Puppet Masters

Getting bigger, coming closer - why SCO's Qingdao summit was worth following

RT
Sun, 10 Jun 2018 13:17 UTC

In a robust show of unity, leaders of eight SCO member states, including Russia and China, arrived for a get-together to talk security and trade, and hail expansion of the bloc - in sharp contrast with the calamitous G7 meeting.

This year, leaders of the eight-member Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) convened in the eastern Chinese city of Qingdao. Here are the most important takeaways from the summit that took place as the tight-lipped Group of Seven (G7) meeting in Quebec ended with a remarkable feud between US President Donald Trump and his six counterparts.

Big, bigger, biggest? SCO now largest regional body after India & Pakistan joined in

Qingdao summit was the first meeting in which regional rivals India and Pakistan were in attendance as full SCO members. Their official accession to the alliance was approved at the 2017 SCO meeting in Kazakhstan's capital Astana.

Chinese President Xi Jinping gave the leaders of Pakistan and India a "special welcome" to their first SCO summit, while Russian leader Vladimir Putin said the new members made the alliance look as it should be.

"Regarding the enlargement [of the body], we agreed that the current structure is optimal," Putin said, as cited by TASS, adding, "we must see how the organization will work in an enlarged mode. If we calculate... per capita, the seven countries are wealthier, but the size of the SCO economies [combined] is larger. And the population is of course much bigger - half of the planet," Putin stated.

Ryan to put cheap-labor amnesty bill to quick floor vote

Neil Munro
Breitbart
Thu, 07 Jun 2018 00:00 UTC

House Speaker Paul Ryan said Thursday he hopes to quickly write up an amnesty bill and get it passed through the House. "The next step is putting pen to paper so we can start getting legislation to the floor," Ryan told reporters shortly after he held a Thursday-morning meeting with the GOP caucus to push for a wage-cutting amnesty.

Ryan suggested he would try to rush the bill to the floor. "Time is of the essence if we want to have a legislative process that we can control," he said, referring to the group of 23 GOP legislators who threaten to use the discharge-petition process on June 25 to let Democrats pass their own amnesty.

The bill would reportedly provide an amnesty to at least 1.4 million illegals, and it does not include a cap to prevent fraud or subsequent waves of migrants hoping to join the next amnesty.

CNN reported mid-afternoon that Ryan's legislation could be drafted "in the next few days." The claim was made by Florida Rep. Chris Curbelo, a leader in the discharge-petition group whose district is dominated by Democratic-voting immigrant families who were brought into the United States by earlier amnesties.

Trump's G7 pitch surprise: 'We should at least consider no tariffs'

David M Herszenhorn
Politico
Sat, 09 Jun 2018 02:33 UTC

The US president floated the idea - which was received as somewhat rhetorical - as a meeting of the G7 leaders was breaking up.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday floated the idea of ending all tariffs and trade barriers between the U.S. and its G7 allies - an unexpected pitch that comes amid a tit-for-tat trade war Trump recently launched.

Trump offered the aspirational proposal at the end of a contentious meeting on trade disputes at the G7 summit in Quebec, an annual gathering of the leaders from seven major industrialized nations. During the private gathering, Europe's major economic powers pushed back hard against Trump's repeated assertions that the U.S. is a victim of unfair trade practices.

"We should at least consider no tariffs, no barriers - scrapping all of it," Trump said, according to officials who were listening and taking notes.

Trump floated the idea - which was received as somewhat rhetorical - as the meeting was breaking up and was quickly challenged by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who asked, "What about subsidies?"

Comment: A tense attempt to clear the air while muddying the waters and come to trade agreements...or not. See also: Trump: 'Russia should be in G7, whether you like it or not'

Trump states he'll sense if Kim-talks are to be successful 'within the first minute'

RT
Sat, 09 Jun 2018 18:17 UTC

Donald Trump says he is prepared to be wowed by Kim Jong-un at their "one-shot" talks on Tuesday, but added that he will sense straight away if the meeting is futile and "won't waste Kim's time."

"It's a one-time shot and I think it's going to work out very well," Trump told reporters during a lengthy press briefing at the conclusion of the G7 meeting in Quebec on Saturday afternoon.

Saying that the North Korean leader has "an opportunity to do something great for his people," Trump insisted that his team was going into the first-ever meeting between the two countries at this level with a "positive spirit."

But Trump also hedged his bets, claiming that the results he demands - a complete denuclearization of the peninsula - could take time.

"It may not work out. There's a good chance it won't work out. There's probably an even better chance that it will take a period of time, it'll be a process," said Trump.

Russian FM blames West for provoking Ukraine into new Donbass war

RT
Sat, 09 Jun 2018 15:08 UTC

Russian diplomats say the non-stop outbursts of violence in Donbass confirm that Ukraine has no intention of honoring the Minsk Accords, and accuse the US and their allies of supporting Kiev's course towards war.

"As far as the UN presence in Donbass is concerned, it is well known that in September 2017 Russia submitted a draft resolution on the issue to the UN Security Council. However, we still have not received any amendments to this document, in written form. Instead, our European and American partners are promoting the ideas of a military operation of 'coercing into peace' and putting an international military-civilian administration in charge of the region before it holds any elections,"

reads the ministry's comment released on Saturday in connection with the planned meeting in the Normandy Four format in Berlin, scheduled for June 11.

Russian diplomats also noted that the aggravation of the situation in Donbass is clear confirmation of the fact that Kiev has no intention of sticking to the Minsk Agreements.

Comment: See also:

German parliament agency: Russia did not violate international norms in response to Skripal case

RT
Sat, 09 Jun 2018 20:01 UTC

© Henry Nicholls/Reuters
Members of the emergency services work near the bench where former Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found poisoned.

Moscow has acted in full accordance with international law during the inquiry into the poisoning of the Skripals, the German parliament's service said. London's actions were seen as more questionable, though.

The German Bundestag's Research and Documentation Services have "found no clear violations of cooperation obligations under the [Chemical Weapons Convention] CWC [committed] by Russia," a report issued by the parliament's agency following a legal review of the actions of various actors during the investigation the former Russian double agent, Sergei Skripal, and his daughter, Yulia.

During an emergency meeting of the Organization for the Prohibition of the Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Russia expressed its readiness to investigate the incident together with the British authorities, "thus expressing its readiness for cooperation [required by the international norms], at least nominally," the report says, adding that it was the UK that rejected this offer. It also notes that "Russia complained that it had not been granted access to the results of the British investigation."

Comment: At this point, the UK has 'everything to hide' and 'nothing to gain'.

All ISIS remaining in Syria are in US-controlled resistance zones

RT
Sat, 09 Jun 2018 13:14 UTC

Islamic State still keeps its presence in Syria, but only in US-controlled areas while those liberated by Syrian government forces areas are slowly recovering after terrorists' defeat, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. "All the remaining pockets of resistance of ISIS terrorists in Syria are only in areas controlled by the United States," Major-General Igor Konashenkov, a defense ministry spokesman, said on Saturday.

Earlier, US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said in a bold statement that pulling out of the Arab Republic "must avoid leaving a vacuum in Syria that can be exploited by the Assad regime or its supporters," in apparent reference to Iran and Russia.

Russia has been fighting terrorists in the country on the invitation of the Syrian government, while the US presence there has been deemed aggressive by Damascus.

Konashenkov pulled no punches on the US military official, reminding him that the Washington-led invasion in Iraq under a false pretext in fact led to the rise of Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) and eventually its expansion into war-ravaged Syria.

G7 leaders talk gender, oceans and climate, Trump shows up late and leaves early

John Paul Tasker
CBC
Sat, 09 Jun 2018 04:00 UTC

© Justin Tang/Canadian Press
U.S. President Donald Trump, centre, takes his seat after arriving late for the G7 and Gender Equality Advisory Council Breakfast, as IMF head Christine Lagarde, left, and Canadian Lt.-Gen. Christine Whitecross look on at the G7 summit in La Malbaie, Que., on Saturday.

After summit's trade-heavy start, Trudeau shifts conversation to other global issues

After an opening day dominated by trade talk, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau shifted the G7 conversation to other pressing global issues on Saturday - climate change and empowering women - but at least one leader opted to skip part of the day's meetings.

U.S. President Donald Trump left La Malbaie, Que., early, before G7 leaders were scheduled to have a working session on protecting the world's oceans and redoubling efforts to stave off catastrophic climate change.

But Trump caused a stir even before his early departure by arriving late for the gender-focused breakfast session, billed by Canadian officials as a chance for leaders to draft "concrete actions for the G7 to advance gender equality and women's empowerment.

Comment: Plastic straws, gender equality, vague terms like "growth that works for everyone" and "preparing for jobs of the future" - this is what they talk about at the G7? It's no wonder Trump walked out. It's actually a wonder why anyone bothers protesting this thing.

See also:

Vermont governor signs bill requiring all residents have health insurance or face penalty

Wilson Ring
Washington Times
Sun, 10 Jun 2018 17:33 UTC

Vermont is poised to require that all residents have health insurance.

Republican Gov. Phil Scott late last month quietly signed into law a bill that will include a penalty for those who don't have insurance. The mandate is scheduled to take effect in 2020.

A spokeswoman for the state's largest private health insurance provider said the mandate provides stability.

Nationally, many have rebelled against the idea the federal government could tell them what they needed to buy.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signed a similar law days later.

Sneak attacks: Will Congress use the 2018 Farm Bill to undermine organics?

Alexis Baden-Mayer & Ronnie Cummins
Organic Consumers Association
Wed, 30 May 2018 17:57 UTC

It remains to be seen if Congress will get its act together to pass a Farm Bill before year's end. But here's what we do know. If Congress succeeds in passing a 2018 Farm Bill, it will almost certainly be bad news for the organic industry.

We already know that the House version, H.R.2, includes potentially devastating attacks on organic and regenerative food and farming. Fortunately, the U.S. House of Representatives voted down H.R. 2 last week. But we're not out of the danger zone yet-the House is scheduled to vote on its bill again on June 22.

The Senate is about to drop its Farm Bill as early as June 6, according to Politico. We haven't seen that bill yet. But we do know that the leaders of the Senate Agriculture Committee-Chairman Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) and Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) - aren't great friends of organic. We also know that the Senate Farm Bill will be bipartisan-which means it's sure to pass.

Eppla, Elppa, Elp me, I can't meet demand, raise the prices. BS product.

JTF Truth

'' America's police forces — riddled with corruption, brutality, sexual misconduct and drug abuse — have largely become part of the problem.''...

Demore

I live in Australia, but the outcome of that election even pleased me. I hope the Left doubles down on their insanity so that all of them will...

Spur

JP Sears - Why two classes of citizens is a GREAT idea: [Link]

Animanarchy

Is this not a case of, The pot calling the kettle black.

Winternights3

Puppet Masters

Getting bigger, coming closer - why SCO's Qingdao summit was worth following

Ryan to put cheap-labor amnesty bill to quick floor vote

Trump's G7 pitch surprise: 'We should at least consider no tariffs'

Trump states he'll sense if Kim-talks are to be successful 'within the first minute'

Russian FM blames West for provoking Ukraine into new Donbass war

German parliament agency: Russia did not violate international norms in response to Skripal case

All ISIS remaining in Syria are in US-controlled resistance zones

G7 leaders talk gender, oceans and climate, Trump shows up late and leaves early

Vermont governor signs bill requiring all residents have health insurance or face penalty

Sneak attacks: Will Congress use the 2018 Farm Bill to undermine organics?

Latest News

Picture of the Day

Quote of the Day

Recent Comments

Quantum Quirk

Contact Us