Giorgi Rtskhiladze
https://outline.com/vKpSqB
Trump reports headway in U.S.-Mexico talks on migrants but renews tariff threat
President Trump said Thursday that talks with Mexico over new measures to block migrants from entering the United States were making headway, but he renewed his threat to impose a punitive import tax on Mexican goods unless an agreement was reached before Monday.
“Something pretty dramatic could happen,” the president said, referring to the talks with Mexican diplomats, which are scheduled to continue Thursday in Washington. “We’ve told Mexico the tariffs go on. And I mean it, too.”
Trump dismissed Republican senators who have threatened to block his tariff plans, saying they “have no idea what they’re talking about when it comes to tariffs.”
Trump spoke before leaving Shannon, Ireland, for Normandy, France, where he took part in ceremonies commemorating the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings that helped turn the tide of World War II.
In Mexico City, meanwhile, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said he was “optimistic” that the two sides would reach an accord.
The Trump administration is demanding that Mexican authorities intensify efforts to prevent Central American migrants from crossing Mexico to reach the United States.
Trump threatened last week to impose a 5 percent tariff on all goods imported from Mexico starting June 10 to force the Mexican government to address what his administration calls a migration “emergency.”
If Mexico fails to satisfy Trump, the tariff would increase by 5 percentage points at the start of subsequent months until it hits 25 percent on Oct. 1.
Vice President Pence, who led Wednesday’s talks, said the two sides had “a good discussion.” But the Mexican government’s proposed remedies were “not nearly enough,” he said.
“We need Mexico to do more,” Pence said.
In May, U.S. border agents detained roughly 144,000 people trying to enter the country without authorization — almost three times the figure from the same month one year ago.
Talks were scheduled to continue Thursday at the State Department.
Trump’s abrupt tariff threat has imperiled prospects for congressional ratification of his new North American trade deal. Roughly two weeks ago, Trump agreed to lift tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Mexico and Canada, meeting a condition that Senate Republicans had set before they would vote on the proposed U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
That trade deal largely preserves the tariff-free trading relations between the United States and its southern neighbor established in the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement, which Trump routinely disparages as “one of the worst trade deals ever made.”
As the president pushes ahead, business leaders and members of his own party are scrambling to head off the imposition of new tariffs that would likely result in retaliatory measures by Mexico targeting American farmers and manufacturers.
“We are committed to enhancing the U.S.-Mexico economic relationship and favor more trade, not tariffs. Imposing tariffs on Mexico does not address the root causes of migration and jeopardizes our shared economic interests,” the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and its Mexican counterpart, the Business Coordinating Council, said in a joint statement.
Through April, Mexico has been the largest U.S. trading partner. Last year, when it ranked third behind China and Canada, Mexico shipped almost $350 billion worth of autos, auto parts, industrial machinery and farm products to U.S. customers.
With little more than 96 hours remaining before the tariffs are scheduled to take effect, businesses across the United States are scrambling to draw up contingency plans.
“We’re very concerned,” said Adam Briggs, vice president of sales and marketing for Trans-Matic Manufacturing in Holland, Mich. “Businesses crave certainty. When the rules are constantly changing, we have a hard time.”
https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/06/07/pentagon-chief-to-suspend-turkeys-f-35-pilot-training/
Pentagon Chief to Suspend Turkey’s F-35 Pilot Training
Turkish pilots training in the United States must leave by July 31, as Ankara refuses to ditch a Russian missile system.
https://twitter.com/QalaatAlMudiq
https://syria.liveuamap.com/
The Queen today joins The Prince of Wales, @potus and @Flotus on Day 3 of #USstatevisit, as well as Heads of State, Heads of Government and Representatives of Leaders of the Allied Nations who have come together to honour veterans. #DDAY75