CURRENT EVENTS - April 27-30

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258 million people would be dead if Trump hadn't -- wait, what exactly is he supposed to have done? 3/4 of Americans were going to OD on fentanyl in 100 days?

I take back my commitment to free speech. A government official who is willing to say something that stupid and false should be sent to a prison in El Salvador.
 


Steve Witkoff shouldn’t be leading Iran, Russia negotiations, allies and insiders say​


nypost.com

Exclusive | Steve Witkoff shouldn’t be leading Iran, Russia negotiations, allies and insiders say

Steve Witkoff, who has become Trump’s de facto personal ambassador to Russian President Vladimir Putin in addition to taking on the Middle East portfolio, takes part in high-level meetings al…
nypost.com nypost.com

“… Witkoff, who has become Trump’s de facto personal ambassador to Russian President Vladimir Putin in addition to taking on the Middle East portfolio, takes part in high-level meetings alone — and is said to have even occasionally leaned on Kremlin translators — in a break with longstanding diplomatic procedure, multiple sources told The Post.

… A member of Trump’s first administration was more succinct.

“Nice guy, but a bumbling f–king idiot,” this person said of Witkoff. “He should not be doing this alone.”

… While many Israelis appreciate Witkoff’s efforts, his lack of diplomatic experience is seen as clouding his judgement.

… “How does Witkoff divide his time with two very demanding negotiations?” asked Israeli security expert and Tel Aviv-based Institute for National Security Studies fellow Danny Citrinowicz. “I think he’s a good guy, but the Iran issue is so complex that I’m hoping he is bringing more people to the team.”

“Because as of now the Iranians might have the upper hand, given their vast knowledge in negotiations.” …”

——
Witkoff’s one big win was the ceasefire in Gaza that he co-negotiated with the Biden Administration in December, using the proposal that the Biden team had on the table since the prior Spring. Witkoff was credited then with being a tough-talking bull in a China shop who helped push cautious back and forth to closure. But he was leveraging a ton of existing expertise in that case.

Witkoff also successfully negotiated some U.S. prisoner releases, but that is a very different and more transactional matter, and one where foreign governments saw an early opportunity to ingratiate themselves with Trump at a very low cost.

It sounds like Witkoff is sincerely trying to do good but has too much on his plate and I in way over his head in both cases (Russia and Iran).
 
Last edited:
nycfan said:


Steve Witkoff shouldn’t be leading Iran, Russia negotiations, allies and insiders say​


nypost.com

Exclusive | Steve Witkoff shouldn’t be leading Iran, Russia negotiations, allies and insiders say

Steve Witkoff, who has become Trump’s de facto personal ambassador to Russian President Vladimir Putin in addition to taking on the Middle East portfolio, takes part in high-level meetings al…
nypost.com nypost.com

“… Witkoff, who has become Trump’s de facto personal ambassador to Russian President Vladimir Putin in addition to taking on the Middle East portfolio, takes part in high-level meetings alone — and is said to have even occasionally leaned on Kremlin translators — in a break with longstanding diplomatic procedure, multiple sources told The Post.

… A member of Trump’s first administration was more succinct.

“Nice guy, but a bumbling f–king idiot,” this person said of Witkoff. “He should not be doing this alone.”

… While many Israelis appreciate Witkoff’s efforts, his lack of diplomatic experience is seen as clouding his judgement.

… “How does Witkoff divide his time with two very demanding negotiations?” asked Israeli security expert and Tel Aviv-based Institute for National Security Studies fellow Danny Citrinowicz. “I think he’s a good guy, but the Iran issue is so complex that I’m hoping he is bringing more people to the team.”

“Because as of now the Iranians might have the upper hand, given their vast knowledge in negotiations.” …”

——
Witkoff’s one big win was the ceasefire in Gaza that he co-negotiated with the Biden Administration in December, using the proposal that the Biden team had on the table since the prior Spring. Witkoff was credited then with being a tough-talking bull in a China shop who helped push cautious back and forth to closure. But he was leveraging a ton of existing expertise in that case.
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“… Making matters worse, Russian media has picked up on a pattern of Witkoff parroting Putin, with state television announcers recently commenting that the American easily accepts Moscow’s narratives — even when Russians don’t.

The most egregious example came during a March 21 interview with Tucker Carlson, when Witkoff repeated Kremlin talking points that “the largest issue” in negotiations was “political” and related to Moscow’s annexing of “these so-called four regions” — while forgetting the names of the eastern oblasts at stake (Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia).

… Others have criticized Witkoff’s habit of not knowing his interpreters in discussions with Putin. In video from his Friday meeting, Witkoff is heard asking if the one person sitting on his side of the table was “from the embassy.”

“It is IMPOSSIBLE to have negotiations when you do not trust the translator. Witkoff does not speak Russian, and he cannot verify what is being translated,” Ukrainian-Estonian translator and government advisor Jaanika Merilo said on X. “It is crucial that every nuance is translated correctly and in the context.”

“No politician goes to negotiations to hostile environment, what Russia is supposed to be, without his own translator. You do, if you really trust the other party. Or unless you are not competent. Unless you don’t care. Beats me but something is off.” …”
 

FEC Commissioners Begin a De Facto Shutdown with a Warning for Congress​

The Federal Election Commission is about to lose its quorum for high-level business.

www.notus.org

FEC Commissioners Begin a De Facto Shutdown with a Warning for Congress

The Federal Election Commission is about to lose its quorum for high-level business.
www.notus.org www.notus.org

“… The Wednesday meeting is likely the FEC’s last for what could be weeks or months due to the departure of Republican Commissioner Allen Dickerson and the failure of President Donald Trump and the Senate to nominate and appoint new commissioners. After Wednesday, the FEC won’t have its required quorum of four commissioners to conduct high-level business.

… With Dickerson’s departure, the independent, bipartisan FEC is now down to three commissioners. Trump has yet to nominate a replacement for Republican Commissioner Sean Cooksey, who resigned in January. Then in February, Trump removed Democratic Commissioner Ellen Weintraub, who had served in holdover status since 2007, over her objections that the decision was illegal. Trump hasn’t nominated anyone to replace her, either, at a time when he’s sought greater control over independent agencies.

Until at least four commissioners are serving, the agency is legally prohibited from fining scofflaws, making new rules, conducting audits, issuing advisory guidance, voting on the outcomes of investigations or even conducting formal meetings. …”
 

Trump administration weighs sending migrants to Libya and Rwanda, sources say​



“The Trump administration has discussed with Libya and Rwanda the possibility of sending migrants who have criminal records and are in the United States to those two countries, according to multiple sources familiar with the talks.

The proposals mark a dramatic escalation in the administration’s push to deter people journeying to the United States and remove some of those already here to countries thousands of miles away, some of which have checkered pasts. President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January directing top officials to facilitate international cooperation and agreements to send asylum seekers elsewhere.

… In addition to sending migrants with criminal records, Trump officials are also hoping to enter formal negotiations with Libya to strike a so-called safe third country agreement, which would allow the US to send asylum seekers apprehended at the US border to Libya, according to one of the sources. No decision has been made yet, and it’s unclear which nationalities would be eligible. …”
 

Senate Effort to Repeal Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ Tariffs Fails​

Most Republicans stay aligned with the White House despite concerns about the economy​


“… The measure championed by Republican Sen. Rand Paul(R., Ky.) failed to win a majority, with 49 in favor and 49 against, hurt by the absences of two tariff opponents—Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D., R.I.), who was returning from an event in South Korea, and Sen. Mitch McConnell(R., Ky.).

The resolution sought to repeal America’s broad 10% tariffs on almost every nation and the higher tariffs on China and other “bad actors” by terminating the emergency declaration Trump used to impose the levies. The administration has argued that persistent trade deficits constitute an emergency under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.

Three Republicans voted with Democrats in support of the measure: Paul, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.
 


The court referred the matter to DOJ to conifer criminal contempt charges against Apple.
 
nycfan said:


The court referred the matter to DOJ to conifer criminal contempt charges against Apple.
Click to expand...

“… The judge, Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers of U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, rebuked Apple for thwarting a previous ruling in the lawsuit and said the company needed to be stopped from further disobeying the court. She criticized Tim Cook, Apple’s chief executive, and accused other executives at the company of lying.

In her earlier ruling, Judge Gonzales Rogers ordered Apple to allow apps to provide users with external links to pay developers directly for services. The apps could then avoid the 30 percent commission that Apple charges in its App Store and potentially charge less for services.

Instead, Judge Gonzalez Rogers said on Wednesday, Apple created a new system that forced apps with external sales to pay a 27 percent commission to the company. Apple also created pop-up screens that discouraged customers from paying elsewhere, telling them that payments outside the App Store may not be secure.

… In response, she said Apple could no longer take commissions from sales outside the App Store. She also restricted the company from writing rules that would prevent developers from creating buttons or links to pay outside the store and said it could not create messages to discourage users from making purchases. In addition, Judge Gonzalez Rogers asked the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of California to investigate the company for criminal contempt….”
 
nycfan said:
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“… The Venezuelan foreign ministry on Monday accused the US of “kidnapping” Maikelys Antonella Espinoza Bernal, saying she was separated from her mother as she was boarding a deportation flight back to Venezuela.

It also said the girl’s father, Maiker Espinoza-Escalona, had been deported earlier by the US to a notorious prison in El Salvador.

“(The US) once again committed the extremely serious offense of separating families and removing a minor from her emotional environment and, in particular, from her biological mother,” read a statement from the Venezuelan government on Monday.

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) denied it kidnapped the girl, arguing it was trying to protect her from her parents, whom it accused without evidence of being part of Tren de Aragua (TDA), a Venezuelan gang the US has designated a terror organization. …”
 
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