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll. Two-thirds of people polled were concerned about negative effects from AI, with 61% believing that the technology could threaten civilization. This compares with just 22% of respondents who didn't agree. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman voiced concerns about the misuse of AI during a virtual hearing in front of US Congress on Tuesday, pressing for the introduction of regulation for the sector. Meanwhile, Elon Musk co-signed an open letter calling for a six-month pause in AI research.
The number of large US cities with Republican mayors has dwindled to almost none. A century ago, only half of the 10 most populous US cities had Democratic mayors. By the year 2000, four of the top 10 cities had Republican mayors, whereas today, none do. The shift has been driven by the trend of US urban areas moving left in national elections, while rural areas move farther to the right. According to a study by The Washington Post, the gap between the two areas is mainly due to differing attitudes toward race.
