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Anonymous ID: 9b55ce May 27, 2019, 11:41 a.m. No.6602342   🗄️.is 🔗kun

Trump Says US Not Ready to Make Trade Deal With China

 

President Donald Trump said the United States is not ready to make a trade deal with China, in remarks he made while on a state visit to Japan. “I think they probably wish they made the deal that they had on the table before they tried to renegotiate it,” Trump said during a joint press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on May 27. “They would like to make a deal. We’re not ready to make a deal.” Trump added that the administration was receiving tens of billions of dollars in tariffs on Chinese goods, which he threatened “could go up very, very substantially, very easily.”

 

Earlier this month, Trump increased tariffs to 25 percent from 10 percent on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports after accusing the Chinese regime of reneging on key commitments negotiated over months of trade talks. Meanwhile, the U.S. Trade Representative’s office has begun the process for enacting 25 percent on another $300 billion of Chinese imports. The Chinese regime reportedly backtracked on a pledge to change its laws to address core U.S. concerns including theft of U.S. intellectual property, forced technology transfer, and currency manipulation. The Trump administration’s demand for the Chinese regime to implement structural reforms, which propelled it to launch the trade war with China last March, has been a sticking point during trade negotiations.

 

While in Japan, the U.S. president also said that as a result of U.S. tariffs, businesses were leaving China and moving to countries that do not have tariffs including parts of Asia and the United States. However, he was also optimistic that the two sides could eventually reach an agreement. “I think some time in the future China and the United States will absolutely have a great trade deal,” Trump said. Since the recent deterioration of trade talks, the U.S. administration also blacklisted Chinese telecoms giant Huawei on national security grounds, effectively banning it from doing business with American companies. A raft of U.S. firms have since suspended business with the company, including Google, Microsoft, Qualcomm, and Intel. Foreign companies have also followed suit, including UK-based chip designer ARM, German chipmaker Infineon Technologies, and Japanese parts supplier Toshiba. The administration is reportedly also considering restrictions on as many as five other Chinese technology companies, on the grounds that they committed human rights abuses.

 

https://www.theepochtimes.com/trump-says-us-not-ready-to-make-trade-deal-with-china_2939056.html

 

Also see: Trump Administration May Blacklist Chinese Video Surveillance Firm Hikvision: Report

https://www.theepochtimes.com/trump-administration-considers-blacklisting-chinese-video-surveillance-firm-report_2932377.html

Anonymous ID: 9b55ce May 27, 2019, 11:54 a.m. No.6602398   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>2544 >>2751 >>2988

First Major Trial in Opioid Crisis to Start in Oklahoma

 

The first big trial to test whether states can sue drug makers over the damage wrought by the opioid crisis is set to kick off in Oklahoma on May 28. Pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson (J&J) will defend against claims by Oklahoma state prosecutors, who allege the corporation helped fuel a deadly opioid epidemic in the state. Prosecutors say J&J marketed its opioid products for a broad range of pain issues, while dismissing concerns about drug addiction.

 

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. and Purdue Pharma LP have already settled claims in the same lawsuit and paid $355 million, without admitting wrongdoing. Teva agreed to pay an $85 million settlement on May 26, two days before the start of the trial. Teva, the world’s largest generic drugmaker, said the settlement “does not establish any wrongdoing on the part of the company” and it denied contributing to opioid abuse in Oklahoma. The state resolved its claims against Purdue Pharma in March for $270 million. Claims against Teva focused on the branded opioid products Actiq and Fentora, as well as generic painkillers it produced.

 

In a statement, Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc., a J&J subsidiary, said it had acted responsibly and was ready for trial. It said it disagreed with what it called Oklahoma’s “overly expansive theories” of public nuisance law and said they shouldn’t apply in this situation. “At the same time, as with all litigation, if an appropriate resolution is possible that avoids the expense and uncertainty of a trial, we are always open to that option,” the company said in a statement.

 

Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter has alleged that J&J and Teva, along with OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma, carried out deceptive marketing campaigns that downplayed opioids’ addictive risks while overstating their benefits. The state also alleges the companies’ actions created an oversupply of painkillers, a public nuisance that will cost $12.7 billion to $17.5 billion to remedy.

 

The Oklahoma case is being closely watched by plaintiffs in other opioid cases, particularly some 1,850 mostly municipal and state governments that have sued the same drugmakers in the federal court in Ohio. “Teva is pleased to put the Oklahoma case behind it and remains prepared to vigorously defend claims against the company, including the upcoming federal court trial in Cleveland, where the majority of the cases are pending,” the company stated.

 

Hunter’s office said in a statement that the money would be used to address the opioid crisis in Oklahoma and that the J&J case is still scheduled to go to trial on May 28 before Cleveland County District Judge Thad Balkman. “Nearly all Oklahomans have been negatively impacted by this deadly crisis and we look forward to Tuesday, where we will prove our case against Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiaries,” Hunter said in a statement. In 2017, opioid drug overdoses led to 47,600 deaths in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

 

Balkman, who is presiding in the case, is a former Republican state legislator appointed to the bench by then-Gov. Mary Fallin in 2013. Balkman, not a jury, will decide the case. He is allowing cameras in the courtroom, which is a rarity in Oklahoma.

 

https://www.theepochtimes.com/first-major-trial-in-opioid-crisis-to-start-in-oklahoma_2939125.html

Anonymous ID: 9b55ce May 27, 2019, 12:09 p.m. No.6602449   🗄️.is 🔗kun

US Ambassador Raises Concerns During Rare Tibet Visit

 

BEIJING—The U.S. ambassador to China urged Beijing to engage in substantive dialogue with exiled Tibetan Buddhist leader the Dalai Lama during a visit to the Himalayan region over the past week, the U.S. Embassy said on May 25. Terry Branstad also “expressed concerns regarding the Chinese government’s interference in Tibetan Buddhists’ freedom to organize and practice their religion,” an embassy statement said. “He encouraged the Chinese government to engage in substantive dialogue with the Dalai Lama or his representatives, without preconditions, to seek a settlement that resolves differences,” it said.

 

Branstad also raised long-standing concerns about the lack of consistent access to the region. The rare visit to Tibet and neighboring Qinghai Province ran from Sunday through Saturday. Hosted by the Tibetan authorities, Branstad was given access to important religious and cultural sites, including the Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Norbulingka, and Sera Monastery in the Tibetan capital, Lhasa. He also met with senior Tibetan religious and cultural leaders, the embassy said.

 

China tightly restricts access to Tibet by foreigners, especially journalists and diplomats. In response to those restrictions, the U.S. Congress last year passed an act that would deny entry to the United States for those involved in formulating or enforcing such policies. China says Tibet has been part of its territory for centuries, but many Tibetans say they were effectively an independent nation for most of that time. Beijing’s control was most recently asserted when the Communist Party’s military wing, the People’s Liberation Army, invaded the region in 1950. The Dalai Lama fled to India amid an abortive uprising against Chinese rule in 1959 and calls for genuine autonomy for Tibet under Chinese rule. Beijing labels the 83-year-old cleric a dangerous separatist, has refused contacts with his representatives for more than a decade and objects strongly to any meetings between him and foreign politicians.

 

In recent years there has been a significant tightening of control over Tibetan Buddhism, use of the Tibetan language and traditional cultural expression. Following anti-government protests in 2008, Beijing imposed a policy of “grid policing” that substantially reduces travel and social life for Tibetans, even while China ramps up domestic tourism in the region. Those methods have been subsequently imposed in the neighboring region of Xinjiang, where an estimated 1 million members of its native Muslim ethnic groups have been confined to detention centers.

 

https://www.theepochtimes.com/us-ambassador-raises-concerns-during-rare-tibet-visit_2939130.html

Anonymous ID: 9b55ce May 27, 2019, 12:18 p.m. No.6602502   🗄️.is 🔗kun

Scheer Accuses Trudeau of ‘Stacking the Deck’ to Get Re-Elected

 

OTTAWA—Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer says the Liberals’ decision to name an anti-Conservative union to a panel that will decide which media outlets receive government funding is the latest example of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “stacking the deck” in his favour to get re-elected in October.

 

In an interview with The Canadian Press Sunday, Scheer said he believes the decision to include Unifor on the panel—which will determine eligibility for a $595-million bailout package—undermines the credibility of the panel’s work. “There’s no reason for Unifor to be on this panel. They are a very aggressive, partisan group with very aggressive and partisan goals, even as late as a couple of days ago attacking Conservatives and me personally, and yet Justin Trudeau has decided to put this group on the panel,” Scheer said. “That is completely unacceptable.” Unifor has campaigned against the Conservative party and, in November, published tweets calling itself Scheer’s “worst nightmare.”

 

Earlier this week, the union’s national president Jerry Dias said the Conservative leader is trying to undermine confidence in a free and independent press by raising concern about Unifor’s presence on the panel. Dias compared Scheer’s tactics to those employed by U.S. President Donald Trump. This further proves Unifor’s partisan leanings against his party and should disqualify the union from participating in the process, Scheer said.

 

Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez has defended Unifor’s place on the panel, saying the union has been included among other groups that represent journalists to ensure broad representation from the industry. “Unifor is the single largest media union representing over 13,000 workers coming from a wide diversity of newspapers. We feel that putting the voice of journalists on this panel is essential. After all, who is best paced to advocate for the future of journalism than journalists themselves?” said Rodriguez’s spokesman Louis Belanger. Belanger also noted the panel will not decide which organization gets what, but rather will advise on criteria that would be applied by a second panel, which has not yet been created.

 

But Scheer said he believes this move is indicative of a broader strategy by Trudeau in making decisions to give himself an upper hand in advance of the fall federal election. He pointed to changes made to the amounts of money political parties can spend in the run-up to a federal election—changes Scheer says mainly affect the Conservative party—while no limits have been placed on government spending or travel in advance of the writ period.

 

“They’ve only applied that to opposition parties,” he said. “So we expect to see ministers flying around and making announcements and government advertising continuing at a time when political parties won’t.” The Conservative leader also said the Liberals presented opposition parties with a “fait accompli” when it created the new commission on leaders’ debates. “(They) said ‘here’s how the debate commission will work. Here are the criteria. No ability for consultation, just rammed that through,” Scheer said.

 

Meg Jaques, press secretary for Democratic Institutions Minister Karina Gould, says the new elections modernization law does place limits on government advertising during a dedicated pre-writ period that will begin June 30—a legislative change that was made to address the fact that former Conservative government led by Stephen Harper did not limit the government’s spending before the 2015 election and “took advantage of the government’s resources to spend taxpayers dollars for partisan purposes.” As for the debates commission, it is independent of government and its work is being guided by Canadians, Jaques said.

“The independent debates commission we announced reflects what was heard from cross country consultations. The main message that we took away was that debates should be organized in the interests of Canadians.”

 

But Scheer remains convinced the Liberals are “stacking the deck against Justin Trudeau’s political opponents” ahead of the Oct. 21 election. A Conservative official said Scheer and his MPs plan to take this message to the House of Commons when it resumes this week for its final four weeks of deliberations before voting day.

 

https://www.theepochtimes.com/scheer-accuses-trudeau-of-stacking-the-deck-to-get-re-elected_2939093.html

Anonymous ID: 9b55ce May 27, 2019, 12:40 p.m. No.6602627   🗄️.is 🔗kun

Trump’s ATF Pick: ‘I Take A Back Seat To No One In My Reverence For The 2nd Amendment’

 

President Donald Trump announced Friday plans to nominate Fraternal Order of Police President Chuck Canterbury to head the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Canterbury has been Fraternity Order of Police (FOP) president for 16 years, having previously spent 26 years in the Horry County, South Carolina, Police Department’s patrol, criminal and training divisions, according to the White House statement.

 

“Chuck is one of the most honorable people I’ve ever worked with and if he is selected, I can’t think of a finer person to take the position,” said Jonathan Thompson, executive director of the National Sheriffs’ Association. Thompson made the remarks to POLITICO in Nov. 2018, when Canterbury’s name was first floated for the position. Trump worked closely with Canterbury on sentencing reform legislation passed Nov. 2018. The measure, which granted leniency on minimum sentencing rules for some drug offenses and expanded rehabilitation programs, enjoyed rare bipartisan support and was backed by the ACLU, according to Politico. Canterbury has been vocal in his Second Amendment support, testifying July 2009 before the Senate Judiciary Committee in support of the nomination of Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who had worked closely with police as a Manhattan prosecutor early in her career: “I want no mistake to be made,” Canterbury testified. “I take a back seat to no one in my reverence for the Second Amendment. In fact, if I thought that Judge Sotomayor’s presence on the court posed a threat to my Second Amendment right, I would not be supporting her here today.”

 

In an interview with NRA President Chris Cox in 2011, Canterbury reiterated his support of gun-rights, saying “it’s a duty for us at FOP to support policies that protect our nation’s law enforcement officers—but also protect the rights of law-abiding citizens.” Canterbury also took a shot during the NRA interview at ex-Mayor Michael Bloomberg, founder of gun-control group Everytown For Gun Safety, who once called the FOP a “fringe group” for arguing against disclosing “trace” data on firearms. “The real fringe group is the reckless politicians who interfere with law enforcement. I can’t just stand by while politicians grandstand over our issues without understanding the real-world implications,” Canterbury said. Canterbury now awaits an official nomination, after which he will require confirmation by the U.S. Senate.

 

https://www.dailycaller.com/2019/05/27/trump-atf-pick-chuck-canterbury/

Anonymous ID: 9b55ce May 27, 2019, 1:04 p.m. No.6602770   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>2780 >>2988

Watch Steelers Player And Former Army Ranger Alejandro Villanueva’s Memorial Day Video

 

Pittsburgh Steelers lineman Alejandro Villanueva has a powerful video for Memorial Day. SportsCenter tweeted out a video of Villanueva, who served as an Army Ranger in Afghanistan, and it’s incredible. With shots of Arlington National Cemetery and much more, the former soldier said, “To me, Memorial Day is about all of them” as he discusses the men and women who never made it back home alive. Watch the awesome video below. You might find yourself getting a little emotional.

 

If you haven’t read about Villanueva’s story, I highly suggest that you do. It’s an incredible story to hear. He graduated from West Point, did multiple tours, earned a bronze star due to his actions in a firefight, went on to play in the NFL and went viral when he stood for the anthem as other players remained in the locker room. If there’s one man young men should look to as an example of a fulfilled life, it’s the Steelers lineman.

 

There aren’t many people talented enough to play in the NFL, and there’s even fewer people capable of playing in the NFL as a West Point graduate who fought in Afghanistan. He’s one hell of a dude, and the video above might be one of the best things you see all day. A major thanks to Villanueva for his incredible service and the shining example he is of American exceptionalism. Villanueva and his video for Memorial Day represent everything that’s great about this country.

 

https://www.dailycaller.com/2019/05/27/steelers-alejandro-villanueva-memorial-day-video/

 

https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1133028837829169152