Showing posts with label USA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label USA. Show all posts

Tuesday, 24 January 2017

Trump’s biggest campaign promises are about to face a ‘Day One’ test

Trump’s biggest campaign promises are about to face a ‘Day One’ test

WASHINGTON (AP) — As a candidate, Donald Trump made a slew of “Day One” promises that any president would find daunting.
He declared that repealing and replacing his predecessor’s health care law would be “one of his first acts as president.” He released an 18-point plan for actions that would push forward sweeping ethics reforms and potentially undo scores of regulations. And he promised to fundamentally change the nation’s approach to immigration and begin work on an impenetrable wall along the southern border — all on his first day.
Some of Trump’s proposals would be easy: They require executive action or simply announcing his intention to do something.
Others, however, require congressional approval and would likely draw numerous legal challenges.
The list is long and ambitious — and there’s no indication from the White House that the president has any intention of taking them all up on Monday.
Nonetheless, here is a list of everything Trump promised to do on “Day One” of his administration:
IMMIGRATION:
—Stop all federal funding to “sanctuary cities” — places where local officials don’t arrest or detain immigrants living in the country illegally for federal authorities.
—Begin deporting what Trump estimates to be more than 2 million criminal illegal immigrants living in the country.
—Cancel visas for citizens of foreign countries that won’t take those criminal illegal immigrants back.
—Immediately terminate former President Barack Obama’s “two illegal executive amnesties.” That presumably includes DACA, which protects people who were brought into the country illegally as children.
—Begin working on an “impenetrable physical wall” along the southern border.
—Ask Congress to pass “Kate’s Law,” which would increase penalties on people who unlawfully re-enter the United States after being removed.
SECURITY AND DEFENSE:
—Immediately suspend the Syrian refugee program.
—Convene his generals and inform them that they have 30 days to submit a new plan for defeating the Islamic State group.
—Suspend immigration from “terror-prone regions” where he says vetting is too difficult.
—Implement new “extreme” immigration vetting techniques.
TRADE:
—Announce his intention to renegotiate or withdraw from the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico.
—Formally withdraw from the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership.
—Direct his treasury secretary to label China a currency manipulator.
DRAINING THE SWAMP and GOVERNMENT REFORM:
—Propose a Constitutional amendment to impose term limits on all members of Congress.
—Ban White House and congressional officials from becoming lobbyists for five years after they leave the government.
—Ban former White House officials from lobbying on behalf of foreign governments for the rest of their lives.
—Ban foreign lobbyists from raising money for U.S. elections.
—Impose a hiring freeze on federal employees, excluding military, public safety and public health staff.
—Impose a requirement that for every new federal regulation imposed, two existing regulations be eliminated.
ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT:
—Remove any Obama-era roadblocks to energy projects such as the Keystone XL pipeline.
—Lift restrictions on mining coal and drilling for oil and natural gas.
—Cancel payments to the U.N.’s climate change programs and use the money to fix America’s water and environmental infrastructure.
HEALTH CARE, GUN CONTROL AND OTHER ISSUES:
—Cancel “every unconstitutional executive action, memorandum and order issued by President Obama.”
—Ask Congress to send him a bill to repeal and replace Obama’s signature health care law.
—Begin the process of selecting a new Supreme Court justice.
—Get rid of gun-free zones in schools and on military bases.
As reported by Business Insider

Wednesday, 18 January 2017

US tells Yahya Jammeh: Leave Power now

US tells Yahya Jammeh: Leave Power now


Yahya Jammeh
The U.S. has warned the embattled President Yahya Jammeh of The Gambia, saying he is losing opportunities to peacefully handover to President-elect Adama Barrow and avoid the consequences of his actions.
Jammeh’s tenure ends tomorrow 19 January, the same day that Barrow is expected to be sworn in as his successor. Both the African Union and ECOWAS have said that Jammeh will cease to be recognised as Gambian President from the date.
Spokesperson of the U.S. Department of State, Mr John Kirby, said at a press briefing on Tuesday that Jammeh is putting his legacy and The Gambia in peril.
“President Jammeh is losing opportunities to respect the will of the Gambian people and to peacefully hand over power to the president-elect, which is supposed to happen on Thursday.
“Doing so would allow him to leave office with his head held high and to protect the Gambian people from potential chaos.
“Failure to do so will put his legacy – and, more importantly, the Gambia – in peril, and we have been clear about this,” he said.
According to him, the accusation by Jammeh of external interference in The Gambia’s internal affairs is not tenable.
“I don’t know what interference he’s referring to, but we obviously want to see the Gambia succeed.
“And we want to see the president-elect properly installed and to have in place a government, which is responsible for and responsive to the needs of the Gambian people.”
The U.S. had on Friday, indicated support for ECOWAS to take all necessary action on Jammeh if he fails to handover to Barrow.
The U.S. had regretted that Jammeh’s action had made the situation in The Gambia to become “very uncertain”.
“We call on President Jammeh to listen to his own people, to listen to the Gambian people who have clearly called on him to accept the results of the December 1st election.
“And to again agree to what he already agreed to, which is a peaceful handover of power to President-elect Barrow.”
Kirby, however, said the U.S. “believes that ECOWAS can certainly play an important role in providing for security and addressing some of the concerns that there could be violence around the transition”.
He also said that the U.S. was not ruling out its support to a military action, saying: “We do, and I’m not trying to back away from that in any way, shape, or form.
“I just would say that we do, obviously, support ECOWAS as a force for peace and security in the region, and specifically in The Gambia.
“Well, again, I don’t want to speak to what possible actions they may take. I don’t want to get out in front of those decisions,” he said.
Kirby noted the unfortunate accidental airstrike on an internally displaced people’s camp in Rann locality of Borno.
According to him, the U.S. will continue providing the Nigerian Government with counter-terrorism assistance against the Boko Haram insurgents.

Thursday, 29 December 2016

‘Stay strong, January is fast approaching’, Trump tells Israel

‘Stay strong, January is fast approaching’, Trump tells Israel

Incoming U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday, asked Israel to stay strong, saying his inauguration on Jan. 20, 2017, is fast approaching and things will change.
Trump’s remark was not unconnected with the continued controversies over recent UN resolution condemning Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories.
“We cannot continue to let Israel be treated with such total disdain and disrespect.
“They used to have a great friend in the U.S., but not anymore.
“The beginning of the end was the horrible Iran deal, and now this (U.N.)!
“Stay strong Israel, January 20th is fast approaching!” the president-elect said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has had a tense relationship with Obama, particularly over the abstention, responded to Trump on Twitter, thanking the incoming U.S. president.
“President-elect Trump, thank you for your warm friendship and your clear-cut support for Israel!” Netanyahu responded to Trump.
Earlier, the incoming president had also given an impression that the transition process between him and Obama’s administration was not going smoothly.
According to him, there have also been “many inflammatory statements” and “roadblocks” from Obama.
“Doing my best to disregard the many inflammatory President O statements and roadblocks.
“Thought it was going to be a smooth transition – NOT!” Trump had tweeted.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry had in his remarks on Wednesday, defended U.S. abstention rather than veto the UN Security Council resolution on the Israeli settlements in Palestinian.
Kerry also warned Israel that the two-state solution to the crisis rocking the Middle East was in jeopardy.
Trump had on Monday, criticised the UN after the resolution, describing the global body as a mere talk club.
“The United Nations has such great potential but right now it is just a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time.
“So sad,” Trump said.
The presiden-elect had earlier asked the U.S. to veto the resolution.
“The resolution being considered at the United Nations Security Council regarding Israel should be vetoed.
“As the United States has long maintained, peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians will only come through direct negotiations between the parties, and not through the imposition of terms by the United Nations.
“This puts Israel in a very poor negotiating position and is extremely unfair to all Israelis.”
However, the resolution was put forward on Friday by Malaysia, New Zealand, Senegal and Venezuela after Egypt, who earlier sponsored it asked for its suspension.
The Obama administration disregarded Trump’s directive and went ahead to abstain from voting on the resolution when it finally came up on Friday, drawing criticisms from the president-elect and his team.
The 15-member Council adopted the resolution by a vote of 14 in favour, while the U.S abstained.
Trump had, thereafter, threatened that “things will change” at the global international organisation when he assumesthe U.S. presidency from Jan. 20, 2017.
The White House had, in a response by Obama’s Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications, Mr Ben Rhodes, cautioned Trump’s and his team, saying Obama remains president till Jan. 20, 2017.
“On the President-elect, the first thing I’d just say is that there’s one President at a time.
“President Obama is the President of the United States until January 20th, and we are taking this action (abstention), of course, as U.S. policy,” he said.
(Source: NAN)