Facebook in turmoil over refusal to police Trump's posts

The clash between Twitter and Donald Trump has thrust rival Facebook into turmoil, with employees rebelling against CEO Mark Zuckerberg's refusal to sanction false or inflammatory posts by the US president.

Some Facebook employees put out word of a "virtual walkout" to take place Monday to protest, according to tweeted messages.

"As allies we must stand in the way of danger, not behind. I will be participating in today's virtual walkout in solidarity with the black community," tweeted Sara Zhang, one of the Facebook employees in the action.

Nearly all Facebook employees are working remotely due to the pandemic.

"We recognize the pain many of our people are feeling right now, especially our Black community," Facebook said in response to the AFP request for comment.

"We encourage employees to speak openly when they disagree with leadership."

Facebook was aware some workers planned the virtual walkout and did not plan to dock their pay.

"Mark is wrong, and I will endeavor in the loudest possible way to change his mind," Ryan Freitas, the design director of Facebook's News Feed, tweeted Sunday, adding that he was organizing about 50 other employees who share his view.


At the root of the discord is Twitter's unprecedented intervention last week when it tagged two Trump tweets about mail-in ballots with messages urging people to "get the facts."

Zuckerberg reacted by telling Fox News that private social media platforms "shouldn't be the arbiter of truth of everything that people say online." Trump retweeted the interview.

On Friday, Twitter responded once again to a Trump tweet, this time after he used the platform to warn protesters outraged by the death at police hands of an unarmed black man that "when the looting starts, the shooting starts."

Twitter covered up the tweet with a message warning it "violated Twitter Rules about glorifying violence." Viewers had to click on the message to see the underlying tweet.

The message also was posted on Facebook, but Zuckerberg decided to let it stand unchallenged.

"I've been struggling with how to respond to the President's tweets and posts all day," he wrote Friday in a post.

"Personally, I have a visceral negative reaction to this kind of divisive and inflammatory rhetoric."

But, Zuckerberg went on to say that "our position is that we should enable as much expression as possible unless it will cause imminent risk of specific harms or dangers spelled out in clear policies."

- Network in revolt -

Twitter and Facebook both have in place systems to combat disinformation and dangerous content -- appeals to hatred, harassment, incitement to violence and the like.

But Facebook exempts political personalities and candidates from these restrictions.

Zuckerberg's position has not gone down well with many of his employees.


"I don't know what to do, but I know doing nothing is not acceptable," Jason Stirman, a member of Facebook's research and development team, wrote on Twitter.

Other Facebook employees spoke out on Sunday.

David Gillis, a member of the design team who specializes in product safety and integrity, said he believed Trump's looting and shooting tweet "encourages extra-judicial violence and racism."

"While I understand why we chose to stay squarely within the four corners of our violence and incitement policy, I think it would have been right for us to make a 'spirit of the policy' exception that took more context into account," he wrote.

Nate Butler, a Facebook product designer, added: "I need to be clear – FB is on the wrong side of this and I can't support their stance. Doing nothing isn't Being Bold. Many of us feel this way."

- A presidential call -

To make matters worse, US media revealed Sunday that Zuckerberg and Trump spoke by telephone on Friday.

The conversation was "productive," unnamed sources told the Axios news outlet and CNBC. Facebook would neither confirm nor deny the reports.

The call "destroys" the idea that Facebook is a "neutral arbiter," said Evelyn Douek, a researcher at Harvard Law School.

Like other experts, she questioned whether Facebook's new oversight board, formed last month to render independent judgments on content, will have the clout to intervene.

On Saturday, the board offered assurances it was aware there were "many significant issues related to online content" that people want it to consider.

Facebook, meanwhile, is directly affected by Trump's counter-attack against Twitter.

The president signed a decree Thursday attacking one of the legal pillars of the US internet, Section 230, which shields digital platforms from lawsuits linked to content posted by third parties while giving them the freedom to intervene as they please to police the exchanges.

Agence France-Presse

Now Trump says it's wrong to compare coronavirus to regular flu

WASHINGTON, United States — President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the risk from coronavirus is emphatically worse than regular flu, reversing his previous statements.

Trump told a White House press conference that "a lot of people" had previously suggested the country should simply let the coronavirus take its course, just like the seasonal flu.

"Ride it out, don't do anything, just ride it out and think of it as the flu," they said, according to Trump, who said: "But it's not the flu. It is vicious."

Trump's clear statement contrasted with numerous recent times when he made the argument himself that the pandemic was comparable to the annual spread of flu.

He appeared to favor this thinking while questioning the need to shut down the US economy through social distancing measures and travel bans.

On March 9, for example, Trump noted that tens of thousands of Americans die from the flu annually.

"Nothing is shut down, life & the economy go on," he tweeted. "At this moment there are 546 confirmed cases of CoronaVirus, with 22 deaths. Think about that!"

Just a week ago, Trump told Fox News in an interview that despite deaths of about 36,000 people a year on average from flu, "we've never closed down the country for the flu."

"So you say to yourself, 'What is this all about?'"

Projections that at least 100,000 people will have been killed by the coronavirus in the United States, even if social distancing measures are carried out, appear to have prompted a major shift in Trump's outlook.

On Tuesday, he said that with no social distancing, the projections ran as high as 2.2 million deaths.

"If we did nothing, if we just carried on with our life," he said, "you would have seen people dying on airplanes, you would have seen people dying in hotel lobbies. You would have seen death all over."

Agence France-Presse

Fauci says coronavirus could claim up to 200,000 US lives

A senior US scientist issued a cautious prediction Sunday that the novel coronavirus could claim as many as 200,000 lives in the United States, as state and local officials described increasingly desperate shortages in hard-pressed hospitals.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, who leads research into infectious diseases at the National Institutes of Health, told CNN that models predicting a million or more US deaths were "not impossible, but very, very unlikely."

He offered a rough estimate of 100,000 to 200,000 deaths and "millions of cases."

But Fauci, a leading member of President Donald Trump's coronavirus task force and for many Americans a comforting voice of authority, quickly added, "I don't want to be held to that ... It's such a moving target that you can so easily be wrong and mislead people."

By way of comparison, a US flu epidemic in 2018-19 killed 34,000 people.

COVID-19 has hit the US with explosive force in recent days and weeks, following a path seen earlier in parts of Asia and Europe.

It took a month for the US to move from its first confirmed death, on February 29, to its 1,000th. But in two days this week that number doubled, to nearly 2,200 on Sunday. The case total of 124,763 -- as tallied by Johns Hopkins University -- is the world's highest.

"This is the way pandemics work, and that's why we all are deeply concerned and why we have been raising the alert," Dr. Deborah Birx, the response coordinator for the White House task force, said Sunday on NBC.

"No state, no metro area will be spared."

- 'A sharp escalation ahead' -

In the US, the epicenter has been New York City, with 672 deaths so far. Hospital staff have issued desperate pleas for more protective equipment.

Mayor Bill de Blasio said Sunday that his city's hospitals have enough protective equipment -- but not enough of the life-saving ventilators -- for only another week.

He said he had made a direct request to President Donald Trump and the US military "to find us immediately more military medical personnel and get them here by next Sunday."

De Blasio credited federal officials with being "very responsive," but added, "we're talking about a sharp escalation ahead."

From Washington state, where the disease first struck with force, Governor Jay Inslee described "a desperate need for all kinds of equipment." He said the nation needed to be put on an essentially wartime footing.

Inslee pushed back against the notion, advocated earlier by Trump, that the country could begin returning to work by Easter.

"There are some hard realities we have to understand," he said on CNN. "Unless we continue a very vigorous social distancing program in my state, this will continue to spread like wildfire."

- 'Worse by the minute' -

Governor Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan also described a deteriorating picture, especially in her state's largest city, Detroit.

"We had a thousand new cases yesterday," she said. "We know that number will be even higher today... The dire situation in Detroit is getting worse by the minute."

Whitmer bemoaned a system that has states competing against one another for desperately needed supplies.

"We're bidding against one another, and in some cases the federal government is taking priority," she said.

"It's really, I think, creating a lot more problems for all of us."

House speaker Nancy Pelosi said that Trump's "continued delay in getting equipment to where it's needed is deadly."

Asked on CNN whether she believed that Trump, by initially downplaying the severity of coronavirus, had cost American lives, she replied bluntly, "Yes, I'm saying that."

Dr. Birx declined to say what her recommendation would be to the president about an eventual easing of work and travel restrictions, but she offered this advice:

"Every metro area should assume that they could have an outbreak equivalent to New York, and do everything right now to prevent it."

Agence France-Presse

Unity in shreds as triumphant Trump makes case for re-election

WASHINGTON, United States — President Donald Trump's State of the Union address became a shocking display of US divisions Tuesday with Democrats protesting the Republican's boasts before their leader, Nancy Pelosi, ripped up her copy of the speech on live television.

The House speaker's gesture at the very end encapsulated the seething atmosphere in the Capitol as Trump made a one hour and 18 minutes pitch for a second term in office.

Instead of what traditionally has been an annual moment for political truce, this State of the Union mirrored the political war raging through the country ahead of November elections.

Trump was still on the podium, having just completed the soaring finale to his speech when Pelosi, standing just behind him, raised the papers and demonstratively tore them to pieces.

"It was the courteous thing to do, considering the alternatives," she told a reporter afterwards.


The speech began with as much rancor as it ended, when Trump ignored past custom and declined to shake hands with Pelosi, who as speaker of the House of Representatives had overseen the push to impeach Trump for abuse of office.

She put out a hand and Trump turned away, leaving her arm in thin air.

Democrats responded to Trump's speech, where he proclaimed a "great American comeback" and touted his achievements, by refusing to follow Republicans in repeated standing ovations. There was booing and several Democrats walked out.

"The president has no class," House Democrat Jim McGovern told reporters afterwards. "I mean, he should have, out of respect, taken the speaker's hand."

"But after delivering what essentially was a campaign rally speech that was terribly dark and divisive, I think the speaker did the right thing ripping it up."

Underlying all the tension was the fact that after months of impeachment investigations in the Democratic-led House, the Republican majority Senate is now almost certain to acquit Trump on Wednesday.

But Trump's speech did not once mention the word "impeachment."

Right-wing hero 

Much of the address was taken up with proclaiming his successful economic policies and the "America first" outlook.

"We have shattered the mentality of American decline and we have rejected the downsizing of America's destiny," he said.

The Republican said his policies of deregulation and tax cuts—criticized by opponents as damaging the environment and favoring the wealthy over the poor—were responsible for "unparalleled" economic success.

He listed the North American USMCA trade pact, a trade deal with China, massive military spending, "unprecedented" measures to stop illegal immigration, and his bid to "end America's wars in the Middle East" as examples of fulfilling his commitments to voters.

He threw his conservative base strings of red meat—tough talk on abortion, prayer in schools and the right to bear arms.

But flourishes that could have come right out of Trump's days as a reality TV show entertainer grabbed the real attention.

At one moment he paused his speech to praise Rush Limbaugh, one of the fathers of America's hugely influential conservative radio landscape, who disclosed this week that he has advanced lung cancer.

To the surprise of the packed audience, Trump announced that his wife Melania, who was alongside Limbaugh, was going to present the ideological star with the coveted Medal of Freedom—the highest possible civilian award.

Later, Trump outdid even this stroke of theatrics by singling out a woman in the audience whose army husband had been away for months on foreign deployments, then telling her he had "a very special surprise."

It was her husband, in full uniform, coming down the stairs for a tearful, surprise reunion—in front of a primetime national television audience.

No impeachment mention 

This could have been the darkest week of Trump's administration, with only the third presidential impeachment trial in US history poised to culminate Wednesday in the Senate.

But since being reassured that his party will come through with full acquittal, Trump has shown growing signs of confidence that he can march forward with a bid for re-election.

A combative Trump had already spent the earlier part of Tuesday mocking the Democrats' shambolic kick-off to their primary season, saying that delays in the vote count in Iowa proved their incompetence.

Trump got yet more good news on Tuesday with a Gallup poll showing his approval rating at its highest ever: 49%.

At the State of the Union, his guests reflected the political themes he hopes will maintain his ferociously loyal base, including a senior border patrol officer, a woman whose brother was murdered by an illegal immigrant in 2018.

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, recognized as the country's interim president by the United States, was also a guest in a public show of support for his efforts to dislodge President Nicolas Maduro.

Facebook exec says it helped put Trump in White House

LAS VEGAS, United States — A senior Facebook executive on Tuesday said the world's biggest social network unintentionally helped put Donald Trump in the White House but warned against dramatic rule changes.

The Trump campaign did effectively use Facebook to rally support for his presidential run, and the social network should be mindful of that without making moves that stifle free political discourse, Andrew Bosworth said in a lengthy post on his personal Facebook page triggered by The New York Times publishing an internal memo he wrote.

"So was Facebook responsible for Donald Trump getting elected?" Bosworth asked.

"I think the answer is yes, but not for the reasons anyone thinks."

Bosworth contended Trump was not elected because of Russia or misinformation or Cambridge Analytica, but rather because he ran "the single best digital ad campaign I've ever seen from any advertiser."

He went on to say that, since Facebook has the same ad policies in place now, the outcome of the 2020 election could be the same as it was four years ago.

"As tempting as it is to use the tools available to us to change the outcome, I am confident we must never do that or we will become that which we fear," Bosworth wrote.

That doesn't mean Facebook should not draw a line when it comes to how it is used, he reasoned. Clearly inciting violence, thwarting voting, and other blatant transgressions should be banned, but voters should be trusted to decide what kind of leaders they want to elect, according to Bosworth.

"If we don’t want hate-mongering politicians then we must not elect them," Bosworth wrote.

"If we change the outcomes without winning the minds of the people who will be ruled then we have a democracy in name only. If we limit what information people have access to and what they can say then we have no democracy at all."

source: philstar.com

Trump impeached for abuse of power

WASHINGTON, United States — US President Donald Trump was impeached for abuse of power in a historic vote in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, setting up a Senate trial on removing him from office after three turbulent years.

By a 230 to 197 vote in the Democratic-majority House, the 45th US president becomes just the third occupant of the White House in American history to be impeached.

Democrats said they had "no choice" but to formally charge the Republican president, whose impeachment along stark party lines places an indelible stain on his record while driving a spike ever deeper into the US political divide.

"What is at risk here is the very idea of America," said Adam Schiff, the lawmaker who headed the impeachment inquiry, ahead of the vote.

Trump will now stand trial in the Senate, where his Republicans hold a solid majority and are expected to exonerate him.


The House vote came four months after a whistleblower blew open the scandal of Trump pressuring Ukraine's president to investigate his potential White House challenger in 2020, the veteran Democrat Joe Biden.

After a marathon of 10 hours of debate, lawmakers were to vote quickly on the second article of impeachment facing Trump -- for obstructing the congressional probe into his Ukraine dealings by blocking the testimony of subpoenaed White House aides.

Despite testimony from 17 officials that Trump leveraged his office for domestic politic gain, the president maintained his innocence throughout the impeachment inquiry -- furiously denouncing it as a "witch hunt," an "attempted coup" and on Wednesday as an "assault on America."

Trump spent the first part of the day holed up at the White House, sending out tweets reflecting his frustration, anger and predictions of revenge in the 2020 election.

But as the vote took place, the 73-year-old was on friendlier territory.

In an extraordinary split screen moment, while the House was casting votes to impeach him, thousands of Trump's most fervent supporters were cheering him at a rally in Michigan where he railed against a "radical left" he said was "consumed with hatred."

Democrats are "trying to nullify the ballots of tens of millions of patriotic Americans," he charged.

"Four more years, four more years," the crowd chanted back.

'Threat to national security'

Neither of the two previous presidents impeached since 1789, Andrew Johnson in 1868 and Bill Clinton in 1998, was convicted in the Senate, and both held onto their jobs.

But despite the high likelihood of Trump being cleared by Senate Republicans, Democrats said the evidence against him was overwhelming and forced them to act.

"It is tragic that the president's reckless actions make impeachment necessary. He gave us no choice," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

"It is a matter of fact that the president is an ongoing threat to our national security and the integrity of our elections."

Both camps approached the vote with solemnity.

"It's a big responsibility, it's sobering, and I think the members feel that way too," House Democrat Diana DeGette told AFP.

"I come to this floor not as a Republican, not as a Democrat, but as an American," said independent legislator Justin Amash.

"Impeachment is about maintaining the integrity of the office of the presidency."

'Triggered into impeaching'

The day of dramatic and often angry oratory saw both sides delving deep into Constitutional law, citing the intentions of the country's hallowed founders such as Benjamin Franklin or Alexander Hamilton.

Republicans repeatedly drove the line that the Democrats rushed the investigation; Trump was treated more unfairly than witches put on trial in the 17th century Americas -- or even than Jesus Christ, they claimed.

"Pontius Pilate gave Jesus the opportunity to face his accusers. During that sham trial, Pontius Pilate afforded more rights to Jesus than the Democrats afforded this president and this process," said Georgia Republican Barry Loudermilk.

They accused Democrats of being driven by a party fringe of socialist extremists and "Trump-haters," and warned that impeaching Trump would backlash against the party in national elections next November.

"This is not about the Ukraine, it's about power," said Republican Matt Gaetz.

"Voters will never forget that Democrats have been triggered into impeaching the president, because they don't like him, and they don't like us."

Democrats countered that Republicans were not addressing the charges and evidence, instead issuing blanket denials and counter-accusations.

"We do not hear, because we cannot hear, because they cannot articulate, a real defense of the president's actions," said Jerry Nadler, whose Judiciary Committee drafted the charges against Trump.

source: philstar.com

NATO leaders caught on camera mocking Trump

WATFORD, United Kingdom — The leaders of Britain, Canada, France and the Netherlands have  been caught on camera at a Buckingham Palace reception mocking US President Donald Trump's lengthy media appearances ahead of Wedensday's NATO summit.

The footage, shot by the British host's camera pool on Tuesday evening and spotted and subtitled by Canada's CBC, set the tone for the allies' summit in Watford, just outside London.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson can be heard asking France's President Emmanuel Macron: "Is that why you were late?"


Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau interjects: "He was late because he takes a 40 minute press conference off the top."

Earlier Tuesday, Macron's one-on-one pre-summit meeting with Trump had been proceeded by a lengthy question and answer session with the media, as the leaders publicly disagreed about NATO strategy and trade.

In the video, Macron appears to tell an anecdote about the encounter as Britain's Princess Anne and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte look on, but the French leader's back is to camera and he is inaudible amid the hubbub.

"Oh, yeah, yeah, he announced..." an amused Trudeau declares, adding: "You just watched his team's jaw drop to the floor."

As he did at last year's NATO meeting, Trump has thrown out normal summit protocol and used his appearances with allied leaders to field dozens of questions from the world's media.

He has condemned as "nasty" Macron's criticism of brain dead NATO, branded European countries that have failed to meet military spending targets "delinquent" and railed against moves in Washington to impeach him.

Trump is due to give another news conference, this time on his own, later Wednesday after the 29 NATO leaders hold a full three-hour closed-door summit session and issue a statement to celebrate their unity.

source: philstar.com

Trump booed at UFC fight night in New York

NEW YORK, United States — President Donald Trump was loudly booed on Saturday for the second time in a week at a sporting event as he attended a UFC fight in New York.

Trump, wearing a dark suit and a red tie, pumped his fist and waved at the crowd as he walked into the city's iconic Madison Square Garden arena on Saturday night.

There was no repeat of the loud chants of "lock him up" that greeted Trump when he attended a World Series baseball game last weekend, but loud jeers rung out.


Many mixed martial arts fans also clapped and cheered as Trump took his seat just 15 feet from the cage where the UFC was set to award the "BMF" belt.

Several dozen protesters carrying placards with slogans such as "Trump/Pence Out Now!" and "Headlock Him Up" demonstrated outside the 20,000-seat venue as Trump arrived for the pay-per-view spectacle.

The president, 73, looked on in concern as lightweight Kevin Lee delivered a vicious left kick to rival Gregor Gillespie's face during the first bout on the main card.

The contact, which left the fighter sprawled on the ground for around 30 seconds, drew loud gasps from the capacity crowd as they watched the slow-motion replay of his face being squished.

Trump could be seen clapping in support when Gillespie finally got to his feet.

The president was attending the fight night with sons Donald Jr and Eric.

Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz were due to slug it out for the "BMF" belt later Saturday.

source: philstar.com

Stocks close weaker as traders turn to US markets

MANILA, Philippines — The stock market closed the week on a sour note behind recent developments in the US political landscape.

The Philippine Stock Exchange index fell 0.97 percent or 77.26 points to finish at 7,819.22 on Friday.

The broader All Shares index likewise lost 0.85 percent or 40.53 points to settle at 4,728.81.

“Shares slid as traders monitored the latest trade developments and assessed a whistle-blower complaint against President Donald Trump that was released,” said Regina Capital’s Luis Limlingan.

Limlingan said positive statement on China-US trade talk, however, was able to limit losses in the overnight markets.

Local counters were covered in red, with mining and oil being the biggest casualty with a 2.62 percent or 241-point drop. Holding and property counters fell by more than one percent each.

Net foreign selling amounted to P464 million.

Market breadth was negative as decliners pummeled advancers, 133 to 57, while 43 stocks did not change. Value turnover stood at P5.93 billion.

“While we remain a buy on the index, we’ve been flagging the past few days that we would prefer to wait near its recent lows at the 7,620 level. With a lack of catalysts in the local scene in the near-term, movement could likely be dictated by US market movement and foreign flows,” Gabriel Perez of Papa Securities said.

source: philstar.com

Greta Thunberg berates leaders as UN climate summit falls short

UNITED NATIONS, United States — An emotional Greta Thunberg tore into world leaders at a UN climate summit Monday, accusing them of betraying her generation by failing to tackle greenhouse gas emissions, as announcements by major economies fell far short of expectations.

The Swedish teen's impassioned speech, in which she repeated the words "How dare you" four times, was the defining moment of the meeting, called by UN chief Antonio Guterres to reinvigorate the faltering Paris climate agreement.

Ahead of the conference, the United Nations issued a release saying 66 countries vowed to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, along with 10 regions, 102 cities, and scores of businesses.

But pre-summit predictions of new, headline-grabbing commitments, particularly by the likes of China and India, failed to match reality, angering environmental groups.

The world's top scientists believe long-term temperature rise must be limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial levels to prevent runaway warming with catastrophic effects.

But rather than peaking, the level of emissions being released into the atmosphere are at an all-time high, triggering global weather hazards from heat waves to intense hurricanes and raging wildfires.

New data released Monday showed the 2019 Arctic sea ice minimum is ranked at second-lowest in the 41-year satellite record, effectively tied with 2007 and 2016.

"I shouldn't be up here. I should be back at school on the other side of the ocean," said Thunberg, 16, who has become the global face of a growing youth movement against climate inaction that mobilized millions in a worldwide strike on Friday.

"You come to us young people for hope. How dare you?" she thundered, her voice at times breaking with emotion.

Matters did not improve much as a succession of national leaders took to the podium saying they understood the gravity of the situation but then failing to announce concrete plans.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not say explicitly whether his country would enhance its commitments made under the Paris agreement -- though he did say it was working on more than doubling its renewable energy capacity.

There was also no new announcement by China, the world's biggest emitter. Senior foreign policy official Wang Yi spoke instead about the need for multilateralism, taking a veiled swipe at US President Donald Trump for pulling out of the Paris accord on taking office.

"The withdrawal of certain parties will not shake the collective will of the international community," he said.

Environmental and campaign groups reacted with almost unanimous disappointment.

"I think Greta's impassioned cry for sanity and for actually listening and acting based on the science was ignored," Greenpeace International chief Jennifer Morgan told AFP.

Trump surprise

Fewer than half of the 136 heads of government or state in New York this week to attend the UN General Assembly attended on Monday.

Trump, who announced his intent to withdraw the US from the Paris agreement and has heaped scorn on climate science, had been expected to skip the event but made a brief unscheduled appearance, spending a few minutes in the hall, where he applauded Modi's speech and then left.

Among those absent were President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil, under whose leadership the Amazon rainforest is continuing to burn at record rates, and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, whose government has pursued an aggressively pro-coal agenda.

Laurence Tubiana, one of the architects of the Paris agreement, told AFP the summit that Chinese lack of action was linked to its internal politics as it prepares its next five-year-plan.

But she said that she saw progress too.

"The big win is these group of countries who are for net zero by 2050," she said.

"The next step is to have them explain how they do that and what they do immediately." 

Increased urgency

Earlier, opening the summit, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said: "The climate emergency is a race we are losing, but it is a race we can win."

French President Emmanuel Macron invited his counterparts from Chile, Colombia and Bolivia to a meeting where $500 million in extra funds were pledged by major donors.

Macron also lauded Russia, which ratified the Paris agreement on Monday, and said Europe must do more, repeating a vow to close coal-fired plants by 2022.

Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel, repeated recently announced pledges including $55 billion for a new innovation and technology package and net zero emissions by 2050.

And British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the UK would double its climate change funding through an overseas development program to $14.4 billion over five years.

In his closing comments, Guterres emphasized the positives, highlighting the growing action from the corporate sector, commitments from countries to plant more than 11 billion trees.

But he added: "We need more concrete plans, more ambition from more countries and more businesses, saying the next critical landmark would come at a conference in Santiago in December.

source: philstar.com

As feud heats up, Trump says Biden was subject of Ukraine call

WASHINGTON, United States — US President Donald Trump confirmed Sunday that he discussed former vice president Joe Biden and corruption allegations in a phone call with Ukraine's leader, adding to calls by Trump's opponents for his impeachment.

A whistleblower's complaint sparked off accusations that Trump had sought to persuade President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate a son of Biden, Trump's possible 2020 election challenger -- raising concerns of dangerous foreign meddling in the US election similar to the interference blamed on Russia in 2016.

Trump said that the conversation, held in July, addressed alleged corruption involving Biden and his son Hunter, and he floated the possibility that a transcript could be released.


"We had a very great conversation, very straight, very honest conversation. I hope they can put it out," Trump said, repeating that he had done nothing wrong in the latest scandal to shake his presidency.

"The conversation I had was largely congratulatory, was largely corruption... and largely the fact that we don't want our people, like vice president Biden and his son, creating... the corruption already in the Ukraine."


Trump reportedly pressed Zelensky about eight times on the call to investigate possible corruption involving Hunter Biden, who worked with a Ukrainian natural gas company while his father was vice president.

Biden told reporters on Saturday that Trump's actions appeared "to be an overwhelming abuse of power."

"I know what I'm up against, a serial abuser. That's what this guy is," Biden said.

Impeachment calls return

The Democratic Party has been split on whether to push for impeachment proceedings against Trump since he came to power in 2017.

But influential congressman Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, on Sunday said that his own reservations about impeachment were fading over Trump's Ukraine call.

"We're talking about serious or flagrant abuse and potential violation of law," Schiff told CNN.

"I have been very reluctant to go down the path of impeachment (but) the president is pushing us down this road.

"This seems different in kind, and we may very well have crossed the Rubicon here."

The Ukraine scandal mushroomed last week when Schiff revealed the acting Director of National Intelligence, Joseph Maguire, had refused to hand over the whistleblower complaint to Congress -- the latest administration rebuff to Congressional oversight efforts.

Maguire is scheduled to publicly testify before Schiff's committee on Thursday.

Nancy Pelosi, the top Democrat in Congress, said Sunday that if Trump's administration continued to block the complaint being released "they will be entering a grave new chapter of lawlessness which will take us into a whole new stage of investigation."

The phone call, reportedly on July 25, came the day after former special counsel Robert Mueller testified before Congress about his report that catalogued extensive contacts between the Trump 2016 campaign and Russians, including attempts to cooperate or collude -- neither of which is a specific crime.

It also laid out in detail 10 instances when Trump allegedly tried to obstruct the investigation, which Trump dismissed as a "big hoax".

Trump's senior staff swung behind him on Sunday. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told CNN that "I don't have any reason to believe that the president pressured" President Zelensky.

"People know there were issues that Biden's son did business in Ukraine. I, for one, have concerns about that," Mnuchin said.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told ABC that "if vice president Biden behaved inappropriately, if he was protecting his son and intervened in a way that was corrupt, I think we need to get to the bottom of it."

But Republican Senator Mitt Romney, a regular critic of Trump, said that any evidence of Trump asking Ukraine's president to investigate Biden "would be troubling in the extreme."

Trump and Zelensky will meet for the first time Wednesday at the UN General Assembly in New York.

source: philstar.com

Market may climb anew this week

MANILA, Philippines — The stock market may continue to go up this week, sustaining the gains the previous weeks amid the scheduled resumption of US-China trade talks, traders said.

Michael Ricafort, chief economist at Yuchengco-owned Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC), sees the index’s next resistance at the 8,000 mark.

“The Philippine Stock Exchange Composite index (PSEi) gained for the third week in four weeks by 58.85 points or 0.7 percent to close at 7,992.32, a new one-month high and also among four-month highs and also among 17-month highs,” Ricafort said.


This, he said, is amid improved global risk appetite recently with the scheduled resumption of the trade talks between the US and China by early October and recent gestures by both countries to improve the said trade talks.

“The next resistance is at 8,000, which is a gateway prior to further upside potential in the near future,” Ricafort said.


Earlier, US President Trump deferred by two weeks the scheduled higher tariffs (which would translate to additional five percent duties) on $250 billion US imports from China. Trump deferred this to Oct. 15 from Oct. 1 to improve the US-China trade talks.

Ricafort said this was a positive signal for the global financial markets.

China also agreed to exempt some US imports from tariffs for about a year starting Sept. 17, which Ricafort said was another positive signal for the markets.

“Trump administration plans to ease sanctions on Iran to help secure a meeting with Iranian leader Hassan Rouhani on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on Sept. 23. The markets are also anticipating the upcoming Fed rate-setting meeting on Sept. 18 amid possible 0.25 rate cut, which is another factor that could support sentiment in the global financial markets in the coming week,” Ricafort said.

source: philstar.com

'Tiananmen Square' crackdown in Hong Kong would harm trade deal — Trump

WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump on Sunday warned China that carrying out a Tiananmen Square-style crackdown on Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters would harm trade talks between the two countries.

"I think it'd be very hard to deal if they do violence, I mean, if it's another Tiananmen Square," Trump told reporters in New Jersey. "I think it's a very hard thing to do if there's violence."

The months-long trade dispute between the US and China has been blamed for setting world financial markets on edge amid signs of a possible global economic slowdown.

Trump's comments came as Washington and Beijing look to revive pivotal talks aimed at ending their trade war.

Phone calls between both countries' deputies are planned for the next 10 days, and if those are successful, negotiations could resume, Trump's chief economic advisor Larry Kudlow said on Sunday.

Hong Kong has meanwhile been dealing with more than two months of protests and on Sunday saw a crowd that organizers said numbered some 1.7 million people march peacefully in the city despite rising unrest and stark warnings from Beijing.

Chinese state media has run images of military personnel and armored personnel carriers in Shenzhen, across the border from the semi-autonomous city.

In the bloody 1989 crackdown in Beijing's Tiananmen Square, China deployed tanks to end student-led protests, resulting in an estimated death toll of hundreds if not thousands.


If such a situation was repeated in Hong Kong, "I think there'd be... tremendous political sentiment not to do something," Trump said, referring to the trade negotiations with China.

Creeping authoritarianism

Under a deal signed with Britain, China agreed to allow Hong Kong to keep its unique freedoms when the former crown colony was handed back in 1997.

But many Hong Kongers feel those freedoms are being chipped away, especially since China's hardline president Xi Jinping came to power.

Trump stopped short of endorsing the protesters, saying, "I'd love to see it worked out in a humane fashion," and calling on Xi to negotiate with the dissidents.

Last week, China's state-run daily The Global Times said there "won't be a repeat" of Tiananmen Square in a rare reference to the crackdown.

Analysts say any intervention in Hong Kong by Chinese security forces would be a disaster for China's reputation and economy.

The weeks of demonstrations have plunged the financial hub into crisis, with images of masked, black-clad protesters engulfed by tear gas during street battles against riot police stunning a city once renowned for its stability.

The unrest was sparked by widespread opposition to a plan for allowing extraditions to the Chinese mainland, but has since morphed into a broader call for democratic rights in the semi-autonomous city.

Sunday's march, billed as a return to the peaceful origins of the leaderless protest movement, was one of the largest rallies since the protests began about three months ago, according to organizers the Civil Human Rights Front.

source: philstar.com

US House rejects bid to launch Trump impeachment proceedings

WASHINGTON, United States — The US House of Representatives on Wednesday rejected a congressman's bid to launch impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump, tamping down a groundswell of anger after the president made xenophobic comments about Democrats.

The chamber voted 332 to 95 to table, or effectively kill, a resolution brought by Democrat Al Green that raised whether to begin procedures to remove Trump from office.

The majority of the House's 235 Democrats joined all Republicans in voting to indefinitely delay the impeachment bid, although a substantial number of Democrats went on record in favor of considering articles of impeachment.

Trump took to Twitter following the vote to declare efforts to impeach him "over."

"This is perhaps the most ridiculous and time consuming project I have ever had to work on," Trump wrote, adding: "This should never be allowed to happen to another President of the United States again!"

source: philstar.com

As US agents prepare to arrest 'thousands,' migrants live in fear

NEW YORK, United States — Thousands of undocumented immigrants were waiting in fear and uncertainty ahead of nationwide raids Sunday that President Donald Trump said would lead to a wave of expulsions.

Demonstrators in dozens of cities protested the planned raids, and local and state officials called for restraint, but to no effect.

Before dawn on Sunday, agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are expected to hit the streets of at least 10 major American cities with plans to arrest some 2,000 undocumented migrants who entered the United States recently.

The scope of the operation appears far more modest than the "millions" Trump had promised would be detained and expelled when he first mentioned the raids -- and subsequently postponed -- last month.

But that has not eased the anguish felt by those who fear they might be targeted.

Adding to their concerns are media reports that ICE agents are prepared to scoop up not just those targeted by removal orders but also other undocumented migrants that agents may come upon incidentally.

That, potentially, could include some migrants who have been in the country for years, with homes, jobs and children who are US citizens.

'It's traumatizing' 

"This uncertainty, this fear, is wreaking havoc," Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said on CNN. "It's traumatizing people."

Trump insisted on Friday that "most mayors" want the raids.

"Most mayors do. You know why? They don't want to have crimes in their cities," he said, repeating his frequent -- and incorrect --  assertion that migrants are more likely to be criminals than native-born Americans.

Several mayors have expressed concern about the federal operation.

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez pointed out that in 2018, his first year in office, his Florida city experienced its "lowest homicide rate in 51 years -- so I don't understand the rationale for choosing Miami."

"It doesn't make it easier for us, as mayors, to keep our citizens and those who are in our city ... quiet and calm."

'A political act' 

Some city officials, as well as pro-migrant and civil rights groups, have sought to educate those who might be targeted on their rights in the event of a raid. 

"We're asking people, if you are in fear of deportation, to stay in on Sunday, to travel in groups," Atlanta Mayor Keisha Bottoms said on CNN. If "someone comes to your door, please don't open the door unless they have a warrant."

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio told MSNBC he sees the raids as "a political act to convince a lot of people in America that immigrants are the problem."

Like many other city officials, he fears the aggressive roundup could intimidate migrants, making them less likely in future to cooperate with local police, thus making it harder to ensure public safety.

Millions 'in line' 

"We have millions of people standing in line waiting to become citizens of this country," Trump said Friday.

He said it would be unfair to them if others could simply cross the border in an attempt to gain the privileges of American life.

But the impending raids have raised concerns about how a new influx could affect federal detention centers already badly overcrowded. 

The United States has been struggling for more than a year with a migration crisis on its southern border, as thousands of people stream into the US each month, mostly from Central American countries riven by violence and poverty.

The number of undocumented arrivals totaled more than 100,000 last month -- down 28 percent from May but still at a "critical" level, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

On Friday and Saturday, dozens of protests were organized across the country by groups demanding the closing of overcrowded detention centers and opposing the planned raids.

Requisitioning hotels? 

Several American news outlets have reported on centers holding young children, separated from their parents, in crowded and unhygienic conditions.

US officials have acknowledged the overcrowding but insisted they are doing their best to provide decent conditions.

Some reports Saturday suggested that ICE might have to requisition hotel rooms to accommodate those detained in the upcoming raids.

A major hotel chain, Marriott International, was asked by AFP whether it had been contacted by the government.

It said it had not yet been contacted, but added, "Marriott has made the decision to decline any requests to use our hotels as detention facilities."

source: philstar.com

Trump says 'Pro-Life' but favors exceptions for rape, incest

WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump on Saturday declared himself "strongly Pro-Life" but in favor of exceptions for pregnancies resulting from rape or incest, after several US states passed tough new restrictions on abortions.

The US president spelled out his position on abortion, set to be a hot-button issue at next year's election, days after Alabama's governor signed the country's most restrictive law — enacting a near-total prohibition even in cases of rape and incest.

"As most people know, and for those who would like to know, I am strongly Pro-Life, with the three exceptions — Rape, Incest and protecting the Life of the mother — the same position taken by Ronald Reagan," tweeted Trump.

Trump, a bombastic, twice-divorced billionaire, won over the evangelical vote during his 2016 campaign by promising to appoint anti-abortion justices at the Supreme Court.

He has since brought two conservative appointees to the highest court in the land — Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh — shifting the balance of the nine-person bench.

American evangelicals now have high hopes that the court will chip away at its historic 1973 US decision to legalize abortion.

In addition to Alabama, the Missouri legislature this week made abortions illegal from eight weeks of pregnancy.

Georgia, Ohio, Mississippi, Kentucky, Iowa and North Dakota have enacted laws banning abortion from the moment a fetal heartbeat is detected.

The bans are expected to be blocked in court, but supporters plan to appeal such decisions until they reach the Supreme Court, in hopes this will lead to the long-sought conservative goal of overturning the abortion ruling, known as Roe v Wade.

Roe v Wade guarantees women's rights to abortion as long as the fetus is not viable

source: philstar.com

'Game Over': Trump again taps 'GoT,' this time in Russia saga

WASHINGTON, United States — President Donald Trump has used "Game of Thrones" imagery to push for his wall on the US-Mexico border and to hint at fresh sanctions on Iran.

Now, he has once again gone to the iconography of the widely acclaimed HBO fantasy series to declare himself the victor in his pitched battle with Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

On Thursday, even before the release of Mueller's long-awaited report detailing his investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 US presidential election, Trump was ready.

"GAME OVER," he declared in an unmistakably "Game of Thrones"-esque tweet. Trump was pictured from behind, wearing his trademark black overcoat, against a backdrop of mist or fog.


"NO COLLUSION, NO OBSTRUCTION. For the haters and the radical left Democrats," it said.

Trump posted the image after Attorney General Bill Barr again declared there was no collusion between the president's campaign and Moscow -- but before the report was made public.

That report, the result of nearly two years of investigation, reveals that Mueller was "unable" to clear Trump of obstruction of justice.

Trump, nevertheless, pinned the tweet on his account.

But HBO was not thrilled.

"Though we can understand the enthusiasm for 'Game of Thrones' now that the final season has arrived, we still prefer our intellectual property not be used for political purposes," it said.

source: philstar.com

Trump calls for end to 'revenge' politics at State of Union

WASHINGTON, United States — US President Donald Trump appealed to Congress Tuesday to unite at a moment of deep partisan division as he made the case for a new era of compromise on immigration and security in his State of the Union address.

"We can make our communities safer, our families stronger, our culture richer, our faith deeper, and our middle class bigger and more prosperous than ever before," Trump said. 

"But we must reject the politics of revenge, resistance, and retribution -- and embrace the boundless potential of cooperation, compromise, and the common good. Together, we can break decades of political stalemate."


It was the president's first speech in the House since the Democrats took the lower chamber back in a landslide last year -- leaving Congress split with Trump's Republicans still in control of the Senate.

He was cheered repeatedly by his side during the speech, which lasted around 85 minutes, but was met with stony silence from the Democrats, led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, as he turned to the thorny subject of immigration.

Vowing to get his disputed border wall built despite opposition by Democratic lawmakers, he urged Congress to "work together" and forge a deal to improve border security.

"In the past, most of the people in this room voted for a wall -- but the proper wall never got built. I'll get it built," he said, referring to lawmakers from both political parties who he repeatedly stresses voted for physical barriers in previous years.

Trump's speech came ahead of a February 15 deadline for Congress to agree on funding for building a border wall which the president made a key pledge in his election campaign.

Democrats, who control the lower house, have repeatedly rejected Trump's funding demands, saying that he has made the wall project a political crusade to demonize immigrants and to satisfy his base.

Trump previously tried to pressure Congress into backing his idea by refusing to sign off on budgets for swathes of the federal government, leading to a five-week shutdown of some 800,000 government jobs.

"Simply put, walls work and walls save lives. So let's work together, compromise, and reach a deal that will truly make America safe," Trump added.

Trump's second State of the Union address came with the Democrats vowing to use their new control over House committees to launch multiple investigations into everything from his charity foundation and tax returns to possible collusion with Russian meddling in the 2016 election. 

"An economic miracle is taking place in the United States, and the only thing that can stop it are foolish wars, politics, or ridiculous partisan investigations," Trump said.

source: philstar.com

Trump turns to 'Game of Thrones' to push for border wall

WASHINGTON, United States — US President Donald Trump turned Thursday to "Game of Thrones" -- a hit TV show that features a massive ice wall -- to push for his controversial barrier on the Mexican border.

"THE WALL IS COMING," Trump wrote in a post on Instagram that featured the font from the show's title and his picture with a border barrier at the bottom.

"Winter is coming" is an iconic phrase from the show that has been fodder for a slew of memes, which Trump previously referenced in a tweet about impending sanctions on Iran.

HBO, which airs "Game of Thrones," was unamused by the president's first nod to the program, saying in a statement carried by US media that it "would prefer our trademark not be misappropriated for political purposes."

The wall in "Game of Thrones" was built to protects the land of Westeros from an army of undead foot soldiers led by villainous "White Walkers" intent on wiping out the humans living to its south.

Trump's wall -- a dispute over funding for which has led to a protracted shutdown of the US government -- is aimed at keeping out Central American migrants fleeing poverty and rampant violence in their home countries.

The wall in the show -- which has played a central if silent role in its eight-season run -- ultimately fails when confronted by an undead dragon.

source: philstar.com

Trump home alone for Christmas

WASHINGTON – An angry US President Donald Trump complained on Monday that he was “all alone” in the White House as the US government shutdown hit a third day, even plunging the nation’s main Christmas tree into darkness.

With Congress out of town and the debate over Trump’s demand for a $5-billion US-Mexico border wall at an impasse, the president sat holed up, tweeting no less than 10 times by early afternoon to lash out at opponents and reject responsibility for a plummeting stock market.

“I am all alone (poor me) in the White House,” tweeted Trump, who had to delay his annual Christmas holiday in Florida because of the crisis in Washington.


Trump said he was “waiting for the Democrats to come back and make a deal on desperately needed Border Security.”

However, the Democrats – and some Republicans – have made clear they will not vote for Trump’s cherished border wall. In retaliation, Trump is refusing to sign a broader spending bill, triggering a standoff that has left swathes of the US government temporarily without funding.

Outside the White House, Washington’s National Christmas Tree became a forlorn symbol of the dysfunction gripping Trump’s presidency two years after his surprise election.

The National Park Service tweeted that the tree would remain unlit and closed to the public “until further notice,” with checks being made for damage following an attempt by an intruder on Friday to climb the tree.

The parks service is one of the many federal institutions suffering from the funding suspension.

The budget standoff could drag on into January, when the new Congress is seated, including a House controlled by Democrats. Negotiations, however, were planned for Thursday, offering a glimmer of hope of resolution.

Trump made a Mexico border wall one of his main campaign promises and the idea is popular with many Republicans backing the president’s message that illegal immigration is out of control.

Democrats and some Republicans in Congress oppose the plans as impractical, unnecessary and fuelling xenophobia against Central Americans.

The government shutdown adds to uncertainties spooking global stock markets after a tumultuous week in which respected Defense Secretary James Mattis resigned and the president stepped up attacks on the supposedly independent chairman of the Federal Reserve.

On Monday, in a session shortened for Christmas Eve, the Dow Jones dropped more than 650 points, or 2.9 percent.

But Trump, who has repeatedly taken credit for good days on the markets, blamed the Fed for the growing sense of disarray.

Last week, the central bank hiked rates, infuriating Trump, who has ignored a traditional respect for the Fed’s independence, calling it “crazy,” “out of control” and a greater economic threat than China.

In a tweet Monday, Trump compared the Fed to a blundering golfer “who can’t score because he has no touch – he can’t putt!”

In other tweets, Trump praised Saudi Arabia for pledging money to rebuild Syria (“Thanks to Saudi A!”), denied lashing out at acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker (“This is a made up story, one of many, by the Fake News Media!”), and took another swipe at his newly departed defense secretary James Mattis for failing to worry about the financial cost of maintaining military alliances (“We are substantially subsidizing the Militaries of many VERY rich countries all over the world”).

Believing in Santa at 7 is ‘marginal’

President Trump and first lady Melania Trump on Christmas Eve took calls from children anxious to find out where Santa was on his gift-giving journey.

In one conversation, Trump asked a 7-year-old named Coleman, “Are you still a believer in Santa?” He listened for a moment before adding, “Because at 7, it’s marginal, right?” Trump listened again and chuckled before saying, “Well, you just enjoy yourself.”

Mrs. Trump told a caller that Santa was in the Sahara. Several minutes later, she reported that Santa was far away in Morocco but would be at the caller’s home on Christmas morning.

Mrs. Trump later tweeted that helping children track Santa “is becoming one of my favorite traditions!”

The NORAD Tracks Santa program became a Christmas Eve tradition after a child mistakenly called the forerunner to the North American Aerospace Defense Command in 1955 and asked to speak to Santa.

The program wasn’t affected by the government shutdown. It’s run by volunteers at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado using pre-approved funding.

The Trumps later traveled to Washington National Cathedral to attend the Solemn Holy Eucharist of Christmas Eve. The cathedral’s website said the program included readings from Holy Scripture, favorite congregational hymns and seasonal choral and instrumental music as well as Holy Communion. Passes were required.

Trump most likely would have been attending Christmas services at a church near his estate in Palm Beach, Florida. But he scrapped plans to head to Florida for the holidays after parts of the government were forced to shut down indefinitely in a budget stalemate with Congress.

source: philstar.com