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USA

"It all begins today!": Trump's inauguration (UPDATES)

Andrew Beatty
AFP / Yahoo News
Fri, 20 Jan 2017 16:01 UTC
trump obama
© AFP Photo/JIM WATSONUS President Barack Obama (R) and First Lady Michelle Obama (L) welcome President-elect Donald Trump (2nd-R) and his wife Melania to the White House on January 20, 2017
Donald Trump took the first ceremonial steps before being sworn in as the 45th president of the United States Friday -- ushering in a new political era that has been cheered and feared in equal measure.

"It all begins today! I will see you at 11:00 A.M. for the swearing-in. THE MOVEMENT CONTINUES - THE WORK BEGINS!" the Republican billionaire tweeted before tracing his predecessors' steps to St. John's Church and the White House.

There he was greeted warmly by President Barack Obama, capping a transfer of power that has been peaceful yet rancorous.

"Mr President-elect, how are you?" Obama asked, after having deposited a letter in the Resolute desk and departed the Oval Office for the last time.

Hundreds of thousands of people will gather on the National Mall in the center of the nation's capital to celebrate a man whose short 19-month political career has defied all predictions, and many norms.

Comment: When Hillary was announced, the crowd gave her the welcome she deserved:
Boos and chants of "lock her up" were heard at the Capitol after 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton arrived at President Trump's inauguration on Friday.
Bill's antics created a tweet storm after his goofy-grinned gaze prompted a stern stare-down from Hillary. Was he looking at Ivanka, tweeters wondered.


Huma crawled out of her hold to attend. And Trump magnanimously ordered a standing ovation for the Clintons at the inaugural ball, saying "I was very honored. I'd like you to stand up."
trump ball
© AP
hillary ball
© AP
Update: As part of his inauguration speech, Trump promised "we will not impose our way of life, but we will shine for others to follow." More highlights from his speech:
"America will start winning again, like never before. We will bring back our jobs, we will bring back our border, we will bring our wealth, we will bring back our dreams," said Trump.
Today we are not merely transferring power from one administration to another, or from one party to another but we are transferring power from Washington, DC, to you the people," said President Donald Trump in his inaugural speech on Friday, as it started to rain.

"Washington flourished but the people did not prosper in its wealth and the jobs left and the factories closed. The establishment protected itself but not the citizens of our country. Their victories have not been your victories, their triumphs have not been your triumphs, and while they celebrated in our nation's capital, there was little to celebrate for our struggling families all across our land," said Trump.

"Starting right here, and right now, this moment belongs to you!" added Trump to applause. "The United States of America is your country."

"January 20th, 2017 will be remembered as the day the people became the rulers of this nation again."
"For many decades we have enriched foreign industry at the expense of American industry, subsidized the armies of other countries while allowing for the very sad depletion of our military. We have defended other nation's border while refusing to defend our own," Trump proffered while whistles and cheers erupted from the crowd. "We made other countries rich while the confidence of our country has dissipated over the horizon. One by one the factories shuttered and left our shores without a thought for millions of millions of American workers left behind. The wealth of middle class Americans has been ripped from their homes and redistributed across the world. But that is the past but now we are only looking to the future."

More on Trump's speech:

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Bizarro Earth

'A sacred event': How the media slobbered over Obama's inauguration

Scott Whitlock
News Busters
Fri, 20 Jan 2017 17:33 UTC
obama inauguration
As Donald Trump is inaugurated the 45th president today, it's not likely that the three networks will suggest that seagulls were "awed" by the "sacred" event, one that "pilgrims" trekked to Washington to see. But that happened on January 20, 2009 as Barack Obama became the 44th president. ABC, CBS and NBC reporters were beside themselves and compared the event to a religious experience.

Then-CBS host Harry Smith saw the inauguration as where "the secular and the religious" merged. He gushed, "So it was that as many as two million pilgrims made their way to Washington and the Mall to witness this most sacred event."


Comment: Need we point out, again, the absolute cluelessness and bias of the mainstream media?

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Clipboard

Trump signs order to 'ease the burden' of Obamacare; total repeal pending


RT
Sat, 21 Jan 2017 16:52 UTC
Trump and staff
© Jonathan Ernst / Reuters
On his first day in the White House, Donald Trump signed an order 'to ease the burden of Obamacare as we transition from repeal and replace,' his press secretary Sean Spicer told reporters.

On Friday night, just after his inauguration, President Donald Trump signed the executive order as the new administration and Congress are working to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, Spicer told reporters.

In addition, White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus sent a memo to all government agencies calling for a freeze on regulations.

It is still not clear what the executive order entails.
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Attention

Turkish MPs back constitutional reform triggering referendum on sweeping powers for Erdogan


RT
Sat, 21 Jan 2017 16:41 UTC
Tayyip Erdogan
© Brendan McDermid / Reuters
Turkish MPs have approved a constitutional reform package that would place remarkable executive powers in President Erdogan's hands. Critics see the proposal as a power grab, though it is yet to be adopted, with a referendum upcoming.

339 MPs voted in favor of the 18-article law, which would make the president the head of the executive and axe the post of prime minister, state-run Anadolu news agency reported on Saturday.

A second and final round of voting on the constitutional amendments began on Wednesday after almost three weeks of heated debates in the parliament.
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Eagle

Trump's speech: Promise, hope, opportunity

The Saker
The Unz Review
Sat, 21 Jan 2017 17:01 UTC
trump
© Getty
Just hours ago Donald Trump was finally sworn in as the President of the United States. Considering all the threats hanging over this event, this is good news because at least for the time being, the Neocons have lost their control over the Executive Branch and Trump is now finally in a position to take action. The other good news is Trump's inauguration speech which included this historical promise "We do not seek to impose our way of life on anyone, but rather to let it shine as an example for everyone to follow". Could that really mean that the USA has given up its role of World Hegemon? The mere fact of asking the question is already an immensely positive development as nobody would have asked it had Hillary Clinton been elected.

The other interesting feature of Trump's speech is that it centered heavily on people power and on social justice. Again, the contrast with the ideological garbage from Clinton could not be greater. Still, this begs a much more puzzling question: how much can a multi-millionaire capitalist be trusted when he speaks of people power and social justice - not exactly what capitalists are known for, at least not amongst educated people. Furthermore, a Marxist reader would also remind us that "imperialism is the highest stage of capitalism" and that it makes no sense to expect a capitalist to suddenly renounce imperialism.

But what was generally true in 1916 is not necessarily true in 2017.
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Clipboard

Petition reaches 100k signatures demanding Donald Trump release tax returns


RT
Sat, 21 Jan 2017 16:54 UTC
Trump inauguration
© Rick Wilking / Reuters U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at the "Salute to Our Armed Forces" inaugural ball during inauguration festivites in Washington, U.S. January 20, 2017.
A petition calling for US President Donald Trump to immediately release his full tax returns has reached the required 100,000 signatures to secure a response from the White House.

The petition surpassed the goal of 100,000 signatures less than 24 hours after the call to action was made, meaning the White House is obligated to give an official reply within 60 days.

Created by "A.D.," the petition calls for the White House to: "Immediately release Donald Trump's full tax returns, with all information needed to verify emoluments clause compliance."

"The unprecedented economic conflicts of this administration need to be visible to the American people, including any pertinent documentation which can reveal the foreign influences and financial interests which may put Donald Trump in conflict with the emoluments clause of the Constitution," the petition reads.

The newly sworn-in president shunned tradition by refusing to release his tax returns during the election. The exact amount of Trump's wealth is still unknown, though Forbes estimates his net worth to be $3.7 billion.
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USA

The Trump presidency: A pessimist's guide

Adam Garrie
The Duran
Sat, 21 Jan 2017 16:36 UTC
trump
© J. Scott Applewhite / ReutersPresident Donald Trump is joined by the Congressional leadership and his family as he formally signs his cabinet nominations into law, in the President's Room of the Senate, at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., U.S., January 20, 2017
Here's your point by point analysis of why I encourage optimism when it comes to President Donald Trump

Many people who are on the right side of the multi-polarity debate are worried about Trump's relationship to many countries and global issues.

With that in mind, here is your Pessimists Guide to Donald Trump.

China

Right now China holds the American economy by a vice for two reasons:
  1. The American market place is heavily reliant on Chinese manufacturing of Chinese products and products owned by American and European companies.
  2. American and Chinese currencies are inter-dependent.
Because of this, no amount of rhetoric can fundamentally change the fact that China and America will not go to war whether a hot war or a trade war. Both countries need each other, at least for now.

What is at stake is the nature of business relations between the two countries. America has allowed herself to be at the receiving end of poor deals, and China, like any other economic-superpower with wise political leaders, has taken advantage of that.

Trump has articulated this sentiment time and time again when praising shrewd Chinese business practices whilst insulting American negotiators.

Donald Trump's appointment of Terry Branstad as US Ambassador to China, a personal friend of President Xi Jinping, sends a clear message: the US will communicate with China in a friendly, familiar voice.

Trump's words about the One China Policy being up for negotiation is most likely rhetoric to be used as leverage in future negotiations.

Neither Beijing nor Taipei actually want conflict, and this becomes increasingly true with every passing year.
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Handcuffs

South Korea's minister of culture arrest for blacklisting artists


RT
Sat, 21 Jan 2017 16:46 UTC
Cho Yoon-Sun
© Str / YONHAP / AFPSouth Korea's Culture Minister Cho Yoon-Sun (C) arrives to be questioned at the office of the independent counsel on a corruption scandal case that led to the impeachment of President Park Geun-Hye in Seoul on January 17, 2017.
The South Korean minister of culture has been arrested over allegations that she helped blacklist almost 10,000 Korean cultural figures critical of President Park Geun-hye, who was impeached last month.

Cho Yoon-Sun was arrested on Saturday morning on charges of abuse of authority and perjury after police obtained a warrant issued by the Seoul Central District Court, Yonhap news agency reports. In issuing the warrant, the court said that her crime had been "verified and there were concerns over the destruction of evidence."

The 50-year-old is accused of drafting a list that blacklisted cultural figures such as actors, painters, poets, and musicians. Once on the list, the individuals were denied government subsidies.

In October, South Korean daily newspaper Hankook Ilbo revealed that the South Korean government blacklisted 9,473 artists, including the winner of the Man Booker International Prize (2016), author Han Kang, and director Park Chan-wook, who won the grand prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 2004.
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Chess

State Dept.: US won't send special delegation to Syria talks in Kazakhstan


RT
Sat, 21 Jan 2017 16:27 UTC
Sergey Lavrov
© APRussian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, meeting in Moscow Jan. 16, 2017.
The US will not send a special delegation to the Syria talks, which are due to be held in the Kazakhstan capital, Astana on January 23, according to the US State Department. Instead, the US will be represented by its ambassador to Kazakhstan.

"Given our presidential inauguration and the immediate demands of the transition, a delegation from Washington will not be attending the Astana conference," the US State Department acting spokesman, Mark Toner said in a statement, cited by Reuters.

On Thursday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced Russia's invitation to the US to take part in the upcoming talks on Syria.
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Propaganda

The Economist can't handle the facts about RT


RT
Sat, 21 Jan 2017 16:21 UTC
RT English language newsroom
© Evgeny Biyatov / Sputnik
Most economists are good with numbers. It is, after all, a prerequisite skill for the profession. Thus, it's somewhat ironic that a publication called The Economist would be so inept with figures.

However, it's likely the numerical errors in their latest RT demolition piece are more the result of a determination to prove a desired point rather than it being down to an actual mathematical deficiency amongst staff.

To bring you up to speed, just a few days ago, a reporter from the Economist reached out to the RT press office with a few questions. This of course is very much in line with basic journalistic practices of fact-checking and due diligence. Answers were readily provided, in good faith.
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