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☆ Donald Trump, the Presidential Records Act and ‘Clinton's sock drawer’ defense
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Alison Frankel | Thomson Reuters | Alison Frankel Has Covered High-Stakes Commercial Litigation As A Columnist For Reuters Since A Dartmouth College Graduate | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

“The [Presidential Records Act] does not confer any mandatory or even discretional authority on the archivist,” wrote U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson in that 2012 ruling. “These are not presidential records,” he added. The Presidential Records Act, Trump’s brief said, gave Trump the sole authority to decide how to categorize his records. Fitton told me he explained his Presidential Records Act theory to the Washington, D.C., grand jury in the Trump document case last winter. Fitton, for instance, accused the Justice Department of flipping its position on presidential discretion under the Presidential Record Act to go after Trump.

Persons: Donald Trump, Bill Clinton’s, Clinton, Taylor Branch, Clinton “ squirreled, ”, Amy Berman Jackson, Trump, Jason Baron, Bradley Moss, Mark S, Zaid, Moss, Baron, “, Todd Blanche, Tom Fitton, ” Fitton, Fitton, Jack Smith, Margaret Kwoka of Organizations: Reuters, Watch, GQ, Branch, National Archives, Records Administration, Presidential, Judicial, Archives, “, Justice Department, Mar, University of Maryland, Trump, Trump –, Presidential Records, Circuit, Records, D.C, Margaret Kwoka of Ohio State University, Thomson Locations: Mar, United States, U.S, Washington

A 37-count criminal indictment against Donald Trump was unsealed Friday, revealing allegations that the former president willfully retained hundreds of classified government records and conspired to prevent their return to U.S. officials. Among other allegations, the indictment says that Trump showed classified documents to other people in the summer of 2021, after leaving office in January of that year. Follow our live coverage of Donald Trump's indictment in the classified documents case. The FBI's raid of Mar-a-Lago last August discovered hundreds of classified documents, which Trump had failed to turn over to U.S. officials after they spent a year or so trying to recover them. During the time had had the documents at Mar-a-Lago, Trump's club hosted more than 150 social events, which drew tens of thousands of guests, the indictment noted.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, Donald Trump's, Walter Nauta, Nauta, Jack Smith, Smith, Joe Biden Organizations: White, Pentagon, Lago, Mar, Department of Justice, Trump Locations: U.S, Florida, Miami, Bedminster , New Jersey, Bedminster, Trump, Lago, Palm Beach , Florida, Mar, United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom

☆ Trump's indictment has been unsealed. Read the 37 charges brought by federal prosecutors.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A federal grand jury brought criminal charges against former President Donald Trump. The Justice Department brought the case over Trump taking government records to Mar-a-Lago. Of the 37 charges against Trump, 31 are over alleged violations of the Espionage Act for "willful retention of national defense information." He worked with Trump to break laws by spiriting away the classified documents to Mar-a-Lago and lying about it, prosecutors alleged. Read the full text of the indictment here:Editor's note: Portions of this article were prepared in the weeks preceding Trump's indictment.

Persons: Donald Trump, —, Trump, Waltine, spiriting, Stormy Daniels, Read Organizations: The Justice Department, Trump, Service, Justice Department, Prosecutors, National Archives, FBI, Department, Manhattan District Locations: Mar, Lago

☆ Three Books That Make Tess Gunty Angry
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

I can’t believe I get to share a time period with all of these people. In this poem, the speaker is thunderstruck by a newfound “plague of gratitude.” The speaker says: “Not long ago I was hard to even/hug ... The poem plunged me into that first miraculous flash of hope you enjoy after a long storm of bad brain chemistry. They are facilitated by an absence of legal restrictions and the primeval excuse that if We don’t do it first, They will. My family is always shocked by how many books on neuroscience and quantum physics I’ve amassed.

Persons: Claudia Rankine, Anne Carson, Maggie Nelson, Yuri Herrera, Zadie Smith, Diane Williams, Valeria Luiselli, Olga Tokarczuk, Rachel Kushner, Elena Ferrante, Ben Lerner, Carmen Maria Machado, Joy Williams, Hanif Abdurraqib, Nuar Alsadir, Robin Coste Lewis, Natalie Diaz, Ocean Vuong, Sharon Olds, Morgan Parker, Tommy Pico, Terrance Hayes, Ada Limón, Tracy K, Smith, Annie Baker, Amy Herzog, Paula Vogel, Svetlana Alexievich, Rachel Aviv, Ed Yong, Matthew Desmond, Alexandra Kleeman, Susan Choi, Chris Ware, Tommy Orange, Javier Zamora, Jenny Offill, Annie Ernaux, Anne Enright, Lydia Davis, Raven Leilani, Mark Z, Jennifer Egan, George Saunders, Wolf, Kaveh Akbar, ” Akbar alchemizes, ”, I’m, Patrick Radden Keefe, Sackler, —, Brian Christian, I’ve, Iain McGilchrist, Alex Locations: Ocean, America, “, postindustrial Indiana

☆ Investing in Space: Here are the rockets chasing to compete with SpaceX's Falcon 9
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +14 min

SpaceXCNBC's Investing in Space newsletter offers a view into the business of space exploration and privatization, delivered straight to your inbox. Overview: Chasing the FalconNo rocket has been better-described as a "workhorse" than SpaceX's Falcon 9. Aside from Blue Origin's New Glenn, the early theme is rockets that are close to the capability of Falcon 9 and less expensive. – CNBC, which the lawsuit says were used for NASA projects including the International Space Station and the Space Launch Systems rocket. – Firefly Aerospace: The rocket builder says the deal will bolster its launch, spacecraft, and lunar lander businesses.

Persons: CNBC's Michael Sheetz, Phil Smith, SpaceX's, Glenn, Smith, –, Smith doesn't, CNBC ULA, Tory Bruno, Jeff Bezos, ULA, – Read, Shepard, Bob Smith, Jim Free, Artemis, HawkEye, – Hydrosat, Leonardo DiCaprio, – Momentus, Westinghouse EchoStar's Hughes, – EchoStar, Iris Lan, Sumara Thompson, King, Lan, – NASA Celeste Ford, Ford, – SpiderOak Melissa Quinn, Quinn Organizations: SpaceX CNBC's, SpaceX, Falcon, Boeing, NASA, CNBC, CNBC Department of Defense, Ukraine, Starlink, Pentagon, –, Space Station, Systems, CNBC SpaceX, Cargo, International Space, FAA, Intelsat, Japan Airlines, Embraer, – Intelsat, Rocket, ONE, Washington, Spaceflight, Aerospace, Aerospace Spacecraft, York, MaC Venture Capital, Broom Ventures, Veto, TechCrunch Viasat, Air Force, Viasat, Westinghouse, U.S . Department of Justice, – NASA, Ford, Stellar Solutions Locations: Florida, China, Russia, Colorado, Ukrainian, Bellevue , Washington, Cortado, Cornwall

☆ Here are some of the charges Trump faces.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Charlie Savage | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Each such charged document would be a separate offense, so it is possible that prosecutors have brought as many as five counts of this offense by citing five different records. A conviction would be theoretically subject to 10 years in prison for each count, although defendants in other Espionage Act cases have received significantly less than the maximum. Prosecutors would need to show that Mr. Trump and some other person had a meeting of the minds about committing a specific crime and that one of them took some step toward that goal. ObstructionIt is a crime to conceal records to obstruct an official effort. Prosecutors would need to show several things, including that Mr. Trump knew he still had files that were subject to the efforts by the National Archives and Records Administration to take custody of presidential records.

Persons: Trump Organizations: Mar, Prosecutors, National Archives, Records Administration Locations: United States

☆ Fact check: Seven of Trump’s false or unsupported claims on the documents investigation
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Daniel Dale | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

Here is a fact check of seven of the claims Trump has made about the investigation since the FBI raided his Mar-a-Lago resort and residence in August 2022. The Presidential Records Act says that, the moment a president leaves office, NARA gets custody and control of all presidential records from his administration. Bush all took millions of documents; he repeated the claim that Obama took documents at the CNN town hall in May. In Trump’s case, the presidential documents found in haphazard amateur storage at Mar-a-Lago, including documents marked classified, were in Trump’s possession despite numerous attempts by both NARA and the Justice Department to get them back. The claim that Biden has been “totally uncooperative” with the investigation into his handling of official documents is transparently false.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, –, you’re, “, Trump’s, ” Jason R, Biden, ” Timothy Naftali, Richard Nixon, ”, Naftali, Obama, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, George W, Bush, George H.W, Ronald Reagan, Clinton, Reagan, ’, Christina Bobb, John Solomon, Trump “, don’t, ’ Trump, Joe Biden Organizations: CNN, FBI, Presidential Records, National Archives, Records Administration, Fox, Presidential, NARA, Trump Administration, Mar, New York University, Richard Nixon Presidential, Trump, Society of, Obama, Justice Department, ASK, Department, Oval, ”, White, White House, Intel Community, DoD, Intel, Armed, Senate, University of Delaware Locations: Lago, United States, Mar, Delaware, Washington

☆ Mike Pence launches his 2024 GOP presidential bid
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Jonathan Allen | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Former US Vice President Mike Pence speaks during a meet and greet event hosted by the Polk County Republicans in Des Moines, Iowa, US, on Tuesday, May 23, 2023. Photographer: Rachel Mummey/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesDES MOINES, Iowa — Former Vice President Mike Pence, who certified the 2020 election results under threat from supporters of then-President Donald Trump, kicked off a bid for the Oval Office on Wednesday. Turning more squarely toward the oft-spiteful Trump, Pence adds, "Today, our party and our country need a leader that will appeal, as Lincoln said, to the better angels of our nature." Some in the crowd, angry over his refusal to block the certification of the 2020 defeat of the Trump-Pence ticket, chanted, "Hang Mike Pence!" "Mike Pence is a true conservative and a great public servant," said Dan Eberhart, a GOP donor who backs DeSantis.

Persons: Mike Pence, Pence, Rachel Mummey, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Trump, Lincoln, Chris Christie, Doug Burgum, Iowa's, Ron DeSantis, DeSantis, Nikki Haley, —, Dan Eberhart, George W, Bush, Pence's, Mike Pence's Organizations: US, Polk, Republicans, Federal, Bloomberg, Getty, DES, Indiana, GOP, New, New Jersey Gov, North Dakota Gov, Florida Gov, Trump, Pence, Republican, Social Security, Medicare Locations: Des Moines , Iowa, Iowa, America, Des Moines, New Jersey, Indiana, Trump, Afghanistan, Iraq, Ukraine, Florida

☆ The US Senate is working to get up to speed on AI basics ahead of any legislation
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The deliberate pace of progress contrasts with the blistering speed with which companies and organizations have embraced generative AI, and the flood of investment into the industry. “The Senate must deepen our expertise in this pressing topic,” Schumer wrote in a letter to colleagues announcing the briefings. Options include forming a select committee to craft a comprehensive AI bill, or “splitting out and having lots of different committees come up with different pieces of legislation,” Rounds said. Sen. Michael Bennet has introduced legislation to create a new federal agency with authority to regulate AI, for example. And on Wednesday, Sen. Josh Hawley unveiled his own framework for AI legislation that called for letting Americans sue companies for harms created by AI models.

Persons: Chuck Schumer, Schumer, “, ” Schumer, South Dakota Republican Sen, Mike Rounds, Rounds, New Mexico Democratic Sen, Martin Heinrich, Indiana Republican Sen, Todd Young — haven’t, ” Rounds, Sam Altman, Sen, Michael Bennet, Josh Hawley, ” Organizations: Washington CNN, guardrails, South Dakota Republican, Washington, New, New Mexico Democratic, Indiana Republican, National Defense Locations: New Mexico

☆ China is a threat but talks must continue: Germany, Canada, Australia
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Charmaine Jacob | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Germany's Defense Minister Boris Pistorius was part of the the Shangri-la Dialogue, Asia's largest security forum, over the weekend. Decoupling from China is not an option, but finding a path to de-risk and reduce dependencies is important, Germany's Defense Minister Boris Pistorius told CNBC's Sri Jegarajah at the event. Australia's Trade Minister Don Farrell told CNBC in April that he's hopeful other tariffs put in place could be removed as well. China seen as a 'disruptive power'China is an "increasingly disruptive power" to peace in the region, Anita Anand, Canada's defense minister said, told CNBC. Speaking at the event Sunday, China's defense minister addressed the issue.

Persons: Boris Pistorius, CNBC's, Pistorius, That's, Richard Marles, Marles, Don Farrell, Anita Anand, Anand, we'll, Li Organizations: Germany's, Getty, SINGAPORE, CNBC, CNBC's Sri, World Trade Organization, China, Australia's Trade Locations: Australia, Canada, Germany, Singapore, China, CNBC's Sri Jegarajah, Canberra, Beijing, Taiwan

☆ US services sector softens, factory orders boosted by defense
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"Momentum had been very strong in the services sector since the reopening process began, but the sector is clearly cooling down now," Thomas Simons, U.S. economist at Jefferies, wrote in a note. The services sector is at the center of the battle against inflation, as services prices tend to be stickier and less responsive to rate hikes. ISM services PMISome economists view the ISM services prices paid gauge as a good predictor of personal consumption expenditures (PCE) inflation. Excluding the defense sector, orders were down 0.4%, and excluding transportation orders - where military orders again had the largest footprint - bookings were down 0.2%. With consumer spending shifting more toward services, consumer goods orders slid for a third straight month to their lowest level since February 2022.

Persons: Thomas Simons, Simons, Lucia Mutikani, Dan Burns, Chizu Nomiyama, Paul Simao Organizations: Federal, Institute for Supply Management, Reuters, PMI, ISM, Fed, Jefferies, U.S, Services, Commerce Department, Factory, Thomson Locations: U.S

☆ U.S. and China trade barbs at top security summit as Taiwan Strait tensions simmer
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Clement Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

On Saturday, when Austin took to the stage at the summit where global defense leaders gathered, he called out China for refusing to engage in military dialogue. China believes that a major country should behave like one," Li said Sunday in a translation provided by summit organizers. China claims self-governed Taiwan as part of its territory and regards any foreign presence near the island as a form of interference in its domestic affairs. China's Minister for National Defense, General Li Shangfu, delivers his plenary session Sunday at the 20th Asia Security Summit in Singapore, known as the Shangri-La Dialogue. Calls for dialogueYet, even as the U.S. and China defense chiefs talked past each other, so-called middle powers such as Australia urged the two feuding powers to reestablish dialogue.

Persons: Li Shangfu, Lloyd Austin, Austin, China's Li, Li, Defense Lloyd Austin, Roslan Rahman, Philippines —, General Li Shangfu, Anthony Albanese Organizations: American, Defense, China's Defense, Afp, Getty, Pacific Command, Delegates, China's, National Defense, 20th Asia Security Summit, Australian Locations: SINGAPORE, Singapore, Beijing, China, U.S, Taiwan, People's Republic of China, South China, Asia, Pacific, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Estonia, Sweden, Germany, Australia, Japan, South Korea, India, France

☆ A conflict with China over Taiwan would impact the global economy 'in ways that we cannot imagine,' US Defense Secretary warns
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( Joe Ciolli | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin had some harsh words for his Chinese counterparts on Saturday. At Asia's top security summit, Austin said a possible US-China conflict over Taiwan could "affect the global economy in ways that we cannot imagine." It was part of a broader address that rebuked China for not being willing to meet at the summit. "The whole world has a stake in maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, the whole world," said Austin. The comments were part of a broader address that saw Austin rebuke China for not engaging in military talks.

Persons: Defense Lloyd Austin, Austin, —, National Defense Li Shangfu —, Shangfu, Matthew Pottinger, Trump, Tesla, Elon Musk Organizations: Defense, Service, Bloomberg, —, National Defense, Reuters, CNBC Locations: China, Taiwan, Singapore, Taiwan Strait, Austin, Canadian

WASHINGTON, June 2 (Reuters) - CIA director William Burns visited China last month for talks with Chinese counterparts, two U.S. officials said on Friday as Washington seeks to boost communications with Beijing. Burns, a veteran U.S. diplomat before leading the CIA, has made dozens of sensitive overseas trips as head of the agency, including to hold talks with Russian counterparts, as well as the Taliban in Afghanistan. The CIA, which does not regularly announce such visits, declined to comment on the China trip. Ties between the world's two largest economies are strained over issues ranging from Taiwan and China's human rights record to military activity in the South China Sea. "That's why we're also ready to engage China without preconditions, helping ensure that competition is managed, and that competition does not veer into conflict," Sullivan said.

Persons: William Burns, Burns, Joe Biden's, Antony Blinken, Janet Yellen, Gina Raimondo, Biden, Lloyd Austin, National Defense Li Shangfu, Li, Jake Sullivan, Sullivan, we're, Wang Yi, Michael Martina, Jonathan Landay, David Brunnstrom, Susan Heavey, Tim Ahmann, Alistair Bell, Matthew Lewis, Don Durfee Organizations: CIA, Washington, Reuters, Financial Times, Russian, Blinken, U.S . Defense, China's, National Defense, Pentagon, White House, People's, Arms Control, Thomson Locations: China, Beijing, Washington, Afghanistan, U.S, Taiwan, South China, . U.S, Singapore, Austin, People's Republic of China, Vienna

☆ Why the Trump tape is so important for the documents investigation
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

The main takeaway for me: prosecutors must determine if classified information meets a sort of Goldilocks test. It is about criminalizing (the information) being kept outside of a protected area, even by somebody who is allowed to have classified information. … All of the discussion has been about how Trump and others may have handled documents after knowing there’s a criminal investigation that exists. We know there’s an obstruction of justice investigation around that. A key thing in an obstruction of justice investigation is knowing that there’s a proceeding that you could potentially be obstructing, like a criminal investigation.

Persons: Donald Trump’s Mar, Trump, Katelyn, we’ve, – that’s, It’s, there’s, he’s, they’ve, We’re, Donald Trump, Margo Martin, … Trump, Bob Woodward, Woodward, WOLF, I’m, Mark Milley, …, Mueller, There’s, Justice Department won’t Organizations: CNN, White, Fox News, Justice Department, Trump, FBI, Joint Chiefs, Staff Locations: Lago, Iran, CNN’s Washington, New Jersey, Bedminster, Mar, Florida, POLANTZ, Washington , DC, what’s, Russia, Durham, litigate

CNN —CIA Director Bill Burns secretly traveled to China last month, a US official told CNN Friday, amid efforts by the United States to reset relations with Beijing after a year of extremely heightened tensions. The specific intelligence matter that Burns discussed in Beijing is unclear. “Our assessment at CIA is that I wouldn’t underestimate President Xi’s ambitions with regard to Taiwan,” Burns said earlier this year. National security adviser Jake Sullivan met with top Chinese official Wang Yi in Vienna for “candid” and “constructive” talks in mid-May. A US senior administration official said the meeting was an attempt to put communications back on track after the spy balloon incident.

Persons: Bill Burns, Burns “, Burns, Antony Blinken, Biden, Burns –, Xi’s, ” Burns, Defense Lloyd Austin, Li Shangfu “, Austin, of National Defense Li Shangfu, Pat Ryder, “, ”, Tan Kefei, John Aquilino, Jake Sullivan, Wang Yi, We’re, we’ve, Gina Raimondo, Katherine Tai, Wang Wentao, Wang, ” Raimondo Organizations: CNN, CIA, Financial Times, Taiwan, Defense, Pentagon, “, of National Defense, PRC, China’s Defense Ministry, Pacific Command, People’s Liberation Army, US Trade, Chinese Commerce, D.C Locations: China, United States, Beijing, Ukraine, Taiwan, Singapore, Japan, Vienna, Sweden

Relations between the superpowers are increasingly acrimonious, with friction over issues from Taiwan and China's military activity in the South China Sea to U.S. efforts to hold back China's semiconductor industry. China's leaders, by contrast, have been slow to establish military contacts and quick to shut them down during periods of diplomatic tension. This has frustrated the United States. Then there is China's view of how military talks fit into the broader U.S.-China relationship. From that perspective, military talks are something to bargain with.

Persons: Lloyd Austin, China's, ", Ely Ratner, National Defense Li Shangfu, Li, Zhu Feng, Zhu, Jacob Stokes, Yun Sun, ”, Daniel Russel, William Burns, it’s, Idrees Ali, Phil Stewart, David Brunnstrom, Michael Martina, Yew Lun Tian, Martina Pollard, Laurie Chen, Don Durfee, Alistair Bell Organizations: Pentagon . U.S . Defense, U.S . Army, U.S, National Defense, School of International Studies, Nanjing University, Center, New, New American Security, Stimson, East Asia, Obama, Asia Society Policy Institute, CIA, Washington, Pentagon, Thomson Locations: WASHINGTON, BEIJING, Singapore, Beijing, United States, China, Taiwan, South, U.S, Austin, New American, East Asia, Washington, Ukraine, States, East, Hainan

☆ Reports of bombshell Trump recording suggests prosecutors may have grounds to charge him under the Espionage Act
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

CNN reported Trump was captured on audio in 2021 admitting he took a classified document. Federal prosecutors investigating Trump's handling of documents have the recording, CNN said. The recording included Trump saying he was not sure he was able to declassify records after leaving the presidency, two sources said. The sources said Jack Smith, the special counsel leading the Justice Department's investigations into Trump, has focused on the summer 2021 meeting in which the audio recording was taken. Legal experts respond to reports of the audio recording"This is absolutely blockbuster evidence," Renato Mariotti, a former federal prosecutor, wrote on Twitter of the reported audio.

Persons: Trump, —, Donald Trump, Jack Smith, President Trump, Renato Mariotti, …, Peter Strzok, Ryan Goodman, Goodman, Richard W, Painter, George W, Bush Organizations: CNN, Service, The New York Times, CBS, Trump, FBI, Justice, Justice Department, Twitter, New York University, White, DOJ Locations: Iran, Lago

The precise contents of the document referred to by Mr. Trump during the recorded meeting remain unclear. The federal prosecutors under Mr. Smith have been examining whether Mr. Trump — the front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination — obstructed the government’s efforts and whether he violated other laws regarding the handling of national defense information and government documents. Mr. Smith is also overseeing a parallel investigation into Mr. Trump’s efforts to remain in office after his defeat at the polls in 2020. After months of back-and-forth with the National Archives, Mr. Trump eventually turned over 15 boxes of material in January of last year. They turned out to include nearly 200 documents marked as classified.

Persons: Trump, Smith Organizations: White, Presidential, National Archives, Justice Department

☆ Trump on tape: Here’s what it means and what’s next
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Most people recall the “Access Hollywood” tape of Trump using vulgar language to argue that “stars” can grab women. It also adds his Bedminster club to the potential locations where Trump had classified documents after leaving office. In response to the report, a Trump campaign spokesman said “leaks” are meant to “inflame tensions” around Trump. (The document Trump references was not produced by Milley, CNN was told.) Besides the ongoing investigations into the aftermath of the 2020 election, here’s what else is looming over Trump.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Trump, Joe Biden’s, Jack Smith, who’s, ”, Elie Honig, Jake Tapper, ” Trump, undercuts, Smith, CNN’s Katelyn Polantz, Paula Reid, Kaitlan Collins, Mark Milley, Susan Glasser, Milley, CNN’s Haley Britzky, ” Beth Sanner, “, CNN’s Kaitlan Collins Organizations: CNN, GOP, Trump, Department of Justice, ” CNN, Joint Chiefs, Staff, Milley, Chiefs, National Intelligence Locations: New York, Georgia, Peach State, Bedminster, Trump, Iran, Milley, New Hampshire

☆ NASA team to issue report on unidentified phenomena in July
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —A team of 16 experts and scientists assembled by NASA aims to publish its first report on unidentified anomalous phenomena, also known as unidentified flying objects, or UFOS, by midsummer. “We’re trying to assess whether those phenomena pose any risks to safety and we’re doing it using science,” Evans added. Unidentified anomalous phenomena, or UAP, “are events in the sky that cannot be identified as aircraft or known natural phenomena from a scientific perspective,” according to NASA. Instead, the team’s approach has been outlining how to evaluate and study unidentified anomalous phenomena using data and technology. But since being announced in June 2022, members of the independent study team have faced online harassment.

Persons: CNN —, ”, Dan Evans, “ We’ve, ” Evans, “ We’re, Evans, UAPs, Scott Kelly, David Spergel, Kelly, ” Spergel, “, Sean Kirkpatrick, Kirkpatrick, ” Kirkpatrick, Spergel, astrobiology, Katie Hunt, Michael Conte, Jackie Wattles Organizations: CNN, NASA, UAP, National Defense, US Navy, Simons, US Department of Defense, Pentagon Locations: New York City

☆ China declines US request for a meeting between defense chiefs
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu attends a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu in Moscow, Russia, April 16, 2023. Sputnik/Pavel Bednyakov/Pool via REUTERSMay 29 (Reuters) - China has declined a request by the U.S. for a meeting between their defense chiefs at an annual security forum in Singapore this weekend, media reported on Monday, a new sign of strain between the powers. The Pentagon said it believed in open communication "to ensure that competition does not veer into conflict." Last week, White House spokesman John Kirby said there were discussions by the Defense Department to get talks going between Lloyd Austin and his Chinese counterpart, who was named defense minister in March. Li is a member of the Central Military Commission, China's top defense body that is commanded by President Xi Jinping.

☆ China rejects US request for a meeting between defense chiefs -WSJ
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 29 (Reuters) - China has rejected a request by the United States for a meeting between their defense chiefs on the sidelines of an annual security forum in Singapore this coming weekend, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday. "Overnight, the PRC informed the U.S. that they have declined our early May invitation for Secretary (Lloyd) Austin to meet with PRC Minister of National Defense Li Shangfu in Singapore this week," the Pentagon said in a statement to the Journal, adding the department believes in open communication "to ensure that competition does not veer into conflict." Last week, White House spokesman John Kirby said there were discussions by the Defense Department to get a conversation going between Lloyd and his Chinese counterpart. Kirby also said there was the possibility of a meeting between U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai and her Chinese counterpart during the Asia-Pacific-Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in Detroit. Reporting by Urvi Dugar in Bengaluru Editing by Chris Reese and Deepa BabingtonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Pacific islands, in spotlight, to push climate change in South Korea summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

read moreAustralia's Defence Minister Richard Marles will attend the first Korea-Pacific Islands Summit, his office said on Saturday, adding it would show cooperation between the 18 members of the Pacific Island Forum and South Korea for a secure region. The United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken signed a defence agreement with PNG after a Pacific summit there on the same day. The back-to-back meetings with major economies were a "massive boost for recognition of our priorities", said Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General Henry Puna in a statement. The island states, which are seeking greater funding for climate change mitigation, have taken a collective approach to dealing with major powers. In Seoul, climate change, investment and fisheries are expected to feature in talks.

☆ US and Papua New Guinea poised to sign defense pact as Washington, Beijing vie for influence in the Pacific
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —The United States and Papua New Guinea are poised to sign a new bilateral defense cooperation agreement – a move that has sparked controversy in the Pacific Island nation and comes as Washington and China jostle for influence in the region. Those concerns were heightened last year after Beijing signed a security pact with the Solomon Islands – and tried, but failed, to win support for a sweeping, regional trade and security communique with Pacific Island nations. “Papua New Guinea does not have enemies but it pays to be prepared. Blinken is expected to meet with leaders of the Pacific Island Forum regional body in Port Moresby on Monday, the forum has said, taking Biden’s place at the gathering. That bid has included opening embassies in the Solomon Islands and Tonga this year, while Biden hosted Pacific Island leaders in Washington for a summit in September and released the first-ever national strategy on engaging the Pacific Islands.

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