Trump Withdraws from Iran Nuclear Deal, Imposes Sanctions on Iran
JTA wrote on May 8:
“‘I am announcing today that the United States will withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal,’ Trump said, speaking at the White House Tuesday…
“Trump’s decision comes after a full court press by three European nations also party to the 2015 deal not to pull out. Over recent weeks, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson have visited Washington to try and persuade Trump to stay in the deal…
“Israel and Saudi Arabia, by contrast, have been U.S. allies pressing for a pullout from the deal. Netanyahu last week unveiled documents showing that Iran had before the 2015 deal hidden the breadth of its nuclear weapons development. Trump credited Netanyahu’s presentation in making his decision. ‘Today we have definitive proof that this promise was a lie,’ he said, referring to Iran’s pledge to roll back its nuclear program…”
The Associated Press wrote on May 8:
“President Donald Trump… dealt a profound blow to allies, deepened his isolation on the world stage and revived doubts about American credibility in the most consequential foreign policy action of his presidency…
“The leaders of Britain, Germany and France immediately urged the U.S. not to take any actions that could prevent them and Iran from continuing to implement the agreement… In Washington, the Trump administration said it would re-impose [the “highest level” of] sanctions on Iran immediately but allow grace periods for businesses to wind down activity… National Security Adviser John Bolton said nobody should sign contracts for new business with Iran…
“For the Europeans, Trump’s withdrawal constitutes dispiriting proof that trying to appease him is futile…”
Breitbart added on May 8:
“[Trump] added that any nation that helps Iran in its quest for nuclear ambitions will also be sanctioned by the United States: ‘We will not allow a regime that chants ‘death to America’ to gain access to the most deadly weapons on earth.’”
German Companies Should Wind Down Operations Immediately?
Deutsche Welle wrote on May 8
“Richard Grenell, the new US Ambassador to Germany, sent out a warning to German businesses on Twitter, saying that ‘German companies doing business in Iran should wind down operations immediately.’”
DPA and the Local wrote on May 9:
“Grenell’s tweet was met with immediate scorn from the German political establishment. Wolfgang Ischinger, German ambassador to Washington from 2001 to 2006, responded on Twitter by giving ‘advice’ of his own. ‘Germans are willing to listen, but will resist taking instructions,’ he wrote.
“The head of the Social Democrats, Andrea Nahles, also responded dismissively to Grenell’s comments. Nahles said that, while it wasn’t her job to tell diplomats how to do their jobs ‘he seems to need a little bit of tutoring.’”
Handelsblatt Global added on May 9:
“The reaction [to Grenell’s post] was fast and furious. His message to Germany was retweeted almost 6,000 times (and counting) and there were close to 1,500 comments, many of them from angry Germans basically telling the ambassador, a longtime critic of the Iran deal, to butt out… German companies doing business in Iran have been preparing for this moment for months… European companies in Iran do not work with dollars at all; they prefer euros or perhaps dirhams…
“Before the last lot of sanctions was imposed, Germany was Iran’s biggest trading partner. After the Iran deal was reached in 2015, German exports there grew by 27 percent. In 2017, German exports to Iran were worth an estimated $3.5 billion and today many of Germany’s biggest businesses are working with Iran, as are hundreds of the country’s medium-sized firms…”
The Iran deal, which was “negotiated” by European powers and the Obama administration, was terribly one-sided in favor of Iran. The withdrawal under President Trump was to be expected, and it constitutes another small piece in the puzzle of biblical prophecies, as it causes now a further rift between the USA and the EU.
German Reaction and Litmus Test for Europe
Deutsche Welle wrote on May 8:
“The historical connections between Berlin and Tehran make Germany a strong supporter of the nuclear deal… There’s hardly an issue on which there is more consensus in German politics than the Iran nuclear deal. From the far-right populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) to the Left Party, no one in the country shares the US president’s skepticism about the 2015 agreement…”
While the deal was totally unfavorable towards the USA and Europe, “[n]early two-thirds of Americans oppose the country’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear accord,” according to Newsmax, dated May 8.
Handelsblatt wrote on May 8:
“The announcement Tuesday marked a rupture with major European allies who helped negotiate the accord and who lobbied intensively with Mr. Trump to keep the deal in place… The unilateral move threatens to further destabilize the tumultuous situation in the Middle East. Oil prices have surged in anticipation of US withdrawal and may rise even further amid concerns about supply from OPEC’s third-largest exporter.
“The US sanctions against Iran add a further note of uncertainty to trade relations along with US threats of tariffs in retaliation to what it sees as trade abuses. Iran is already in a crisis with an economy in decline, a weakening currency and rising prices…
“After a good deal of bluster about forging a different path from the United States, Europeans will now have to prove they are capable of doing so. ‘The Iran deal has become a litmus test for European willingness and ability to protect its interests and to uphold a critical element of the international order,’ Oliver Meier, an expert at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) in Berlin…
“The reaction in Germany was predictably unfavorable…”
As the article points out, it will be interesting to see what Europe is willing and capable of doing.
Deutsche Welle wrote on May 9:
“[German] Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said that Germany, France and the UK would speak with one voice on the Iran accord: ‘We remain committed to the nuclear deal,’ he said… The German minister said that Trump’s decision was ‘incomprehensible’ and had dealt a blow to stability in the Middle East…”
Iran’s Options
JTA wrote on May 8:
“One half of the Iranian response is guaranteed to be rhetorical, with an emphasis on persuading Europe to resist the U.S. move by taking actions favorable to Tehran. The other half of Iran’s response will consist of accelerating its nuclear program in order to show that it will not accept the constraints imposed by a nuclear deal that Washington rejects…
“Iran’s rhetorical response to the re-imposition of sanctions will have three likely goals: 1) expedite and exploit a growing trans-Atlantic divide over Iran policy, 2) convince Europe not to comply with any prospective U.S. sanctions against Iran and 3) get Europe to shield entities that do business with Iranian parties. Given Europe’s fondness of the deal, this will not be a hard sell for Tehran…
“Should the Islamic Republic decide to respond more forcefully, it could resume flight-testing medium-range ballistic missiles (MRBMs), which reportedly last occurred in July 2017. All of Iran’s MRBMs meet the internationally defined standard of being ‘nuclear-capable.’ They also can reach key U.S. partners in the region such as Israel and Saudi Arabia…
“Another way to respond forcefully… would be to harass U.S. warship sin the Persian Gulf, just off the coast of Iran…
“Finally, Iran could also respond via terrorism and assassination, although any such activity on European soil would cause the regime to lose international support. Instead, Tehran might target U.S. troops in Syria, Iraq, or another location in the Middle East… Case in point are the intensifying prospects for war between Iran and Israel in the Syrian theater…”
None of these options sound good for either Israel or the USA.
Ongoing Hostilities between Israel and Iran
The Sun wrote on May 10:
“Iranian forces in Syria have launched missiles at the Israeli military in the annexed Golan Heights region, Israel’s army has claimed. An Israeli air defence (IDF) spokesman said ‘about 20 rockets’ were fired by Iranian Quds Force at the Jewish state’s defensive line in the area – which has been occupied by Israel since 1967. He said that Israeli forces had ‘responded’ after several bases were targeted, adding: ‘The IDF sees this Iranian attack on Israel with severity. This event is not over.’…
“Shortly before the suspected strikes on the Golan Heights, reports within Syria claimed that Israel had attacked targets in the Quneitra province south of Damascus. Syria’s state media said air defences had intercepted ‘hostile Israeli missiles’ on early Thursday morning that were fired over the south west of the capital city. This comes after missiles strikes last night were attributed to Israel following reports of ‘irregular activity’ of Iranian forces in Syria…
“Tuesday’s attacks represent an immediate escalation in tensions in the region after US President Donald Trump walked away from the 2015 nuclear agreement Barack Obama struck with Iran… As… Assad appears to be headed toward victory, Israel fears that Iran, along with tens of thousands of Iranian-backed Shiite militiamen, will carry out attacks against it.”
European Relations with US at a State of “Worrying Change”
Deutsche Welle wrote on May 6:
“German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has said he is worried about European relations with the US…
“Trans-Atlantic relations are in a state of worrying change, with a US administration that takes an ‘every man for himself’ approach to global affairs, the German president said on Sunday… His remarks come as Europe remains at odds with US President Donald Trump over trade, defense and the Iran nuclear deal.
“‘Honestly speaking, I’m really concerned about the development of the trans-Atlantic relationship,’ Steinmeier said. ‘Not because I’m looking at a president with some irritating Twitter messages, but because a substantial change is now going on and (there is) a new American administration that no longer sees us as parts of a global community where we act together but sees the world basically as an arena where everyone has to somehow find their own way.’
“Steinmeier’s comments echo those made by several European politicians since Trump took power more than a year ago, pledging to implement a policy of ‘America First.’”
This article was written BEFORE the announcement of American withdrawal from the Iran deal. Since that announcement, the relationship has become worse.
Eurozone Investors Weary of US Debt
Deutsche Welle wrote on May 9:
“While the US economy is strong, a creeping decline in foreign investment indicates that eurozone investors are growing weary of US debt… Foreign investors are buying less and less American debt, yet the US moves onward with a debt-heavy budget and globally unpopular diplomacy…
“The European Central Bank found that after 2015, over half of US debt securities had been purchased by eurozone investors. Germany in particular holds $90.1 billion (€76 billion) of US debt. In 2017 that trend reversed and eurozone investors became net sellers…
“As long-time president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, Maya MacGuineas has seen the US economy through highs and lows. The debt is really a symptom of a broken government process, says MacGuineas, there is no economic justification…
“With $21 trillion in debt and a fresh deficit scheduled to pass $1 trillion per year by 2020, the US carries more debt than the entirety of the EU’s debt combined. It is unlikely any other country in the world could pull this off…”
And maybe the USA can’t pull it off, either.
Moving Embassies to Jerusalem
JTA wrote on May 8:
“Paraguay is moving its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem from its current position near Tel Aviv… Paraguay will be the third country to move its embassy to Jerusalem. The United States will dedicate its temporary Jerusalem embassy on May 14, followed two days later by Guatemala.”
Handelsblatt reported on May 7 that Jerusalem’s mayor declared that Jerusalem is the eternal capital of the Jewish people. The paper added that Israel views Jerusalem as the undivided capital of its state, while the Palestinians desire the eastern part of Jerusalem (which was occupied by Israel in 1967) as the capital of their future state “Palestine.” Please note in this context our Editorial in this issue.
Macron Gets Charlemagne Prize
Euractiv wrote in May 6:
“French President Emmanuel Macron will receive the Charlemagne Prize, the EU’s version of the Nobel Peace Prize, on 10 May… ‘Macron is a head of state with a claim to European leadership’, states the Board of Directors of the Society for the Conferring of the International Charlemagne Prize…‘In the person of Emmanuel Macron, the Charlemagne Prize Society honours a courageous pioneer for the revitalisation of the European dream’, the Board of Directors state…
“The Charlemagne Prize is awarded annually on Ascension Day by the city of Aachen, where Charlemagne, ruler of the Holy Roman Empire, was buried. The City of Aachen refers to Charlemagne as the ‘founder of western culture’, and asserts that under his reign, Aachen was the spiritual and political centre of what is now western Europe.
“Among the most recipients are the current Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker in his former capacity of Prime Minister of Luxembourg (2006), former NATO secretary General and EU foreign affairs chief Javier Solana (2007), German Chancellor Angela Merkel (2008), Council President Donald Tusk in his former capacity of Polish Prime Minister (2010), former Council President Herman Van Rompuy (2014), and former President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz, a native son of Aachen (2015).
“In 2016 the Charlemagne Prize was given to Pope Francis in a ceremony which took place in the Vatican, in the presence of Juncker, Tusk and Schulz…”
It appears like Emmanuel Macron will be “used” as an architect for the further unification of Europe. However, the final leader will not be a man from France, but from Germany or Austria.
Macron for Stronger Ties with Catholic Church
Christian Today wrote on May 5:
“President Emmanuel Macron… will travel to the Vatican in June to meet Pope Francis… In April, Macron called for stronger ties between the state and the Catholic Church… The issue is particularly sensitive in historically Catholic France, where matters of faith and state were separated by law in 1905 and which is now home to Europe’s largest Muslim and Jewish communities…
“Under a tradition that began in the 15th century when France was a monarchy, French leaders are automatically given the title of ‘First and Only Honorary Canon’ of the Rome Basilica of St John’s in Lateran, which is also the pope’s cathedral in his capacity as bishop of Rome.”
A strong collaboration between the Catholic Church and the entirety of continental Europe (not just France) is clearly prophesied to occur.
Comeback for Martin Schulz?
Der Tagesspiegel wrote on May 4:
“Three years ago, Martin Schulz (SPD) received the Charlemagne prize for his accomplishments as president of the EU Parliament… Schulz’s heart beats for Europe… He gave more power to the EU Parliament than any other politician. Right now, his hands are tied. But this does not have to continue.
“Social Democrats begin to think of Schulz’s grandiose future role… At the end of April, Schulz elated the delegates with his advocacy for the strengthening of Europe… ‘Without a strong Europe, the populists will win,’ he shouted. ‘Then there will be war.’ It is now being discussed within the SPD whether the comeback of Schulz for the big stage of Brussels is being prepared…
“Schulz said that right now, he sees his role in the German Parliament… As former President of the EU Parliament, he says that he knows very well what influence Germany could have in Brussels… ‘That is why I’m pretty established in the German Parliament at this time.’ At this time.”
Schulz might very well be another architect to be “used” for the final unification of European core nations.
Trump Angers France and Britain
Express wrote on May 6:
“In a speech to the National Rifle Association (NRA) on Friday, Mr Trump imitated the shooting of victims in the Paris attack and said if civilians had been armed ‘it would have been a whole different story.’ The French government has issued its strongest criticism of the US President since he took office… The Paris foreign office said in a statement: ‘France expresses its firm disapproval of President Trump’s comments about the Paris attacks on Nov. 13, 2015 and demands that the memory of the victims be respected. France is proud to be a country where acquiring and carrying firearms is strictly regulated.’
“French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said he hoped Mr Trump ‘would come back on his words and express regret’. Mr Le Maire told BFM television on Sunday: ‘His comments are shocking and not worthy of the president of the world’s greatest superpower.’ The mayor of Paris, along with other French politicians, were angered by Mr Trump’s comments after he mimicked the scene of the massacre by Islamist assailants at Paris’ Bataclan concert hall, which left 90 of the 130 victims dead. Mr Trump used his hands in a gun gesture and said: ‘They took their time and gunned them down one by one. Boom! Come over here. Boom! Come over here. Boom!’
“Former French president Francois Hollande took to Twitter to condemn Mr Trump’s comments as ‘shameful’ and ‘obscene’.
“Mr Trump’s comments have also caused upset in Britain, after the US leader linked knife crime to an absence of guns. The US president, whose state visit to Britain is planned for July 13, told NRA members that a ‘once very prestigious’ London hospital, which he did not name, had become overwhelmed with knife attack victims. Making stabbing gestures, he said: ‘They don’t have guns. They have knives and instead there’s blood all over the floors of this hospital. They say it’s as bad as a military war zone hospital. Knives, knives, knives, knives.’…”
In a related article, Express wrote on May 6:
“Mr Griffiths, who works at the Royal London Hospital… said he would be happy to invite Mr Trump to tour the hospital and meet police and the capital’s mayor Sadiq Khan ‘to discuss our successes in violence reduction in London’ when the president visits the UK.
“The director of the capital’s major trauma system, Royal London surgeon Professor Karim Brohi, said: ‘Knife violence is a serious issue for London… There is more we can all do to combat this violence, but to suggest guns are part of the solution is ridiculous. Gunshot wounds are at least twice as lethal as knife injuries and more difficult to repair.’…”
Even the relationship between the USA and the UK is prophesied to deteriorate.
Accept Brexit!
Express wrote on May 4:
“Piers Morgan caused uproar from the BBC audience when he said those wanting to thwart Brexit must accept ‘it’s over’ and respect the democratic vote… Mr Morgan said: ‘What I’m absolutely sure about is this – we had a referendum. We had a democratic vote in this country.
“‘Everybody had a chance to go ahead and have their say and this country voted, democratically, to leave. It wasn’t the choice I would have made but that was the decision taken. We are going to get into a very dangerous place in this country, in my view, if we actually go against the democratic result of a democratic referendum in this country. I would urge people to be very careful.’”
Whether many of the Brits want to accept Brexit or not, it is certain to occur.
Mr. Trump’s Credibility Further at Stake
The Editorial Board of the conservative and generally Trump-friendly Wall Street Journal wrote on May 3:
“Most storms pass eventually. This week Donald Trump tried to ensure that Stormy Daniels doesn’t rain down permanent distraction on his Presidency, though at the cost of further damage to his credibility. Mr. Trump contradicted his previous statements that he had no knowledge of payments that his lawyer had made to Ms. Daniels — the pornographic-movie actress whose real name is Stephanie Clifford —to quell stories of an alleged affair.
“Speaking in his new role as Mr. Trump’s lawyer, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani disclosed that Mr. Trump made a series of payments to reimburse lawyer Michael Cohen, who had paid Ms. Clifford $130,000 as part of a non-disclosure agreement late in the 2016 presidential campaign.
“In explanatory tweets Thursday, President Trump said that ‘Mr. Cohen, an attorney, received a monthly retainer, not from the campaign and having nothing to do with the campaign, from which he entered into, through reimbursement, a private contract between two parties, known as a non-disclosure agreement, or NDA.’
“The apparent reason for these contortions is the possibility that the payments if made by Mr. Cohen would have exceeded federal campaign-finance donation limits…
“Messrs. Trump and Giuliani are arguing that Mr. Trump’s payments to Ms. Clifford were made for reasons that fall outside Mr. Trump’s presidential campaign. And perhaps these admissions will lessen Mr. Trump’s legal vulnerability. What remains is the political damage. Attempting to quiet a similar storm in 1998, President Bill Clinton said, ‘I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky.’ Many of Mr. Clinton’s political supporters were unmoved by the allegations against him. Similarly now, Mr. Trump’s most ardent backers believe these charges aren’t relevant to his public initiatives as President.
“That may be true regarding whether Mr. Trump had an affair more than a decade ago. Voters in 2016 knew Mr. Trump was no choir boy, and the irony is that news of an affair would probably have made no difference in his race against Hillary Clinton, who was Bill Clinton’s wife and chief defender.
“But Mr. Trump’s public deceptions are surely relevant to his job as President, and the attempted cover-up has done greater harm than any affair would have. Mr. Trump asked Americans, not least his supporters, to believe his claims about the payments. They were false and conveniently so in putting the onus on Mr. Cohen. Now, as more of the story has emerged, he wants everyone to believe a new story that he could have told the first time.
“Mr. Trump is compiling a record that increases the likelihood that few will believe him during a genuine crisis—say, a dispute over speaking with special counsel Robert Mueller or a nuclear showdown with Kim Jong Un. Mr. Trump should worry that Americans will stop believing anything he says.”
First For, Now Against Gun Control
Bloomberg reported on May 4 (as republished by Newsmax):
“President Donald Trump delivered a strong support for the National Rifle Association at its annual meeting on Friday… ‘You give your time, your energy, your vote and your voice to stand strong for those sacred rights given to us by God, including the right to self-defense,’ Trump told the group’s members…
“But the Parkland, Florida shooting, which left 17 high school students and school employees dead and galvanized gun-control advocates, led Trump to consider supporting firearms restrictions the NRA has long opposed, including expanded background checks. That flirtation didn’t last long. Under pressure from the NRA’s leaders and its allies in Congress and within the White House, he fell back in line and hasn’t taken on the gun group. He pivoted from weighing limits on gun sales to encouraging teachers to arm themselves— a position enthusiastically backed by the NRA.”
Sadly, President Trump is fundamentally wrong when stating that self-defense is a God-given right and when promoting arming teachers. Both positions are strongly condemned in the Bible.
Trump’s “Facts” Change and Change and Change…
Newsmax wrote on May 4:
“Fox News anchor Shepard Smith attacked President Donald Trump on Friday for speaking to the National Rifle Association in Dallas, months after slamming Congress for being ‘afraid’ of the powerful gun lobby in the wake of the Florida school massacre. ‘The president falsely stated that Democrats wanted all guns outlawed,’ Smith said on his program. During a roundtable discussion with school-shooting survivors after the Feb. 14 attack, President Trump had called for such measures as raising the legal age for buying AR-15s from 18 to 21 and tightening background checks on gun buyers. ‘Today, he headlined the NRA convention,’ Smith said.
“The Fox anchor also blasted Trump for the ‘brand-new series of words presented for our consumption’ on the $130,000 payment to adult-film star Stormy Daniels over allegations of an affair with the president in 2006. ‘Maybe Team Trump’s just-shifting strategy’s shifting again,’ Smith said. ‘Maybe they’re trying to confuse everybody.’ Smith noted that Rudy Giuliani, the former New York City mayor who is now on Trump’s legal team, told Fox’s Sean Hannity Wednesday that Trump had reimbursed the $130,000 payment attorney Michael Cohen made to Daniels. On Thursday, Trump appeared to back Giuliani on Twitter — but then said on Friday that the former mayor needed to ‘get his facts straight.’
“Last month, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he did not know of the Daniels payment. Smith observed: ‘What Team Trump said last month then changed last week, then reimagined again on Tuesday, was revised and extended again this morning. And space under the bus is now at a premium,’ he continued. ‘Rudy Giuliani found himself wedged there today, when the president said his lawyer still has to get his facts straight.”
“Smith then noted that Giuliani put out his own statement Friday afternoon seeking to clarify the Fox comments. Giuliani said: ‘My references to timing were not describing my understanding of the president’s knowledge, but instead, my understanding of these matters.’ But Smith quipped: ‘Now let this one sink in just in case this version lasts more than a few hours.’”
Shepherd Smith is one of the very few current anchors, commentators and moderators on Fox News who are not just turning a blind eye on everything President Trump does or says, however problematic it may be… unlike many others, including the unofficial spokesperson for Donald Trump, Sean Hannity, who seems to be unwilling or unable to open his eyes to the facts.
According to the Washington Post’s fact-check list, President Trump engaged in over 3,000 exaggerations, misrepresentations or outright lies since his inauguration. The New York Times reported that he knew about the hush money being paid to Stormy Daniels BEFORE he denied any knowledge (As we reported earlier, it stretches the imagination anyhow to assume that an attorney would have paid hush money to a blackmailer without his client’s knowledge and consent.)
On the other hand, Fox News host Neil Cavuto did not hold back in pointing out the chaos which President Trump is creating. See the next article.
“Mr. President, It’s Your Stink! It’s Your Swamp!”
The Washington Post wrote on May 4:
“Fox News host Neil Cavuto ripped into President Trump’s trail of conflicting and false statements in a monologue on Thursday… Speaking directly to the president on his show, ‘Your World With Neil Cavuto,’ he questioned why Trump lambastes the news media for ‘fake news’ when his own statements are often contradictory… ‘Let me be clear, Mr. President,’ Cavuto said. ‘How can you drain the swamp if you’re the one who keeps muddying the waters?
“‘You didn’t know about the $130,000 payment to a porn star, until you did,’ he continued. ‘Said you knew nothing about how your former lawyer handled this, until you acknowledged today that you were the guy behind the retainer payment that took care of this. You insist that money from the campaign or campaign contributions played no role in this transaction. Of that you’re sure. The thing is, not even 24 hours ago, sir, you couldn’t recall any of this.’
“Cavuto went on to tick off a list of examples of statements Trump has made that were incorrect or appeared to conflict with earlier statements. There was ‘the time you said the Russians didn’t interfere in the 2016 election, until a lot of Republicans had to remind you they did,’ Cavuto said. ‘Came back months later, and you said, “Well, I never said that Russia didn’t meddle in the election,” when in fact you had—a lot.’
“There was the time Trump claimed the tax reform bill ‘would cost you a fortune when it turns out it is going to help make you a bigger fortune,’ Cavuto said. And the time ‘you said there was serious voter fraud in New Hampshire, and there wasn’t.’ And the time Trump said ‘millions of illegals voted in the last election, but they didn’t.’… ‘You are right to say some of them [in the press] are out to get you. But oftentimes they’re using your own words to bat you,’ Cavuto said. ‘You probably might not care. But you should. I guess you’ve been too busy draining the swamp to stop and smell the stink you’re creating. That’s your doing. That’s your stink. Mr. President, that’s your swamp.’
“Cavuto, a Fox News host since the network started in 1996, has been known to be critical of Trump and to speak to him in a direct tone, as though Trump were sitting in his living room listening on the other side of the tube. Cavuto’s style breaks from that of many of his Fox News colleagues, particularly commentators who have heaped praise on Trump. But it’s more akin to that of Shepard Smith, who is known to poke holes in the president’s statements.
“Earlier this month, Smith said of Trump’s claims that the U.S. Postal Service was losing money because of Amazon: ‘None of that was true.’…
“In the past, he has told Trump to ‘stop scapegoating’ others following those tirades [on Twitter]… ‘They’re not the problem, Mr. President,” he told Trump, referring to those he targeted on Twitter. ‘You are.’”
Cloning Horror
Express wrote on May 3:
“Scientists have created a living embryo in a laboratory without using either egg or sperm in ground-breaking but hugely controversial experiments. The experimental research combined two types of stem cells and created a viable embryo – which the team say would provide an unlimited stock for medical research… The researchers believe the wonder creation could see mice being cloned in three years time, and humans two decades later. Lead researcher, Professor Nicholas Rivron of Maastricht University, said the main use for the embryos would be to test drugs and solve the infertility riddle.
“He said: ‘As you know, embryos are very precious, and it is impossible to use to test drugs on them as you don’t have the numbers. With blastocysts you can open up the numbers. This will allow screening medicines in the future.’ Professor Robin Lovell-Badge of the Francis Crick Institute added while the experiment was a huge breakthrough for modern science, it may come as a relief it cannot be replicated in humans yet…
“Cloning continues to fascinate the science world, particularly after Dolly the Sheep made headlines across the globe in 1996. The ewe lived for six years after being the first mammal cloned by professors at the University of Edinburgh by Keith Campbell and Ian Wilmut. The animal died five months before her seventh birthday from a progressive lung disease.”
“Major Quake Hits Hawaii, Prompts Further Volcano Eruptions”
Reuters reported on May 7:
“Lava spewing in fountains up to 300 feet high from an erupting Hawaiian volcano has destroyed 35 homes and other buildings… Kilauea, which began exploding on Thursday with fountains and rivers of lava flowing into neighborhoods, has opened 10 volcanic vents since then…
“The southeast corner of the island was rocked by a powerful magnitude 6.9 earthquake on the volcano’s south flank on Friday, the strongest tremor since 1975, and more earthquakes and eruptions have been forecast, perhaps for months to come.
“Kilauea, one of the world’s most active volcanoes and one of five on the island, has been in constant eruption for 35 years. It predominantly blows off basaltic lava in effusive eruptions that flow into the ocean but occasionally experiences more explosive events…”
Acknowledgement and Disclaimer
These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication
