Treasury Sanctions Members of Nicaraguan President’s Inner Circle

The Trump administration on June 21 sanctioned four senior officials in Nicaragua in response to their roles in violating human rights, censoring the media, enacting oppressive laws, and denying medical care to fellow citizens. The Department of Treasury said the officials are part of the inner circle of Nicaraguan socialist dictator Daniel Ortega. The sanctions block the assets of the four officials: National Assembly President Gustavo Porras, Institute of Telecommunications and Postal Service (TELCOR) General Director Orlando Castillo, Minister of Health Sonia Castro, and Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Oscar Mojica. The affected assets are either based on U.S. soil or in the possession of a U.S. citizen.

“The Government of Nicaragua continues to violate the human rights of the Nicaraguan people, implementing exploitive and violent laws and holding hundreds of people as political prisoners. The United States is sending an unequivocal message to President Ortega and his inner circle: we stand with the Nicaraguan people on their calls for reform and a return to democracy,” said Sigal Mandelker, undersecretary of the Treasury for terrorism and financial intelligence. “We will not hesitate to take action against those who perpetuate oppression or prop up the Ortega regime at the expense of the Nicaraguan people.”

Porras, the National Assembly president, was targeted for his role in enacting a law that pardoned the police officers who killed hundreds of protesters during a violent crackdown last year. The same law also pardoned the surviving demonstrators, but only if they vowed to never again take part in protests against Ortega’s regime. Protests broke out last year after Ortega announced social security reforms that increased taxes while reducing benefits. Ortega ordered a violent take-down, with police killing 26 people on the first day of the protests. The socialist dictator also shut down independent television channels that reported on the violence.

Castillo, the TELCOR director, was sanctioned for his role in silencing independent TV channels. One of the channels, 100 Percent Noticias, remained off the air for an entire week. Months after the protests, government police beat at least seven journalists with batons, including one of the country’s best-known editors. Castro, the minister of health, was sanctioned for refusing treatment to victims of the regime’s violent crackdown. The lack of medical care resulted in exacerbated injuries and preventable deaths. Hospitals employees were ordered to report protesters to the parapolice, who would then remove the demonstrators from hospitals. The ministry fired hundreds of hospital personnel who treated injured protesters.

https://www.theepochtimes.com/treasury-sanctions-members-of-nicaraguan-presidents-inner-circle_2974919.html

Trump–Xi Meeting to Take Center Stage at the G-20 Summit

WASHINGTON—The world will be watching Osaka, Japan, this week where world leaders will gather for the G-20 summit from June 28 to 29. The meeting between President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping during the summit will likely grab much of the attention, as the leaders of the world’s two largest economies seek to end their ongoing trade war. This year’s Group of 20 (G-20) summit marks the first opportunity for Trump and Xi to meet since the last G-20 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in late 2018.

The leaders may not be able to solve the immediate problems at the summit, but may at least calm the tensions, with some kind of truce, according to experts. “I think the most likely outcome is something like Buenos Aires in December last year, when the two leaders met, and agreed that they have to get back on track with some kind of trade talks,” Matthew Goodman, senior vice president at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) told reporters on June 21. In that case, they may agree to reach a deal in a time-limited way, such as 90 days, he added. And Trump may assert to the Chinese leader that it would be China’s last chance, he said. Washington may raise tariffs up to 40 percent if a deal can’t be reached within a set time period, according to Goodman. This is what Trump “promised in his campaign when he was running for president. So he’s far short of his objectives or his promises on China trade,” he noted.

Meanwhile, Vice President Mike Pence on June 21 postponed his speech scheduled for June 24 at the Wilson Center in Washington, where he was set to criticize China’s human rights record. According to media reports, the White House postponed the speech to avoid tensions ahead of the critical meeting between Trump and Xi. Citi analysts also expect “a cease-fire framework” for continued talks this week. “We think that a U.S.–China handshake deal to moderate escalating tensions is highly plausible at the G-20, but we stress that the timing for a deal remains uncertain,” stated Citi analysts in a report. If both sides fail to reach a truce, there will be additional technology-related restrictions and tariffs on the remaining $300 billion of Chinese imports as soon as early or mid-July, according to the report. In addition, analysts expect Washington to raise tariffs for the goods currently targeted “consistent with the administration’s recent complaints that China is weakening the currency to offset the tariffs.”

https://www.theepochtimes.com/trump-xi-meeting-to-take-center-stage-at-the-g20-summit_2975146.html

Democrats Lash Out at Millionaire Food-Stamp Whistleblower

Democrats in a House agriculture subcommittee lashed out at a retired millionaire who applied for and received food stamps in an effort to prove that eligibility for the government benefits in his home state of Minnesota were too lax and could be easily exploited. Rob Undersander noticed several years back that income was the only criterion for receiving benefits from the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps. A retired engineer with a seven-figure nest egg but no real income, Undersander decided to perform an experiment to determine if someone as well-off as he and his wife could obtain the benefits. "I've got the [SNAP] form in my hand and I'm thinking of my financial situation, and I said ‘you know, I just can't believe this,'" Undersander told the Washington Free Beacon by phone earlier this week. "So I went down to the second floor of the Sterns County Courthouse, stood in line a little bit, handed in the application and three weeks later I'm getting food stamps, a balance on my EBT card."

Although he was not invited to formally testify, Undersander was in attendance at a Thursday subcommittee meeting designed to look at "broad-based categorical eligibility" for benefits like SNAP. Undersander maintains he did not falsify any portion of his application, and that therefore everything he did was completely legal. He says he also carefully tracked and donated all of the monies he received from the program back into his community to benefit the needy.

House Democrats, however, were not happy. "And let me just also say for the record, I think if someone intentionally defrauds the federal government, they ought to go to jail," said Rep. Jim McGovern, a Democrat from Massachusetts. "Mr. Undersander did not break the law, he simply abided by the rules that were in place, so he didn't defraud anybody," said Rep. Mike Conaway, Republican from Texas. "He intentionally defrauded the federal government," McGovern shot back. "That is, in my opinion, breaking the law." McGovern's office did not respond to requests for comment from the Free Beacon as to how specifically Undersander broke a law, or questions as to whether he would refer Undersander to the attention of a U.S. attorney for prosecution.

Republicans have argued that the loose eligibility requirements create an environment in which resources might be diverted away from the truly needy. "I'm a flat-out 10th Amendment kind of guy as well, but these are federal resources that we're talking about and the states should have restrictions on how those resources are deployed, and I don't think it's unreasonable that those restrictions make sense," Conaway said in his opening statement. "Having an asset test ignored on SNAP is regrettable."

Being threatened with prosecution is not new for Undersander. "You knew this was wrong and you did it anyway," a Democratic Minnesota state lawmaker said to Undersander in 2018 as tightening the state eligibility rules was under debate. "I find it pretty despicable. … I am just sorry there is no way we can prosecute you."

Republican staffers told the Free Beacon Democrats were holding the hearing in anticipation of rule changes that could be delivered soon from the White House that might tighten some eligibility and distribution elements of the program. Democrats in the Thursday hearing repeatedly referred to what they described as a war on the poor. "You willfully and maliciously gamed the SNAP," said subcommittee Chairwoman Marcia Fudge, a Democrat from Ohio, addressing Undersander. "You, an alleged millionaire, used mischaracterizations of your finances to cheat the program. You took benefits meant for the very seniors in Minnesota you served through your volunteer work. And you did this all to continue the right-wing crusade against poor people." The conservative leaning think tank Foundation for Government Accountability produced a video highlighting Undersander's story. "When I filled out that form, I used an abundance of honesty and caution," Undersander said in it. "I was honestly hoping it [the application] would be denied." FGA estimates 33 other states are like Minnesota in that they only test income and not assets when it comes to SNAP.

https://freebeacon.com/issues/democrats-lash-out-at-millionaire-food-stamp-whistleblower/

Former Michelle Obama Aide Reportedly Played Role in Getting Charges Against Jussie Smollett Dropped

https://nextshark.com/jussie-smollett-cleared-charges/

She's here and she's scared!