VA
Whistleblower Doc Faces Ax Unless Trump Steps In
A well-respected pain management doctor who blew the whistle on patient
safety concerns at a Department of Veterans Affairs facility in Missouri
-- and was subsequently threatened twice by his superiors with termination
-- will have just hours more on the job if President Trump doesnt sign
a bill pending on his desk for several days. The bill that would help Dr.
Dale Klein, a double-board-certified physician and Yale University fellow,
who was hired to open and run a pain management clinic at a Missouri VA
hospital, will reform somewhat Byzantine rules that exist to protect federal
employees who are whistleblowers from retaliation. Fox
VOA VIEW: Trump will step up - if the
complaint is true.
Obamas
Under Fire From The Left For Never Ending, Sizzling Ultra-Luxury Vacations
Ex-presidents, understandably and un-controversially, go on vacations
immediately after leaving office. But the level of luxury the Obamas enjoy
on their vacations is unprecedented for a modern-day president, say travel
experts. Since leaving office in late January, Obama has visited late actor
Marlon Brandos private island; the Four Seasons in Bali -- where rooms
cost upward of $2,000 per night; a Palm Springs estate; Sir Richard Bransons
Necker Island; the exclusive Mid Pacific Country Club in Oahu; the 13th-century
Borgo Finocchieto in Tuscany; and the Rising Sun, Hollywood studio mogul
David Geffens private yacht. Fox News
VOA VIEW: Obama made his deal thinking
that Hillary would be president.
Pro-Trump
Group Makes Good On Threats, Launches TV Ads Against Fellow GOP Senator
The pro-Trump group America First Policies is making good on its threats
to air television ads against a fellow Republican, Nevada Sen. Dean Heller,
over his public opposition to the GOP leadership's health care bill --
even though Senate Republicans now plan to vote after a July 4 recess.
The 30-second narrated television ad depicts President Donald Trump and
Heller -- and does not mince words: "Call Senator Heller. Tell him America
needs him to keep his promise: Vote 'yes' to repeal and replace Obamacare."
The group expressed no regrets on running the ad, despite Senate Leader
Mitch McConnell's announcement midday Tuesday that the Senate vote on the
health care bill would be delayed until after the July 4 recess while leadership
makes changes to the proposal in hopes in gaining more senators' support.
CNN
VOA VIEW: CNN loves negative press.
House
Russia Investigators Interview John Podesta
Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign chairman, John Podesta,
traveled to Capitol Hill on Tuesday to meet with House investigators digging
into Russia's efforts to alter the 2016 elections. The Russian hack of
Podesta's emails played a pivotal role in the election, as WikiLeaks released
tens of thousands of his emails one day at a time during last year's presidential
campaign. Podesta told reporters after the meeting he was "happy to cooperate"
with the committee's investigation. Asked if President Barack Obama was
aggressive enough in combating Russia's interference, as some have argued
he wasn't, Podesta said the administration was "dealing with an unprecedented
incidence of the weaponization of the fruits of Russian cyber activity,
and I think they were trying to make the best judgments they could on behalf
of the American people." CNN
VOA VIEW: CNN is back on Russia
and Trump.
PLEASE DO BUSINESS WITH THOSE WHO DO BUSINESS WITH US -- OUR ADVERTISERS.
WH:
Trump Administration Disagrees With All Stories That Claim Trump Colluded
With Russia In Any Way
The White House said Tuesday that it disagrees with all stories that
claim President Donald Trump colluded with Russia "in any capacity." "Given
the news about CNN's erroneous story about Anthony Scaramucci, does the
White House believe there are other Russia-related stories from major outlets
that have not been retracted and are just as false, including the February
14th story in The New York Times about collusion between the Trump campaign
and Russia, which James Comey called into question, which many believe
the CNN story was based upon?" a reporter asked White House Deputy Press
Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders at an on-camera briefing Tuesday.
Sen.
Graham Cant Get An Answer: Did Intel Community Monitor His Conversations
With Foreign Leaders?
He didn't quite bang the table, but Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on
Tuesday offered the verbal equivalent, repeatedly asking intelligence officials
a simple question multiple times, to which he received no clear answer:
"Is it possible to find out, if I, Lindsey Graham, was incidentally collected
talking to a foreign leader abroad?" Graham asked. Is that possible? Am
I entitled to that information? Am I entitled, as a United States senator,
to know whether or not the intelligence community monitored a conversation
I had with a foreign leader abroad? "Am I entitled, as a United States
senator, to know if my conversations with a foreign person overseas was
collected and if somebody made a request to unmask me?" Graham asked intelligence
officials at a Judiciary Committee hearing on FISA reauthorization.
CNS
VOA VIEW: The liberals can't answer real
questions.
Supreme
Court's Recent Unity Faces Looming Test
As the U.S. Supreme Court navigated a difficult period in which it
was short one member for more than a year, justices from across the ideological
spectrum often managed to find common ground. That sense of unity promises
to be soon put to the test. The nine-justice court ended its 2016-2017
term on Monday with a flurry of rulings. When it resumes work in October,
its recently restored conservative majority could become more assertive
as the justices tackle big cases on whether the U.S. Constitution lets
businesses refuse to serve gay couples for religious reasons, presidential
powers and manipulating electoral district boundaries for partisan gain.
Reuters
Cosby
Says Has No Plans For 'Sexual Assault Tour'
Bill Cosby said on Tuesday he has no plans to hold town hall events
to discuss sexual assault, days after his spokesman suggested the comedian
planned a series of public talks to educate men about how to avoid false
accusations. Cosby's spokesman, Andrew Wyatt, first put forward the idea
for the town hall talks in an interview with a Birmingham, Alabama, TV
station last week, five days after Cosby's sex assault trial ended in a
hung jury. Reuters
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Paul
Ryan Explains Why 22 Million Will Be Uninsured And Hes Got A Point
Speaker Paul Ryan on Tuesday defended the Republican health care plan
that would mean over 22 million more people would be uninsured, arguing
the uninsured would only be exercising their new freedom to do so. What
theyre basically saying at the Congressional Budget Office is if youre
not going to force people to buy Obamacare, if youre not going to force
people to buy something that they dont want, then they wont buy it,
Ryan said on Fox News of the CBO analysis that cited the 22 million uninsured.
So, its not that people are getting pushed off a plan, its that people
will choose not to buy something they dont like or want. MSNBC
Feds
Hope To Build Border Wall Prototypes By Late Summer
Prototypes of what new sections of a wall on the Mexican border might
look like should be completed by late summer, a Department of Homeland
Security official said Tuesday. Ronald Vitiello, acting deputy commissioner
of Customs and Border Protection, said up to eight prototypes will be up
by September so that DHS can decide which design is best for building hundreds
of miles of new barrier along the border, as called for by President Trump.
MSNBC
VOA VIEW: Liberals want to deny the idea
of a wall.
Trump
Charges Fake News After CNN Producer Admits Bulls Russia Story Is
About Ratings
President Trump tangled Tuesday with CNN over fake news after Project
Veritas released an undercover video featuring a producer who said the
network is pushing the Russia narrative to improve ratings. Taking to Twitter,
Mr. Trump said that the video caught Fake News CNN cold and that the
network was looking at big management changes now that they got caught
pushing their phony Russian stories. Ratings way down! Washington
Times
VOA VIEW: The war between liberal CNN
and Trump has no ending in sight.
Rick
Perry Calls For Intellectual Conversation On Climate Change
During an hourlong press conference at the White House Tuesday, Energy
Secretary Rick Perry called for an intellectual conversation on climate
change, arguing that the issue has become far too political and divisive.
Mr. Perry, the former Texas governor and two-time presidential candidate,
acknowledged mans impact on the climate but also rejected the idea that
the science is completely settled on the matter. The climate is changing.
Man is having an impact on it. Ive said that time after time the idea
that we cant have an intellectual conversation about just what are the
actual impacts? he said. Why not have a conversation about that? What
is the other side, the people who say the science is settled, its done?
If you dont believe that, youre a skeptic
I dont buy that. Washington
Times
YOU can speak out and be heard by having your own "Column" - Visit the "Public Opinion" Section above.
Globally,
Opinions Of Trump Leadership, U.S. Image Drop, According To New Survey
Since taking office in January, President Trump's actions and policies
have had an impact on opinions of the United States around the world. In
a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center among 37 countries, a median
of just 22 percent are confident that Mr. Trump will do the right thing
regarding international affairs. The international community had greater
trust in his predecessor -- 64 percent expressed confidence in former President
Barack Obama's global diplomacy capabilities. CBS
VOA VIEW: The so-called poll is suspect
and like those in the US, are meant to deceive.
John
Podesta Meets With House Intel About Russia's Efforts To Influence 2016
Election
John Podesta, Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign chairman, met behind
closed doors Tuesday with members of the House Intelligence Committee as
part of the panel's investigation into Russia's efforts to meddle in the
presidential election. "They asked me to come forward to give to the best
of my knowledge what I knew about that, and I was happy to cooperate with
the committee in their investigation of Russia interference with the democratic
process in the United States," Podesta said on camera after the meeting.
Podesta said that the panel's chairman asked him to not publicly disclose
specific questions and answers discussed during the meeting.
CBS
Trump
Hails 'Energy Revolution' As Exports Surge
President Donald Trump on Tuesday hailed an energy revolution marked
by surging U.S. exports of oil and natural gas. Trump cited a series of
steps the administration has taken to boost energy production and remove
government regulations that he argues prevent the United States from achieving
"energy dominance" in the global market. "Together, we are going to start
a new energy revolution one that celebrates American production on American
soil," Trump said in a statement, adding that the U.S. is on the brink
of becoming a net exporter of oil, gas and other energy resources.
ABC
VOA VIEW: Trump is moving forward.
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Over
80 Percent Of Parents Have Made At Least 1 Dosing Error When Giving Medicine
To Children
More than 80 percent of parents have made at least one dosing error
when administering medicine to their young children, according to a study
released today by the American Academy of Pediatrics. The study, called
Pictograms, Units and Dosing Tools, and Parent Medication Errors: A Randomized
Study, looked at 491 parents of children 8 years old or younger and found
that 83.5 percent of parents made at least one dosing error and that 12.1
percent of those errors were overdosing errors. ABC
Trump's
15% Corporate Rate Debated During Tax Meetings
President Donald Trumps call to slash the corporate income tax rate
to 15 percent has faced resistance during private tax meetings, according
to a senior White House official. While Trump has been clear that he thinks
cutting the rate, which is currently 35 percent, is essential for job creation,
others have said that its impossible to cut it as much as he wants without
adding to the federal deficit, said the official, who asked not to be named
because the discussions are private. The official didnt specify who had
raised the objections, but said administration officials have met with
over 200 members of Congress as part of the effort to craft the tax bill.
Bloomberg
It
Was Another Rough Day For Tech Stocks
Volatility erupted again in the biggest U.S. technology stocks, sending
companies from Nvidia Corp. to Tesla Inc. and Netflix Inc. reeling in bursts
of volume that mirrored the rout of two weeks ago. The Nasdaq 100 Index
dropped 1.8 percent, closing at its lowest point of the session, and has
fallen 2.3 percent in the last two days for the biggest decline since June
9 and 12. A key technical level, the gauges 50-day moving average, was
breached at the close for the first time in seven months.
Bloomberg
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White
House Warns Syrias Assad Against Chemical Attack
The White House issued a stern warning to Syrian President Bashar Assad
on Monday night as it claimed "potential" evidence that Syria was preparing
for another chemical weapons attack. In an ominous statement issued with
no supporting evidence or further explanation, Press Secretary Sean Spicer
said the U.S. had "identified potential preparations for another chemical
weapons attack by the Assad regime that would likely result in the mass
murder of civilians, including innocent children." He said the activities
were similar to preparations taken before an April 2017 attack that killed
dozens of men, women and children, and warned that if "Mr. Assad conducts
another mass murder attack using chemical weapons, he and his military
will pay a heavy price." Las Vegas Sun
VOA VIEW: Syria better listen and obey.
Supreme
Court Term Ended Much Different Than It Began
The Supreme Court began its term nine months ago with Merrick Garland
nominated to the bench, Hillary Clinton favored to be the next president,
and the court poised to be controlled by Democratic appointees for the
first time in 50 years. Things looked very different when the justices
wrapped up their work this week. The court's final actions were declarations
that this is a conservative-leaning court and might only move more to the
right in the years to come. The justices gave President Donald Trump the
go-ahead to start enforcing at least part of his travel ban, showed that
the wall between church and state is perhaps not as high as it once was
and invigorated a baker's religion-based refusal to create a wedding cake
for a same-sex couple. Las Vegas Sun
Ransomware
Attack Targets 2,000 Gov't, Private Servers Worldwide
Another ransomware cyberattack, similar to one launched a month ago,
targeted thousands of government and private corporate servers on Tuesday,
European authorities said. Officials said the attack impacted government,
bank, energy and infrastructure providers in Ukraine, Russia, Britain and
elsewhere. Some U.S. companies, including food producer Mondel?z International
and drug-maker Merck, were also affected. "We confirm our company's computer
network was compromised today as part of global hack," Merck tweeted. Ukrainian
energy companies Ukrenergo and Kyivenergo were among other companies hit.
The National Bank said an "unknown virus" had spread through its computers,
and Ukraine Deputy Prime Minister Pavlo Rozenko said his computer, like
others in the Ukrainian government, became inaccessible.
UPI
IMF
Reduces U.S. Outlook Because Of Policy Uncertainties
The International Monetary Fund reduced its growth forecasts for the
U.S. economy because of the uncertain effectiveness of White House policies.
The Washington-based fund released a report Tuesday that expects growth
of 2.1 percent this year and in 2018 after previously estimating 2.3 percent
in 2017 and 2.5 percent next year. It had increased expectations with the
arrival of Donald Trump as president. The White House had targeted 3 percent
growth by 2020. The U.S. economy achieved that pace in the early 1980s,
when it was recovering from a deep recession. UPI
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'ISRAEL
ONE OF TWO NATIONS THAT PREFER TRUMP TO OBAMA'
Israel is one of only two countries - the other being Russia - that
rates US President Donald Trumps performance in office higher than that
of his predecessor, Barack Obama, according to a Pew Research survey released
Sunday. Fifty-six percent of Israelis have confidence that Trump will make
good choices in regards to international affairs; the confidence rating
in Obama was 49% at the end of his presidency. But the worldwide data,
based on research of 40,447 respondents from 37 countries, gives Trump
a median confidence rating of only 22%, while Obama enjoyed a 64% median
confidence rating in the final years of his term. Jerusalem
Post
VOA VIEW: Great!
OBAMA
CYBER CHIEF IN ISRAEL: 'US MUST STOP RUSSIA CAUSING ELECTION CHAOS'
US cyber efforts need to focus on blocking Russia and other adversaries
from causing chaos in elections, Obama administration cyber chief Michael
Daniel told The Jerusalem Post. Daniel, now president of the Cyber Threat
Alliance, spoke to the Post on Monday, on the sidelines of the Tel Aviv
University cyber conference, both about future threats and how he and the
Obama team handled past cyber issues. Jerusalem Post
Qatar
Facing Indefinite Isolation, UAE Says
With less than a week remaining for Qatar to comply with a tough set
of 13 demands from its Gulf Arab neighbours, it is looking increasingly
likely that this month's economic and political sanctions imposed on Qatar
will become permanent. Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt have demanded,
inter alia, that Qatar stop funding terrorism - which it denies - downgrade
ties with Iran and close down its Al Jazeera broadcaster, or face permanent
isolation. "Qatar is not responding positively to what we've sent," says
UAE government spokesman Omar Ghobash, who, as well as being the country's
ambassador to Moscow, is also the author of a counter-extremism book, Letters
to a Young Muslim. BBC
Laquan
McDonald Death: Officers 'Lied About US Teenager's Shooting'
Three former or current Chicago police officers have been charged with
allegedly conspiring to cover up the fatal police shooting of a black teen.
Detective David March and officers Joseph Walsh and Thomas Gaffney face
charges of conspiracy, obstruction of justice and official misconduct.
Laquan McDonald was shot 16 times by a white officer in 2014, sparking
widespread protests across the city. Prosecutors accuse the three men of
lying in the shooting's aftermath. "The indictment makes clear that these
defendants did more than merely obey an unofficial 'code of silence,' rather
it alleges that they lied about what occurred to prevent independent criminal
investigators from learning the truth," Special Prosecutor Patricia Brown
said in a statement on Tuesday. BBC
Trump
Lawyer's Firm Steered Millions In Donations To Family Members
More than 15,000 Americans were losing their jobs each day in June
2009, as the US struggled to climb out of a painful recession following
its worst financial crisis in decades. But Jay Sekulow, who is now an attorney
to Donald Trump, had a private jet to finance. His law firm was expecting
a $3m payday. And six-figure contracts for members of his family needed
to be taken care of. Documents obtained by the Guardian show Sekulow that
month approved plans to push poor and jobless people to donate money to
his Christian nonprofit, which since 2000 has steered more than $60m to
Sekulow, his family and their businesses. Guardian
Angela
Merkel Signals Change In Stance On Gay Narriage In Germany
Angela Merkel has signalled a change in her partys opposition to gay
marriage after stating MPs should be allowed a free vote in the German
parliament. Speaking at an event organised by the magazine Brigitte, the
German chancellor said she felt aggrieved that debate was mainly carried
out along party lines and that she hoped it would be headed towards a
conscience vote. It is widely believed the Bundestag would legalise gay
marriage in a free vote on the issue. Guardian
Bashar
Al-Assad Visits Russian Air Base In Syria After US Warning
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad visited a Russian air base at Hmeymim
in western Syria on Tuesday, his first visit to the base from which Russian
jets have played a crucial role in support of his war effort. Photos circulated
showed the Syrian leader in the cockpit of a Russian Sukhoi SU-35 warplane.
He inspected weapons, personnel and armoured vehicles at the base near
Latakia. He was accompanied by Russian chief of staff General Valery Gerasimov,
state news agency SANA reported. Telegraph
Swift
Repeat Of Banking Crisis Unlikely, Says Yellen
Major reforms in the wake of the global financial crisis have made
another banking meltdown unlikely "in our lifetimes", according to the
chairman of the US Federal Reserve. Janet Yellen said rules that forced
banks to strengthen their capital buffers had ensured the financial system
was "much safer" today than a decade ago. Speaking at the British Academy
in London, Ms Yellen also said it was in the UK and European Union's interest
to reach a Brexit deal that put the economy first.
Telegraph
Upcoming
Cyprus Conference 'A Unique Opportunity,' Says UN Negotiator
A fresh round of talks on Cyprus will last as long as it takes, but
there are no guarantees of success, the United Nations negotiator facilitating
the process said today.
Speaking to journalists in Geneva, Espen Barth Eide, the UN Special
Adviser on Cyprus, said that the reconvening of the Conference is not
the last chance but the the best chance of reaching an agreement between
Greek-Cypriots and Turkish-Cypriots. It is a unique opportunity, and it
would be extremely sad if it was wasted [
] and I think frankly that's
recognized by all participants. He highlighted however that sticking points
remain between the delegations as they prepared to meet tomorrow in Mont
Pèlerin, Switzerland. UN News
UN
Welcomes Major Partnership Initiative With Tech Giants To Counter Terrorism
Online
A senior United Nations official has called for sustained joint efforts
to combat terrorism and welcomed a partnership initiative with tech giants
Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter and YouTube to counter terrorism and violent
extremism online. I welcome this major initiative, which elevates our
existing private-public partnership with these and other companies, said
Jean-Paul Laborde, UN Assistant Secretary-General and the Executive Director
of the Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate.
UN News
ABC Online Canada National Post Daily Telegraph The Observer Wired News Xinhua News
VOA VIEW --Is the opinion of "Voice of Americans", which is a private entity not affiliated in any way with the United States government or any of its agencies. The opinions expressed here, in whatever medium or format, are not necessarily the opinions of the ownership or advertisers of this web site - 0415.