Top News Stories for Today – Feb 28, 2019
Top News Stories for Today – Feb 28, 2019
Hanoi summit ends without deal
President Trump and North Korean leader Kim’s Hanoi summit was hastily canceled just before noon Thursday, bringing a premature end to the second summit by the leaders of the two countries. Trump said “They were willing to denuke a large portion of the areas we wanted, but we couldn’t give up all the sanctions for that.” He said they discussed dismantling the Yongbyon nuclear complex, but a complicating matter was another uranium enrichment site.
Kim, according to Trump, had promised at dinner the previous evening that North Korea would not conduct further nuclear or missile tests. The president described the Hanoi talks as productive and said he thinks the two sides will eventually reach an agreement about denuclearization of North Korea. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he hoped talks between the two countries would resume soon. VOA
Cohen testifies in Congress
President Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen testifies in Congress Wednesday and making some explosive claims about the president – from hacked emails to hush money. He said Trump has been deeply involved in various crimes and lies to the American public. He concluded his widely watched testimony on Wednesday by predicting that the United States would never see “a peaceful transition of power” if Donald Trump loses the presidency in the next election.
Trump pushed back Thursday during a news conference in Vietnam after a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. He said Cohen was “incorrect” and that he “lied a lot.” His only praise for Cohen was that he was impressed his former lawyer did not lie about Russia collusion. Cohen will testify in a closed-door hearing with the House Intelligence committees on Thursday. VOA BBC Yahoo News
Global US leadership
A new survey shows a widespread lack of confidence in U.S. leadership from residents around the world, with only 31 percent approving of the job performance of American leadership, which drops it below global perceptions for both Germany and China. The new poll by Gallup, released Thursday, shows that during President Donald’s Trump second year in office, views of American leadership remained roughly the same after dropping 18 points during Trump’s first year.
China’s median approval rating rose to 34 percent and Russia’s rating reached 30 percent, nearly equaling the U.S. number. According to the survey, Germany’s leadership received the highest median approval number, at 39 percent. However, this was Germany’s first score below 40 percent in a decade. 5 countries in Asia approved US leadership: Israel (67 percent), the Philippines (61 percent), Mongolia (60 percent), Nepal (55 percent), and Myanmar (52 percent). VOA
Pakistan calls for talks with India
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan called for discussions with India, after Pakistan shot down two Indian fighter jets over Pakistan-controlled Kashmir and arrested one of the pilots. Pakistani jets launched airstrikes into the Indian-administered part of the contested mountain region, Pakistan’s military said Wednesday. India denied the report and said it shot down a Pakistani F-16. The air battles, the first between the two nuclear-armed neighbors since 1971, follow a day of cross-border shelling and arms fire along the Line of Control, and Indian pre-dawn airstrikes on Tuesday.
The U.S., China, and the European Union have urged India and Pakistan to de-escalate the situation and exercise restraint. India says the ground skirmishes on Tuesday and Wednesday have left five Indian soldiers wounded; Pakistan says Indian shelling has killed six civilians. BBC News, The Guardian via The Week
US farm debt soars
The amount of debt held by America’s farmers has risen rapidly to 1980s-levels at $409 billion from $385 billion last year, with loan demand remaining “historically high,” U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said on Wednesday. The figures reflect a level of strain on the U.S. farm belt that is comparable to the agricultural crisis of three decades ago, this time driven by lingering weakness in commodity prices, storms damaging crops and loss of key export markets such as China due to President Donald Trump’s trade disputes.
The Trump administration has pledged up to $12 billion in aid for farmers to offset their losses from the trade fights. Perdue said more than $8 billion has been paid as part of those programs to date. USDA has said there will not be an aid package for 2019. Reuters
O’Rourke paving way for presidential bid
Beto O’Rourke has decided not to run for U.S. Senate next year against Texas Republican incumbent John Cornyn and likely will announce a campaign for president soon, people close to the former El Paso congressman told The Dallas Morning News on Wednesday. Numerous people close to O’Rourke said they expect him to announce his presidential campaign within weeks. O’Rourke on Wednesday wouldn’t reveal his political plans except to say he has made up his mind.
Since his close but historic loss to GOP Sen. Ted Cruz in November, O’Rourke has been weighing how to “best serve the country.” His political options have been to run for president or against Cornyn. Texas law allows for O’Rourke to run for president and Senate at the same time, but sources say O’Rourke does not intend to do that. Dallas News