Senin, 25 November 2019

Hong Kong elections stunner: What pro-democracy landslide means - USA TODAY

An Election Day landslide for pro-democracy candidates in Hong Kong has left the Chinese territory and the world wondering whether the results are "window dressing" or a bellwether for change.

The election Sunday was the first since anger over a proposed, Beijing-backed extradition law prompted almost six months of massive and sometimes violent protests. Hong Kongers expressed that anger at the polls, handing control of 17 of 18 district councils to pro-democracy leaders. The only holdout was the Islands district, where eight of the 18 seats are given to pro-establishment rural chiefs.

More than three-quarters of 452 total seats were won by pro-democracy candidates. Pro-establishment candidates claimed 60 seats and independent candidates 45.

“We can be happy for tonight and take a rest tomorrow," Lester Shum, a student activist who won a seat, told the South China Morning Post, an English language publication in Hong Kong. "But we will need to keep up our fight the day after for the future of Hong Kong.”

Why were the results important?

The results mark a stunning reversal from the district councils elected four years ago, which included just 126 pro-democracy candidates and almost 300 backers of the establishment. Perhaps just as important was the turnout, a record-breaking 71.2% of the electorate, or almost 2.9 million voters. Four years ago, the same elections drew a then-record 47% turnout.

What are the district councils?

Council members handle day-to-day operations of the city. They oversee transportation and public facilities and deal with citizen complaints. The elections normally are held with little fanfare, and the councils have no power over controversial Chief Executive Carrie Lam.

What triggered the revolt at the polls?

A government proposal earlier this year to allow suspects in Hong Kong to be extradited to mainland China quickly incited outrage. Lam's government withdrew the proposal amid the massive, sometimes violent protests, but activists continued to press demands for more freedoms and investigations into police behavior.

Hong Kong is considered a special administrative region of China that, when it was handed over by Britain in 1997, was promised a “high degree of autonomy" for 50 years. Pro-democracy residents of Hong Kong have accused China of encroaching on that autonomy and Lam of being complicit.

Will the election change anything?

Lawrence Reardon, an associate professor of political science at the University of New Hampshire and expert on Chinese politics, said the election results won’t change Lam’s policies but will make Lam and Chinese President Xi Jinping realize that they need to change tactics.

"Xi realizes that this is a long-term game, and that these elections are just window dressing that allow the populace to think they have some democratic say," Reardon told USA TODAY. "They will continue to use the Chinese state media and their Hong Kong outlets to paint the demonstrators as hooligans and anti-Chinese."

Another option for Xi, Reardon said, is to squeeze the Hong Kong economy even though it would hurt the mainland in the short term. But in the long term, Hong Kongers "will choose a stronger economy over political reforms," Reardon said.

What was the reaction in Beijing?

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that “no matter what kind of things happen in Hong Kong" it will remain Chinese territory. "Any attempts to destroy Hong Kong or harm Hong Kong's stability and development cannot possibly succeed," he said. Chinese-run media on the mainland downplayed the results, with Xinhua news agency stating simply that all the seats had been decided.

"On the election day, some rioters harassed patriotic candidates," the agency said. "The most pressing task for Hong Kong at present is still to bring the violence and chaos to an end and restore order."

How did Hong Kong's leadership react?

Lam cited "various analyses and interpretations" of the results. "Quite a few are of the view that the results reflect people's dissatisfaction with the current situation and the deep-seated problems in society," Lam said. She said her government will "listen to the opinions of members of the public humbly and seriously reflect." 

Police commissioner Chris Tang Ping-keung, whose officers have drawn bitter criticism for their handling of protests, said the election was conducted peacefully and took no issue with the results.

Defeated pro-establishment politicians included Junius Ho, who had made headlines when he unapologetically shook hands with men linked to attacks on pro-democracy protesters whom Ho viewed as traitors and thugs. After his defeat, however, Ho said he was "very moved" when the opposition congratulated him, adding that "being able to turn their violence into peace... is not a bad thing!"

Stanley Rosen, a political science professor and China expert at the University of Southern California, said he was "happy to see both Junius Ho and the new police chief make conciliatory comments instead of incendiary ones."

"A step forward for Hong Kong," he said.

Contributing: The Associated Press

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2019-11-25 15:14:15Z
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Xi must be dismayed: Chinese leader fighting fires on all fronts - The Washington Post

Reuters Chinese leader Xi Jinping greets reporters before a summit of developing-nation leaders in Brasilia on Nov. 14.

BEIJING — If Chinese leader Xi Jinping receives a morning briefing, Monday’s must have been a doozy. Nothing but bad news after bad news.

There was a bombshell from Australia: the defection of a man purporting to be a Chinese spy who has been trying to influence elections in Taiwan and Hong Kong and kidnap dissidents.

Then there was a new trove of documents giving lie to the Chinese Communist Party’s claim that mass internment camps in Xinjiang were not reeducation facilities for Muslims but merely vocational training centers designed to help them.

And the most domestically seismic news of all: poll results showing that pro-democracy candidates had won a stunning victory in Hong Kong, sidelining Beijing’s representatives from local authorities.

The party is so opaque that it’s not known even whether Xi gets a morning briefing, let alone how he reacted. But the weekend’s triple whammy has reignited speculation about internal pressures in the ranks of China’s leadership, especially since it comes amid a trade war with the United States that doesn’t look like it will be resolved anytime soon.

“It’s not crazy to think, based upon the evidence that we have, that there is some degree of infighting within the Chinese government about how to respond and how the Chinese government should behave,” said Christopher Balding, an American professor at Fulbright University Vietnam who taught in China until last year.

[In Hong Kong elections, big defeat for elites pressures Beijing to rethink approach

There is no sign that Xi, who removed term limits so he can rule China indefinitely, is anything but entirely in charge.

Through his propagation of “Xi Jinping Thought,” he has rolled out a personality cult not seen since revolutionary founder Mao Zedong. And he has purged countless bureaucrats and dispatched rivals in a broad anti-corruption campaign that has disciplined more than 1.5 million officials.

“Leaks in the system are quite rare, but it doesn’t mean that the leadership is in crisis or that unity has deteriorated,” said Yun Jiang, co-editor of the China-focused Neican blog.

Still, the recent developments will not be welcome.

Leaked documents on the party’s actions in Xinjiang — first to the New York Times, then through the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists — show that at least one senior official is so disaffected with the repression that they took the extremely risky step of handing them to foreign journalists.

Together, the documents show the lengths to which the party has gone to try to “Sinicize” the mostly Uighur Muslim minority in western China, and that the system was ordered by Xi himself.

Thomas Peter

Reuters

A security camera is placed in a renovated section of the Old City in Kashgar, Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, China, on Sept. 6, 2018.

The reported defection of a Chinese spy also hints at disagreement with the system, but is more complicated.

Wang Liqiang has reportedly told Australian authorities that he worked in Hong Kong as a spy for Chinese military intelligence and was also tasked with meddling in Taiwan’s 2020 elections to try to topple Tsai Ing-wen, the independence-minded president.

Australia’s top spy agency has said it is taking his claims seriously, but some analysts point out inconsistencies and errors in his testimony, not to mention amateurish passport forgeries, prompting questions about his credibility.

[Hong Kong’s pro-democracy parties sweep pro-Beijing establishment aside in local elections]

Chinese authorities immediately sought to discredit the man, saying he was a fugitive with fake documents who had been convicted of fraud and that his story was all lies.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang ridiculed the “clumsy drama” of the man’s defection to Australia, and called the leaks about Xinjiang “slander” against China’s counterterrorism efforts. “Lies are lies, no matter how many times they are repeated,” Geng told reporters in Beijing on Monday.

More problematic is the result in Hong Kong, where pro-democracy candidates swept 347 of the 452 seats up for grabs in local council elections, while pro-Beijing candidates won only 60 seats.

Even though Hong Kong’s district councilors mainly deal with local issues, the results came as a stinging repudiation of Beijing and its efforts to exercise greater control over the semiautonomous territory of Hong Kong.

Adnan Abidi

Reuters

Pro-democratic winning candidates gather outside the Polytechnic University in Hong Kong on Nov. 25.

The Chinese government continued to voice support for Carrie Lam, Hong Kong’s embattled chief executive, who has tried to withstand six months of protest over the way she runs the territory.

“The Chinese government firmly supports Chief Executive Carrie Lam in leading the government and governing in accordance with the law,” Geng said Monday.

Others are saying that Lam and her government should have taken sterner action to stamp out the protests before they resulted in this weekend’s election.

“Hong Kong has a high fever and the election is a thermometer that reveals the temperature of Hong Kong society, and of the political process in particular,” said Li Xiaobing, head of a center dealing with Hong Kong at Nankai University in Tianjin, south of Beijing.

“The Hong Kong government has been quite soft and mild in its actions,” he said. “The Hong Kong government should have taken specific measures to target the opposition, but apparently it did not and instead, the opposition took the opportunity to climb all over the Hong Kong government.”

[Hong Kong bars democracy activist Joshua Wong from elections]

While the events of recent days are clearly an unfortunate coincidence from Beijing’s perspective, they do feed into the Communist Party narrative about Western powers seeking to stymie China’s peaceful rise. State media reports have been full of accusations about the “black hands” of the CIA and other Western intelligence services fomenting unrest in Hong Kong as a way to pressure Beijing.

“It must be pointed out that the West has been helping HK opposition in district council elections in the past week,” the Global Times, a hawkish tabloid affiliated with the Communist Party, wrote in an editorial.

It noted the publication of the spy story in Australia, the claims of torture in Chinese detention from a former employee at the British Consulate in Hong Kong, and that U.S. lawmakers “hastily passed” the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, “also targeting district council elections.” (It was introduced in the House in June.)

“They are intended to influence public opinion on Hong Kong,” the paper said.

The question now, as the Hong Kong results sink in and the Xinjiang leaks reveal the truth about the reeducation program, is: How will Beijing respond?

“If recent history is any guide, it's going to be not very well,” said Balding, the professor who taught in Shenzhen for nine years. “Whether it is just a continued tone-deaf response, whether it is harsher crackdowns, they seem singularly unable to make any adjustments to their game plan.”

Wang Yuan contributed to this report.

Read more

Buffeted by trade war and Hong Kong protests, China’s Xi Jinping seeks to project stability

Trump says he might veto bill that aims to protect human rights in Hong Kong

China says Trump is on ‘edge of precipice’ as Hong Kong rights bill hits his desk

Today’s coverage from Post correspondents around the world

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2019-11-25 14:45:00Z
CAIiELcEzTSsuOobZFPJvgLWkZwqGAgEKg8IACoHCAowjtSUCjC30XQwn6G5AQ

Dresden manhunt underway after castle vault treasure heist - CNN

We learned some details about the heist from Dresden police and museum bosses at a news conference a short while ago. But many questions still remain.

Here is what we don't know so far:

Exactly what was stolen: The museum's chief Marion Ackermann said three sets of artifacts had been stolen from one display case. She said the 100 or so pieces included diamonds and gemstones, but didn't go into details about them.

The value of the heist: Ackermann said it was impossible to estimate the value of the stolen items. She added that because the items are well known, they would be impossible to sell.

Whodunnit: We have no idea who the perpetrators were. We know two culprits were spotted inside the vault on CCTV footage, but the police haven't gone into any details about who they might be or whether more than two suspects are involved.

The police said they didn't have any information to suggest that the suspects had “insider knowledge" ahead of the break-in. 

Are two nearby fires linked: The police mentioned two suspicious fires happening around the time of the heist.

One damaged an electrical box in the vicinity of the museum, taking streetlights in the square out of action.

Then, after the break-in, a report of a car on fire came in. It is unclear whether the two are related to the theft.

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2019-11-25 13:59:00Z
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The Brexit Party crashed the gates of the European Parliament — and got stuck there - The Washington Post

KENZO TRIBOUILLARD AFP/Getty Images Britain's Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage sits amid the blond wood of the European Parliament in Brussels.

BRUSSELS — There are some odd ducks in the 751-member European Parliament, plenty of ranters representing fringe parties and ascendant populists: Slovak neo-fascists, Greek Marxist-Leninists and French ultranationalists.

And then there is Britain’s Brexit Party, perhaps the most unusual of them all.

The 29 members of the Brexit Party in the European Union’s legislative body successfully campaigned for seats they say they did not want, in an organization they do not respect, in a political and economic union they intend to leave.

“I just hate it. I hate it more than I did before I was elected,” said Ann Widdecombe, a Brexit Party member in the European Parliament.

“There’s nothing useful or sensible about it,” said Widdecombe, who in her former life as a Conservative member of the British Parliament was best known for her opposition to fox hunting, abortion and gay rights. “I want to go home.”

But she’s stuck — trapped in a world of blond wood, modernist Mies van der Rohe replica chairs and signs in multiple languages.

And the Europeans are stuck with her and her kin.

The E.U. required Britain to hold elections for the Parliament last spring as a condition for granting a Brexit delay. But the United Kingdom, unable to agree on how to exit the E.U., has had to ask for two more Brexit extensions since then.

So the British representatives are still here, like a vestigial wing of Westminster politics. The Brexiteers in Brussels say they will not abandon their seats until their mission, leaving Europe, is accomplished.

“We’re the naughty kids,” said Claire Fox, who decades ago was a leader of Britain’s Revolutionary Communist Party and is now a Brexit Party member of the European Parliament. “We’re here to make the Euroskeptic argument, to keep fighting the good fight for leaving.”

Jason Alden

Bloomberg

“I just hate it,” the Brexit Party’s Ann Widdecombe said of the E.U.’s legislative body.

But they are not quite the true disrupters they believe themselves to be.

Their critics call them “furniture” — and worse. They are mostly mocked or ignored by their colleagues.

The Brexit Party — founded only last February by radio show host Nigel Farage — bested both Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party and the opposition Labour Party in European elections in May and has the most seats of any single national party in the 9th European Parliament.

Farage, an ally of President Trump, and his party could be kingmakers or spoilers in Britain’s general election next month. Or they might recede to the sidelines, as Johnson’s Conservatives co-opt their vow to “get Brexit done.”

[Nigel Farage offers Boris Johnson a truce, boosting prospects for Conservatives in December election]

In Brussels, to have any real clout, European Parliament members must belong to a group of like-minded legislators from seven of the 28-member nations.

The Brexit members have no allies, no veto, no power. They belong to no voting bloc, hold no committee chair, propose no legislation.

Outside the chambers, they are exiled to spartan offices, with a single aide each, in the far reaches of the Brussels compound. They idle away their time in buildings named after E.U. founding fathers — Altiero Spinelli, Paul-Henri Spaak — whom the Brexiteers confess they had never heard of before.

Mostly, they sit as members or as “substitutes” on committees, if they participate at all.

In debates, they get one minute to speak.

They try to make the most of it — for their YouTube videos, which can go viral back home.

In one session, the Brexit Party’s Martin Edward Daubney — a former tabloid newspaper editor who organized “straight pride” marches in London — compared Dutch politician Guy Verhofstadt to the “Darth Vader of Europe, and this place is his Death Star, where national democracy comes to die.”

The European Parliament likes to boast that it’s the only international assembly in the world where countries can vote for their representatives. Its lawmakers appoint E.U. executives, decide on the bloc’s budget and can approve or reject international agreements.

It has also earned a reputation as a dull, bureaucratic chamber, rubber-stamping legislation on when to apply manure to cow pastures.

But while there are many critics of the Parliament, and many Euroskeptics among its members, the Brexit Party often finds itself alone.

Brexit Party member Annunziata Rees-Mogg, whose brother Jacob is leader of the British House of Commons, intervened in one budget debate to compare the E.U. to England under the reign of King George III.

“Since the 1700s, it has been argued that there should be no taxation without representation,” she said. “I very much hope that this will be my final opportunity to speak in this democratic facade of a chamber.”

[Amid Brexit crisis, House of Commons leader infuriates lawmakers with his body language]

Heads were scratched. No one engaged.

In an interview with The Washington Post afterward, Rees-Mogg called the European Parliament “the most fake kind of democracy you could imagine. When you debate you don’t debate. It’s all just pretend.”

Frederick Florin

AFP/Getty Images

Brexit Party members turn their backs during the European anthem at the opening session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, in July.

At the Parliament’s opening session, the Brexit Party’s lawmakers stood and turned their backs during the playing of Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy,” the anthem of the European Union.

Fox said the demonstration was intended to make a point: that the E.U. “is not a nation, but has a flag, an anthem, a foreign policy and, maybe soon, an army.”

But afterward, she said, she and her party were disparaged as “pigheaded ignorant chauvinist yobs who didn’t know who Beethoven was.”

Telegraph columnist Michael Deacon wrote that it looked like the Brexiteers were “having the time of their lives” — while “their European counterparts . . . looked thoroughly traumatized. It was as if they’d been confronted by a coach-load of English football fans from the 1980s, hurling plastic chairs through trattoria windows, throwing up in public fountains, and chanting ‘Two World Wars and one World Cup’ with their tops off.”

The Brexit Party members of Parliament “aren’t frozen out, they’re ignored,” said Fabian Zuleeg, chief executive of the European Policy Centre think tank in Brussels.

“Mostly, they’re no-shows,” he said. “They’re completely disinterested in the real work of Parliament.

“Farage? He’s accomplished two things. He’s promoted himself, and he uses his position to promote his cause, which is Brexit.”

Zuleeg noted that Farage has failed seven times to win a seat in the British House of Commons. “So it is the European Parliament that has given him his platform.”

It has given Farage an income, too.

The Brussels Brexiteers complain a lot about the “gravy train:” The salaries and perks doled out for European Parliament members.

The Brexiteers greedily slurp the gravy, say their critics.

Brexit Party members say they chafe at the chauffeured cars, the ample expense accounts, the long lunches and the low demands for most members, who are paid their per diems if they just show up.

Verhofstadt, the Dutch politician who leads the Brexit committee in the European Parliament, has countered: “The biggest waste of money in the European Union of today is the salary we all pay to Mr. Farage.”

Verhofstadt often trolls Farage as a no-show show-boater.

Members of the European Parliament make $9,700 a month before taxes and are entitled to a monthly $5,000 general expenditure allowance, which covers phones, computers and renting an office in their constituencies.

They also receive a flat rate of $350 daily to cover meals and hotels when they are in Brussels or Strasbourg, France — the Parliament splits its time between the two cities — and an additional $26,000 a month for staff salaries.

Henry Nicholls

Reuters

The Brexit Party could play a pivotal role in British elections next month. In Brussels, the party holds 29 seats but lacks power.

In interviews with The Post, Brexit Party members said they took the money.

“Why are we here? To give Westminster a kick in the backside to get on with it,” said Henrik Overgaard-Nielsen, a Brexit Party member of European Parliament.

He is not a British citizen. He is a Danish dentist, longtime Euroskeptic, self-described lefty and resident of Britain, married to an English wife.

He credited the Brexit Party with weakening Theresa May when she served as prime minister and thwarting her half-in, half-out vision of Brexit.

“If it wasn’t for the Brexit Party,” he said, “we’d still have Theresa May as prime minister and still have her bad [Brexit] deal.”

In next month’s general election in Britain, the Brexit Party, which is unique in being registered as a private company and not political party, could help deliver a mandate for a decisive Brexit. Or it could play the spoiler and produce another hung British Parliament, or even a victory for the opposition Labour Party — which could keep the Brexiteers in Brussels even longer.

“Get me out of this stupid job,” said Fox, the former communist.

After these few months sitting in the European Parliament, Fox assessed: “It’s deadly dull, technocratic. It’s politics with the guts ripped out of it.”

Plus, she said, “we’re not made to feel very welcome.”

Read more

Can Boris Johnson keep his seat? A young Muslim immigrant is challenging the British prime minister.

In first debate between Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn, questions of trust dominate

In U.K. elections, free Internet for all is among the big-ticket promises on offer

Today’s coverage from Post correspondents around the world

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2019-11-25 11:31:00Z
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Julian Assange "could die in prison" if health not addressed in hospital, doctors say in letter to UK authorities today - CBS News

BRITAIN-US-ECUADOR-AUSTRALIA-DIPLOMACY-COURT-ASSANGE
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange arrives at court in London, May 1, 2019, to be sentenced for bail violation. He was sentenced to 50 weeks in prison. Getty

London — More than 60 doctors have written to British authorities asserting that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange urgently needs medical treatment at a university hospital. The doctors said in a letter published Monday that Assange suffers from psychological problems including depression as well as dental issues and a serious shoulder ailment.

Assange is in Belmarsh Prison on the outskirts of London in advance of an extradition hearing set for February. He is sought by the U.S. on espionage charges relating to his WikiLeaks work.

The letter, distributed by WikiLeaks, was sent to Home Secretary Priti Patel, who heads up the British government agency in charge of law enforcement. It was also addressed to Patel's political counterpart from the opposition party, Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbot.

Dr. Lissa Johnson of Australia, Assange's home country, said an independent medical assessment was needed to determine if Assange is "medically fit" to face legal proceedings.

In the letter, Johnson and the other doctors from a range of different countries warn that, in their opinion, if Assange does not receive the medical attention they say he requires, "we have real concerns, on the evidence currently available, that Mr Assange could die in prison. The medical situation is thereby urgent. There is no time to lose."

British foreign secretary says he wouldn't block Assange extradition

Last week Sweden dropped its investigation into an alleged rape by Assange because too much time has elapsed since the accusation was made over nine years ago. Assange has always denied the allegations made against him during a visit to Stockholm in August 2010.

"Nine years have gone," Swedish prosecutor Eve-Marie Persson said. "Time is a player in this. The oral evidence has weakened as time has passed."

Two months earlier, Assange was evicted from the Ecuadorean Embassy in London where he had been holed up for nearly seven years. He was immediately arrested and is currently serving a 50-week sentence in Britain for jumping bail in 2012.

Kristinn Hrafnsson, WikiLeaks editor-in-chief, said in a tweet that the focus should now move to the "threat" that Assange has been "warning about for years: the belligerent prosecution of the United States and the threat it poses to the First Amendment."

The Australian faces an 18-count indictment in the Eastern District of Virginia that accuses him of soliciting and publishing classified information and with conspiring with former Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to crack a Defense Department computer password.

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2019-11-25 09:56:00Z
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Navy Secretary Spencer fired for undermining military justice system in Gallagher Navy SEAL case - Fox News

Good morning and welcome to Fox News First. Here's what you need to know as you start your Monday morning ...

Navy secretary fired over handling, 'lack of candor' in Eddie Gallagher case; SEAL will keep Trident pin, Pentagon says
Defense Secretary Mark Esper fired Navy Secretary Richard Spencer on Sunday over his handling of the case of Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher, who posed for a photo next to an Islamic State group terrorist’s corpse in Iraq. Spencer was fired for "lack of candor" -- for dishonesty and undermining the military justice system, the senior U.S. official told Fox News.

The controversy swirled around whether the Navy would strip Gallagher of his Trident pin, which is bestowed on SEALs to reinforce "good order and discipline" across the force, a source told Fox News. In July, Gallagher was cleared of serious 2017 war crimes charges in Iraq, including premeditated murder, but convicted on a lesser offense of posing with the corpse of an ISIS fighter. He was demoted from chief petty officer to a 1st class petty officer following his conviction. President Trump this month restored Gallagher’s rank and ordered that the Navy halt its internal review of his actions.

President Donald Trump listens during a meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, Friday, Nov. 22, 2019, on youth vaping and the electronic cigarette epidemic. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

President Donald Trump listens during a meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, Friday, Nov. 22, 2019, on youth vaping and the electronic cigarette epidemic. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Esper and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley spoke to Trump on Friday with the intention of persuading the president to allow the Trident review board to go forward with its inquiry. Instead, Esper learned that Spencer previously and privately proposed to the White House – contrary to Spencer’s public position – to restore Gallagher’s rank and let him retire with his Trident pin, the Pentagon said. When Esper recently asked, Spencer confirmed that he'd never informed the defense secretary about his private proposal.

Spencer had asked Trump to let the Navy review board go forward, promising that the board would, in the end, allow Gallagher to keep his Trident and rank. He effectively suggested he would be willing to fix the results of the board, which is usually comprised of the defendant’s peers, a senior U.S. official told Fox News. Trump rejected the offer.

Esper ordered that Gallagher be allowed to keep his Trident pin, noting that it would be nearly impossible for him to get a fair hearing from the military in light of recent events, a senior official said. Trump late Sunday tweeted he would nominate Kenneth Braithwaite, the current U.S. ambassador to Norway and a retired Navy rear admiral, to replace Spencer. Click here for more on our top story.

Bloomberg officially enters 2020 presidential race - and his media company faces immediate ethics problems
Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg officially launched his 2020 presidential campaign Sunday with the release of a one-minute video. However, his entry into the race has posed a dilemma for the news service that bears his name and editors at Bloomberg have already raised eyebrows with how they say they will approach their coverage.

Bloomberg Editor-in-Chief John Micklethwait announced Sunday it will not “investigate” the candidate or any of his Democratic rivals, and Bloomberg Opinion will no longer run unsigned editorials. The entry of Bloomberg into the presidential race also raises potential conflict-of-interest questions involving his extensive business holdings, which go well beyond his news service.

Nunes doubles down on promise to sue CNN and Daily Beast over impeachment coverage
Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., who promised to sue CNN and the Daily Beast, told Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo this week on "Sunday Morning Futures" that the only way to hold the "corrupt" media accountable is to challenge them in federal court.

Nunes first threatened legal action against both news organizations Friday for their coverage of the Trump impeachment inquiry proceedings. Both outlets had published stories claiming the ranking member on the House Intelligence Committee had met with Ukrainian prosecutor Viktor Shokin in Vienna in 2018 to push for an investigation into Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden. Both stories cite former Rudy Guliani associate Lev Parnas, who was indicted in October for conspiring to violate the ban on foreign donations, prompting Nunes to question the validity of the source.

MAKING HEADLINES:
Lee Zeldin on impeachment: 'Adam Schiff really does think that many Americans are idiots.'
Pro-democracy candidates triumph in Hong Kong after massive voter turnout.
Alabama sheriff fatally shot in head over loud music; suspect is son of a deputy: reports.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

TODAY'S MUST-READS
New York governor blasted for overreaction to Times Square bomb threat.
Washington Redskins' Dwayne Haskins takes selfie with fan, misses final snap.
Pink Taco founder Harry Morton found dead at 38.

THE LATEST FROM FOX BUSINESS
Airline catering workers to demonstrate at 18 airports during Thanksgiving travel.
China agrees to toughen intellectual property theft penalties, a key US priority.
Microsoft, Baker Hughes announce artificial intelligence partnership for oil and gas industry. 
 
#TheFlashback: CLICK HERE to find out what happened on "This Day in History."

SOME PARTING WORDS

Steve Hilton argues that everyday Americans face serious problems that Democrats are ignoring as they remain obsessed with impeaching President Trump.

Not signed up yet for Fox News First? Click here to find out what you're missing.

Click here to find out what's on Fox News and Fox News Radio today!
 
Fox News First is compiled by Fox News' Bryan Robinson. Thank you for making us your first choice in the morning! Enjoy your Monday! We'll see you in your inbox first thing Tuesday morning.

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https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiS2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmZveG5ld3MuY29tL3VzL25hdnktc2VjcmV0YXJ5LXNwZW5jZXItdHJ1bXAtZ2FsbGFnaGVyLW5hdnktc2VhbNIBT2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmZveG5ld3MuY29tL3VzL25hdnktc2VjcmV0YXJ5LXNwZW5jZXItdHJ1bXAtZ2FsbGFnaGVyLW5hdnktc2VhbC5hbXA?oc=5

2019-11-25 09:59:18Z
52780444497515

Navy secretary Spencer fired for undermining military justice system in Gallagher Navy SEAL case - Fox News

Good morning and welcome to Fox News First. Here's what you need to know as you start your Monday morning ...

Navy secretary fired over handling, 'lack of candor' in Eddie Gallagher case; SEAL will keep Trident pin, Pentagon says
Defense Secretary Mark Esper fired Navy Secretary Richard Spencer on Sunday over his handling of the case of Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher, who posed for a photo next to an Islamic State group terrorist’s corpse in Iraq. Spencer was fired for "lack of candor" -- for dishonesty and undermining the military justice system, the senior U.S. official told Fox News.

The controversy swirled around whether the Navy would strip Gallagher of his Trident pin, which is bestowed on SEALs to reinforce "good order and discipline" across the force, a source told Fox News. In July, Gallagher was cleared of serious 2017 war crimes charges in Iraq, including premeditated murder, but convicted on a lesser offense of posing with the corpse of an ISIS fighter. He was demoted from chief petty officer to a 1st class petty officer following his conviction. President Trump this month restored Gallagher’s rank and ordered that the Navy halt its internal review of his actions.

President Donald Trump listens during a meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, Friday, Nov. 22, 2019, on youth vaping and the electronic cigarette epidemic. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

President Donald Trump listens during a meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, Friday, Nov. 22, 2019, on youth vaping and the electronic cigarette epidemic. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Esper and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley spoke to Trump on Friday with the intention of persuading the president to allow the Trident review board to go forward with its inquiry. Instead, Esper learned that Spencer previously and privately proposed to the White House – contrary to Spencer’s public position – to restore Gallagher’s rank and let him retire with his Trident pin, the Pentagon said. When Esper recently asked, Spencer confirmed that he'd never informed the defense secretary about his private proposal.

Spencer had asked Trump to let the Navy review board go forward, promising that the board would, in the end, allow Gallagher to keep his Trident and rank. He effectively suggested he would be willing to fix the results of the board, which is usually comprised of the defendant’s peers, a senior U.S. official told Fox News. Trump rejected the offer.

Esper ordered that Gallagher be allowed to keep his Trident pin, noting that it would be nearly impossible for him to get a fair hearing from the military in light of recent events, a senior official said. Trump late Sunday tweeted he would nominate Kenneth Braithwaite, the current U.S. ambassador to Norway and a retired Navy rear admiral, to replace Spencer. Click here for more on our top story.

Bloomberg officially enters 2020 presidential race - and his media company faces immediate ethics problems
Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg officially launched his 2020 presidential campaign Sunday with the release of a one-minute video. However, his entry into the race has posed a dilemma for the news service that bears his name and editors at Bloomberg have already raised eyebrows with how they say they will approach their coverage.

Bloomberg Editor-in-Chief John Micklethwait announced Sunday it will not “investigate” the candidate or any of his Democratic rivals, and Bloomberg Opinion will no longer run unsigned editorials. The entry of Bloomberg into the presidential race also raises potential conflict-of-interest questions involving his extensive business holdings, which go well beyond his news service.

Nunes doubles down on promise to sue CNN and Daily Beast over impeachment coverage
Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., who promised to sue CNN and the Daily Beast, told Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo this week on "Sunday Morning Futures" that the only way to hold the "corrupt" media accountable is to challenge them in federal court.

Nunes first threatened legal action against both news organizations Friday for their coverage of the Trump impeachment inquiry proceedings. Both outlets had published stories claiming the ranking member on the House Intelligence Committee had met with Ukrainian prosecutor Viktor Shokin in Vienna in 2018 to push for an investigation into Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden. Both stories cite former Rudy Guliani associate Lev Parnas, who was indicted in October for conspiring to violate the ban on foreign donations, prompting Nunes to question the validity of the source.

MAKING HEADLINES:
Lee Zeldin on impeachment: 'Adam Schiff really does think that many Americans are idiots.'
Pro-democracy candidates triumph in Hong Kong after massive voter turnout.
Alabama sheriff fatally shot in head over loud music; suspect is son of a deputy: reports.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

TODAY'S MUST-READS
New York governor blasted for overreaction to Times Square bomb threat.
Washington Redskins' Dwayne Haskins takes selfie with fan, misses final snap.
Pink Taco founder Harry Morton found dead at 38.

THE LATEST FROM FOX BUSINESS
Airline catering workers to demonstrate at 18 airports during Thanksgiving travel.
China agrees to toughen intellectual property theft penalties, a key US priority.
Microsoft, Baker Hughes announce artificial intelligence partnership for oil and gas industry. 
 
#TheFlashback: CLICK HERE to find out what happened on "This Day in History."

SOME PARTING WORDS

Steve Hilton argues that everyday Americans face serious problems that Democrats are ignoring as they remain obsessed with impeaching President Trump.

Not signed up yet for Fox News First? Click here to find out what you're missing.

Click here to find out what's on Fox News and Fox News Radio today!
 
Fox News First is compiled by Fox News' Bryan Robinson. Thank you for making us your first choice in the morning! Enjoy your Monday! We'll see you in your inbox first thing Tuesday morning.

Let's block ads! (Why?)


https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiS2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmZveG5ld3MuY29tL3VzL25hdnktc2VjcmV0YXJ5LXNwZW5jZXItdHJ1bXAtZ2FsbGFnaGVyLW5hdnktc2VhbNIBT2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmZveG5ld3MuY29tL3VzL25hdnktc2VjcmV0YXJ5LXNwZW5jZXItdHJ1bXAtZ2FsbGFnaGVyLW5hdnktc2VhbC5hbXA?oc=5

2019-11-25 09:38:40Z
52780444497515