House Speaker Pelosi urges Trump family 'intervention' with president

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Thursday that President Donald Trump threw a temper tantrum at a meeting with Democratic congressional leaders a day earlier and that she wished his family or staff would conduct “an intervention” with him for the good of the country. In a second consecutive day of tough words about Trump by the Democratic speaker of the House of Representatives, Pelosi accused Trump of obstruction of justice, which she said is an impeachable offense. “Again, I pray for the president of the United States. I wish that his family, or his administration, or his staff would have an intervention for the good of the country,” Pelosi told reporters.

On Wednesday, shortly before a previously scheduled meeting with Trump at the White House to discuss infrastructure investment legislation, Pelosi accused Trump of a “cover-up” in regard to investigations related to Russia’s meddling in the 2016 U.S. elections. Her remarks rankled Trump and prompted him to walk out of the infrastructure meeting after just three minutes, possibly sinking the legislation’s prospects. Trump said it was impossible to work on such legislation as long as Democrats were continuing their “phony” investigations of him.

At her weekly news conference on Thursday, Pelosi remained on the attack, repeating her contention from the previous day that Trump was incapable of working on complex legislative issues. “I can only think that he wasn’t up to the task of figuring out the difficult choices of how to cover the cost of … the important infrastructure legislation that we had talked about three weeks before.”

While she raised the issue of obstruction, Pelosi also said that House Democrats were not yet prepared to launch formal impeachment proceedings against Trump. Even though Trump has indicated that he is not willing to engage in bipartisan work on legislation as long as House Democrats are investigating him, both Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer on Thursday challenged Republicans in Congress to leave the Republican president behind and continue working on legislation without him if he is unwilling to engage.

Lawmakers are trying to put the finishing touches on a long-delayed disaster aid bill. Meanwhile, Republican and Democratic leaders in Congress want to strike a two-year deal on federal spending levels and raising the U.S. Treasury Department’s borrowing authority. Both are needed to avert government shutdowns and a possible credit default later this year.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-congress-pelosi/house-speaker-pelosi-urges-trump-family-intervention-with-president-idUSKCN1ST20O

>>6567918

>>6567251 Bank CEO Charged With Approving Risky Manafort Loans In Hopes of Landing Army Job

Exclusive: JPMorgan cuts ties with OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma - sources

(Reuters) - JPMorgan Chase & Co has cut ties with Purdue Pharma LP over the OxyContin maker’s alleged role in the U.S. opioid crisis, forcing it to find a new bank to manage cash and bill payments, people familiar with the matter said on Thursday. The move makes JPMorgan, the largest U.S. bank by assets, the most high-profile corporation known to have distanced itself from Purdue and its wealthy owners, the Sackler family, amid thousands of lawsuits alleging the company pushed addictive painkillers while downplaying their abuse and overdose risks.

JPMorgan’s decision also underscores a drive among U.S. banks to reassess their relationships with clients and industries in response to controversy and political debates over matters such as immigration detention and mass shootings. After JPMorgan informed Purdue in March that it had six months to find another bank, Purdue tapped Dallas-based regional bank Comerica Inc to handle its financial transactions and accounts, the sources said. JPMorgan told Purdue that reputational risks associated with the public backlash against the drugmaker informed its decision to cut business ties, the sources added.

While not a lender to Purdue, JPMorgan’s commercial bank managed the company’s cash and bill payments, according to the sources. It is not clear how long JPMorgan served as Purdue’s bank. “Purdue is a streamlined organization with an exciting pipeline of new medicines and significant cash reserves,” the company said in a statement. “The company has multiple banking relationships and will not have any interruption to its banking and financial service needs.” JPMorgan and Comerica declined to comment.

Purdue faces roughly 2,000 lawsuits accusing the Stamford, Connecticut-based company, and increasingly the Sacklers, of aggressively marketing prescription opioids while misleading prescribers and consumers about risks from their prolonged use. U.S. states, counties and cities are seeking billions of dollars in damages to address harm from opioids. Nearly 400,000 people have died after overdosing on opioids between 1999 and 2017, according to the latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than half the deaths resulted from prescription painkillers.

Purdue denies it contributed to the U.S. opioid crisis, pointing to U.S. Food and Drug Administration approvals of labels for the company’s drugs that carried warnings about risk and abuse associated with treating pain. Purdue and its family owners argue that heroin and fentanyl are currently more significant culprits in the opioid epidemic. However, health experts have said many people turn to those drugs after first getting hooked on prescription painkillers.

In March, Purdue and the Sackler family reached a $270 million settlement with the state of Oklahoma, which on Tuesday is set to take two other drugmakers to trial over claims they also helped fuel the opioid epidemic. Dozens of other states have lawsuits pending against Purdue, and in some instances the Sacklers, who made a financial contribution to the Oklahoma settlement even though they were not defendants in the case. A North Dakota judge earlier this month dismissed that state’s case against Purdue. Purdue Chief Executive Officer Craig Landau in March said a bankruptcy filing remained an option for the company to address potential liabilities from widespread litigation.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-purdue-pharma-jp-morgan-exclusive/exclusive-jpmorgan-cuts-ties-with-oxycontin-maker-purdue-pharma-sources-idUSKCN1ST2EA?il=0

Trump administration announces $16 billion farm aid plan to offset trade war losses

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration on Thursday unveiled a $16 billion farm aid package to offset losses from a 10-month trade war with China and said payment rates to farmers would be determined by where they farm rather than what crops they grow. The package, the bulk of which will be spent on direct payments, surprised growers and traders who had expected to learn separate payment rates for soybeans, hogs, corn and other crops in the Department of Agriculture (USDA) briefing. Farmers, a key constituency that helped carry U.S. President Donald Trump to his 2016 electoral win, have been among the hardest hit from a trade dispute with China, once a destination for more than 60 percent of U.S. soybean exports.

The trade dispute, which escalated this month after Washington and Beijing hiked tariffs on imports of each other’s goods, has left U.S. farmers sitting on record volumes of soybeans with China halting purchases. USDA officials said on Thursday they will roll out $14.5 billion in direct payments in three separate tranches with the first one planned for late July. “The package we are announcing today ensures that farmers will not bear the brunt of those trade practices by China or any other nations,” Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue said. “While farmers would tell you they’d rather have trade not aid, without the trade … they’re going to need some support.”

China, the world’s top soybean importer, curbed purchases of U.S. soy last year when Trump imposed tariffs on Chinese goods, prompting China to retaliate with tariffs on U.S. soy, pork, corn and other products. An imminent trade deal between Washington and Beijing seems unlikely as the trade tensions between the world’s top two economies rose after U.S. placed China’s Huawei Technologies on a trade blacklist last week, triggering sharp protest from China. Perdue also said the second and third tranches, with exact amounts yet to be decided, will be dependant on the progress in the trade talks and whether the U.S. will get a deal with China. The total package also includes $1.4 billion of support through food purchases and $100 million allocated to development of foreign markets.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trade-china-aid/trump-administration-announces-16-billion-farm-aid-plan-to-offset-trade-war-losses-idUSKCN1ST1F6?il=0

U.S. has received reports pointing to chemical exposure in Syria attack, but no conclusion yet: State Department

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has received numerous reports that appear consistent with chemical exposure after an attack by Syrian government forces in northwest Syria, but it has made no definitive conclusion, a State Department spokeswoman said on Thursday.

“We do have numerous sources including interviews with those present during the attack that did report that a number of opposition fighters were taken to local hospitals and presented symptoms that were consistent with chemical exposure,” State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus told reporters. “We don’t have any definitive conclusions yet as we continue to investigate,” she said.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-security-usa-chemical-weapons/u-s-has-received-reports-pointing-to-chemical-exposure-in-syria-attack-but-no-conclusion-yet-state-department-idUSKCN1ST2F3?il=0

U.S. starts giving documents to lawyers of ex-Goldman banker Ng in 1MDB case

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. prosecutors on Thursday handed over the first of 1 million evidentiary documents to the lawyers of Roger Ng, a former Goldman Sachs banker facing criminal charges linked to a multibillion-dollar scandal at the Malaysian state investment fund 1MDB. The U.S. Department of Justice handed over to Ng’s lawyers a “small subset” of more than 1 million documents the government is relying on to prosecute the case, said Assistant United States Attorney Drew Rolle during a hearing at a Brooklyn federal court.

The United States accused 46-year-old Ng last year of conspiring to launder money and bribe government officials in Malaysia and Abu Dhabi through bond offerings that Goldman Sachs Group Inc handled. He was extradited on May 3 to New York from Kuala Lumpur, where he had been jailed since November. Ng pleaded not guilty to the charges on May 6 and was released in exchange for a $20 million bond. Prosecutors are working on how to best format and organize the remaining documents, which they will likely send to Ng’s lawyers on a rolling basis, Rolle said.

Prosecutors and Ng’s lawyer, in a May 6 court document related to the case, had requested delaying the trial date for Ng because they believed plea negotiations “are likely to result in a disposition of this case without trial.” Government lawyers have said they hope to avoid a trial by reaching a plea deal though Ng’s attorney. “I’m not ruling anything out,” said Marc Agnifilo, Ng’s lawyer, to reporters after the hearing about a possible plea deal. “There is a full range of possibilities for a criminal defendant, and there are still options.” Ng, who left Goldman Sachs in 2014, faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted of the three charges based on alleged violations of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

Malaysia’s home minister wanted Ng to face criminal charges there first, but agreed to temporarily surrender him to the United States for 10 months, Malaysia’s attorney general, Tommy Thomas, said in a statement. The period may be extended, Thomas has said.

But that issue is for the U.S. and Malaysian governments to discuss, Agnifilo told reporters. “Given the complexity of the case, it’s going to require us to do a lot of work up front and as soon as possible,” Agnifilo said to reporters about the 10-month period. Malaysia has said it was seeking up to $7.5 billion in reparations from Goldman over its dealings with 1MDB, set up in 2009 by then-Prime Minister Najib Razak. Najib, who lost a general election last year, faces 42 criminal charges related to losses at 1MDB and other state entities. He has pleaded not guilty.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-malaysia-politics-1mdb-goldman-sachs/u-s-starts-giving-documents-to-lawyers-of-ex-goldman-banker-ng-in-1mdb-case-idUSKCN1ST1XD?il=0

>>6568186

Indeed, we didn't think (((they))) would use that money for the good of the Syrian people did we!

Neal to sue Trump administration over denial of tax returns

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal said Thursday that he plans to take the Trump administration to court to enforce a subpoena and a legal request to review President Trump’s tax returns.

“I’ve always thought that’s where this was going to end up,” the Massachusetts Democrat said when asked if he planned to sue. He said that the committee was “likely to have some action on [Trump’s taxes] in a few days.” The move was expected after Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin declined Neal's demand for Trump's tax information and then declined to cooperate with a subsequent subpoena, claiming Neal's request lacks a legitimate legislative purpose. An internal memo drafted by an IRS lawyer reportedly determined that the agency and the Treasury Department had no choice but to comply with the request, unless Trump invoked executive privilege. Asked about the memo during congressional testimony Wednesday, Mnuchin denied knowledge of it.

Separately, Neal downplayed the effect of a New York State Assembly vote Wednesday to grant Congress access to New York state tax returns upon request of the House Ways and Means committee chairman, Senate Finance Committee chairman, or the chief of staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation. The New York bill, expected to be signed into law by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, mirrors the federal law invoked by Neal in his pursuit of Trump’s personal and business returns. Neal said that, as a federal elected official, his jurisdiction doesn’t include state tax compliance, but that the state returns could provide a fuller picture of Trump's finances, alongside Trump’s federal returns, if his committee ultimately obtains them. “I mean, obviously they’re traveling in the same direction, the difficulty is we don’t have control over state taxes,” said Neal. “I wouldn’t say it’s apples and oranges but I would say it’s green apples and red apples.” Neal added that he is encouraged by recent federal rulings in court that upheld other congressional investigations into Trump’s finances for potential conflicts of interest. “It’s based on Article I of the Constitution, it’s not based on malevolence … this is based on the idea that it’s about congressional oversight,” said Neal.

Congressional Republicans and Trump’s lawyers have argued that Neal’s request, alongside other investigations into Trump’s finances, is purely political, while Neal and congressional Democrats argue that Congress has a constitutional right to know whether Trump broke the law. On Monday, a federal judge ruled that a subpoena of Trump’s accounting firm by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee could move forward, after Trump’s lawyers requested it be blocked. On Wednesday the committee, the accounting firm, and Trump’s attorneys jointly filed for an expedited consideration of Trump’s appeal.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/congress/neal-to-sue-trump-administration-over-denial-of-tax-returns

What's so sensitive about this???

This media may contain sensitive material. Learn more

https://twitter.com/ajdukakis/status/1131351283334602752?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw