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Trump meets definition of a fascist, his former chief of staff says

Trump meets definition of a fascist, his former chief of staff says
In this photo taken on Oct. 10, 2018, US President Donald Trump listens to White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, right, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. (AP/File)
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Updated 12 sec ago
Reuters
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Trump meets definition of a fascist, his former chief of staff says

Trump meets definition of a fascist, his former chief of staff says
  • Retired general Scott Kelly says Kelly said Trump would seek to rule like an authoritarian if he returned to the White House
  • Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung disparaged Kelly, saying he “has totally beclowned himself with these debunked stories”
  • Weighing in, Democratic presidential candidate Kamal Harris said the reported remarks only show that Trump is a threat to US democracy
Updated 12 sec ago
Reuters
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WASHINGTON: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump meets the definition of a fascist and “prefers the dictator approach to government,” his former White House chief of staff said in a series of interviews with the New York Times.
With less than two weeks until the Nov. 5 election, John Kelly, a longtime critic of Trump’s, told the Times that the former Republican president had no understanding of the US Constitution or the concept of the rule of law.
Kelly said the former president would seek to rule like an authoritarian if he returned to the White House. In the interviews published on Tuesday, he quoted Trump as having told him German Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler “did some good things.”
Trump’s team has denied the accounts.
“He certainly prefers the dictator approach to government,” Kelly said, according to the newspaper. “Certainly the former president is in the far-right area, he’s certainly an authoritarian, admires people who are dictators — he has said that. So he certainly falls into the general definition of fascist, for sure.”
A retired US Marine Corps general, Kelly served as Trump’s White House chief of staff between 2017 and 2019. Since Kelly left the White House the two men’s relationship has soured and both are open about their disdain for each other.
“John Kelly is a LOWLIFE, and a bad General, whose advice in the White House I no longer sought, and told him to MOVE ON!” Trump said in a post on his social media platform Truth Social.
Steven Cheung, a Trump campaign spokesperson, said in a statement that Kelly “has totally beclowned himself with these debunked stories.”
Retired US Army brigadier general, Republican Steve Anderson, said on a call with reporters organized by the Harris campaign that he was disappointed Kelly did not go as far as endorsing Harris after his criticism of Trump.
In the Times interview, Kelly stressed that as a former military officer he was not endorsing any candidate.

Topics: US Election 2024 Donald Trump Scott Kelly

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US Justice Department warns Musk over $1 million giveaway

US Justice Department warns Musk over $1 million giveaway
Updated 24 October 2024
Reuters
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US Justice Department warns Musk over $1 million giveaway

US Justice Department warns Musk over $1 million giveaway
  • Musk, a Trump supporter, announced plans to give $1 million to one registered voter in a swing state every day until the US election on November 5
  • Winners of the contest are chosen at random but they must be registered voters and must sign a petition that supports “free speech and the right to bear arms”
Updated 24 October 2024
Reuters

WASHINGTON: Billionaire Elon Musk’s America PAC has been warned by the Justice Department that its $1 million daily giveaways to registered voters may violate federal law, US media reported Wednesday.
Musk, the world’s richest man, announced the contest on Saturday in Pennsylvania, one of the seven “swing states” that will likely determine who will become the next US president — Donald Trump or Kamala Harris.
Musk, a Trump supporter, announced plans to give $1 million to one registered voter in a swing state every day until the US election on November 5.
CNN and 24sight News said the letter from the Justice Department to Musk’s political action commitee warns that the $1 million sweepstakes may violate federal law, which prohibits paying people to register to vote.
The Justice Department declined to comment.
The winners of the contest are chosen at random but they must be registered voters. They are also required to sign a petition that supports “free speech and the right to bear arms.”
Danielle Lang, a professor at Georgetown Law School who specializes in election law, told AFP earlier this week that the contest could be “subject to civil or criminal enforcement by the Department of Justice.”
“It is illegal to give out money on the condition that recipients register as voters,” Lang said.
“As the terms of this ‘contest’ to win $1 million require the recipient to be a registered voter in one of seven swing states (or to register if they have not already), the offer violates federal law,” she said.
 

Topics: US Election 2024 Elon Musk America PAC

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US says at least 3,000 N.Korea troops training in Russia

US says at least 3,000 N.Korea troops training in Russia
Updated 4 min 2 sec ago
AFP
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US says at least 3,000 N.Korea troops training in Russia

US says at least 3,000 N.Korea troops training in Russia
Updated 4 min 2 sec ago
AFP

WASHINGTON: At least 3,000 North Korean soldiers have been sent to Russia and are training there, the United States said Wednesday, warning that they would become legitimate targets for Kyiv if they engage in combat in Ukraine.

Russia and North Korea have boosted their political and military alliance amid the Ukraine war, with Pyongyang facing long-standing accusations of supplying arms to Moscow’s army.

But the deployment of troops to support Russian forces would be a significant escalation in that support and has prompted warnings from Kyiv and its Western backers, who separately said Wednesday that they would make $50 billion in lending available to aid Ukraine.

“We assess that between early to mid-October, North Korea moved at least 3,000 soldiers into eastern Russia,” US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told journalists.

The troops traveled by ship from North Korea to Vladivostok, and then went to “multiple Russian military training sites in eastern Russia, where they are currently undergoing training,” Kirby said.

“We do not yet know whether these soldiers will enter into combat alongside the Russian military,” but “if these North Korean soldiers decide to join the fight against Ukraine, they will become legitimate military targets,” he said.

North Korea’s state media has not commented since Seoul’s spy agency said last week said Pyongyang had decided to send a “large-scale” troop deployment to Russia to fight Ukraine.

Moscow on Wednesday refused to confirm or deny the reports, with foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova telling reporters to “ask Pyongyang” where its troops are.

After a briefing by the National Intelligence Service, South Korean lawmaker Park Sun-won said earlier that 1,500 more troops had been sent to Russia, taking the total deployment to 3,000.

Seoul says Pyongyang plans to deploy 10,000 soldiers to Russia by December, with international concerns escalating.

Germany said Wednesday it had summoned North Korea’s envoy to warn the reclusive state against sending troops.

“North Korea’s support of the Russian war of aggression directly threatens Germany’s security and the European peace order,” the German foreign ministry said on social media platform X.

Kyiv on Wednesday called on any North Korean troops deployed by Russia to lay down their arms and save their lives.

“We address fighters of the Korean People’s Army who were sent to help Putin’s regime. You must not die senselessly in a foreign land,” said a statement issued by a group run by Kyiv’s military intelligence.

“You must not repeat the fate of hundreds of thousands of Russian soldiers who will never return home!” it added.

South Korea has said the nuclear-armed North is supplying Russia with weapons for use in Ukraine. The fresh alarm comes after the North’s leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a military deal in June.

South Korea will send a delegation to NATO headquarters in Brussels next week to brief the alliance on the situation, officials said.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has pleaded for Kyiv’s allies to respond and repeatedly said a North Korean deployment risks further escalating and prolonging the war.

“It is important that our partners do not hide from this challenge. All partners,” he said in an address published late Tuesday.

“And if Russia is still able to make this war bigger and longer, then everyone in the world who is not helping to force Russia to peace is actually helping Putin to fight,” he added.

Experts have said that in return for the troops, North Korea is likely aiming to acquire military technology, ranging from surveillance satellites to submarines, plus possible security guarantees from Moscow.

North Korea and Russia are under UN sanctions — Kim for his nuclear weapons program, and Moscow for the Ukraine war.

Kyiv meanwhile obtained significant new international financial backing on Wednesday in the form of $50 billion in lending that US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said G7 nations are committed to making available this year using profits from the interest on frozen Russian assets.

Topics: Russia-Ukraine Conflict North Korea US

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US approves $7.3 bn sale of F-16 upgrades for Poland

US approves $7.3 bn sale of F-16 upgrades for Poland
Updated 24 October 2024
AFP
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US approves $7.3 bn sale of F-16 upgrades for Poland

US approves $7.3 bn sale of F-16 upgrades for Poland
Updated 24 October 2024
AFP

WASHINGTON: The United States on Wednesday announced the approval of a $7.3 billion sale of upgrades for Poland’s F-16 warplanes, boosting the defenses of a NATO member that shares a lengthy border with war-torn Ukraine.
“This proposed sale will support the foreign policy goals and national security of the United States by improving the security of a NATO ally that is a force for political and economic stability in Europe,” the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said in a statement.
“The F-16 Viper Midlife Upgrade (MLU) will bolster Poland’s air defense and surveillance capabilities, support national security, and strengthen Poland’s defense and contributions to NATO,” it said.
The State Department approved the possible sale and the DSCA on Wednesday provided the required notification to Congress, which still needs to sign off on the transaction.

Topics: US Poland

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Most Arab Americans hold conservative views on illegal immigration, abortion: Poll

Most Arab Americans hold conservative views on illegal immigration, abortion: Poll
Updated 23 October 2024
Arab News
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Most Arab Americans hold conservative views on illegal immigration, abortion: Poll

Most Arab Americans hold conservative views on illegal immigration, abortion: Poll
  • An Arab News-YouGov survey found that a majority would like to see US border controls and rules around abortion tightened
  • Immigration policy and abortion rights are among the key fault line issues between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump
Updated 23 October 2024
Arab News

LONDON: A survey conducted for Arab News by YouGov reveals that although 62 percent of Arab Americans describe themselves as politically moderate (35 percent), liberal (13 percent) or very liberal (13 percent), a majority express conservative views on two key domestic issues: illegal immigration and abortion.

Perhaps most surprisingly for a population of immigrants or descendants of immigrants, 56 percent of respondents think US border controls should be tightened.

However, 24 percent think border controls should be relaxed — a liberal viewpoint that chimes with the position of neither the Democratic nor Republican candidate. Just 5 percent of over-55s want to see controls relaxed.

Fifty-one percent of respondents believe there are too many illegal immigrants in the US. This view is most common among those over 55 (61 percent) and those with the least education (66 percent).

“Interestingly, immigration seems to rank very highly in the minds of Arab Americans and honestly, as an immigrant myself, I wasn’t completely surprised by this,” Firas Maksad, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute in Washington, told the Arab News podcast “Frankly Speaking.”

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This section contains relevant reference points, placed in (Opinion field)

He added: “Those who immigrated here legally and went through the process and paid their taxes tend to feel pretty strongly about those who are cutting in line and not paying their fair share.”

This, he said, could partly explain the large percentage of support for Republican candidate Donald Trump among Arab Americans.

As an issue, “illegal immigration often plays in favor of Trump rather than (Democratic candidate Kamala) Harris,” Maksad added.

However, one in three respondents rejected the suggestion that the US has too many illegal immigrants, while 16 percent said they do not know. 

On abortion, one of the key fault lines between pro-choice Harris and Trump, who is seen as responsible for the Supreme Court overturning the landmark Roe v Wade decision — which since 1973 had guaranteed the right to pregnancy termination in the US — Arab Americans emerge as broadly conservative in their outlook.

Although only 14 percent (17 percent of men and 11 percent of women) believe abortion should be completely banned, 40 percent agree with the proposition: “Abortion should be allowed only under certain circumstances, including rape and threat to life.” Again, more men (44 percent) than women (37 percent) hold this position.

However, almost as many (38 percent) are in favor of abortion being allowed up to the ninth week of pregnancy, which is officially when an embryo turns into a fetus. Women (44 percent) are more supportive of this than men (33 percent).

One issue of concern to many Arab Americans is their experience of racism, harassment or hate attacks related to their ethnicity, religion or origins — 46 percent said they had experienced this and 50 percent said they had not. 

Intriguingly, given the support for Trump revealed by the survey (45 percent said they will vote for him, against 43 percent for Harris), 46 percent of respondents said they expect racism and hate attacks against Arab Americans to increase during a Trump presidency, compared with 23 percent if Harris becomes president.

For 39 percent of respondents, Harris is also seen as being more sensitive to the national needs of Arab Americans than Trump (31 percent). 

 

 

Topics: US Election 2024 US Election 2024 YouGov Editor’s Choice Arab Americans

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Proportion of women killed in conflict doubled in 2023: UN

Proportion of women killed in conflict doubled in 2023: UN
Updated 23 October 2024
AFP
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Proportion of women killed in conflict doubled in 2023: UN

Proportion of women killed in conflict doubled in 2023: UN
  • UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres painted a stark picture showing “progress made over decades is vanishing before our eyes“
  • “Amid record levels of armed conflict and violence... generational gains in women’s rights hang in the balance around the world,” the report said
Updated 23 October 2024
AFP

UNITED NATIONS: The proportion of women killed in conflict in 2023 doubled compared to the previous year, according to a UN report that denounced “oppressive patriarchal” structures and called out an increase in sexual violence in war zones.
In the annual “Women and Peace and Security” report published on Tuesday evening, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres painted a stark picture showing “progress made over decades is vanishing before our eyes.”
According to the UN’s data, of at least 33,443 civilian deaths recorded in conflicts around the world in 2023 — 72 percent more than in 2022 — four out of 10 were women, a 100 percent increase, and three out of 10 were children.
“Amid record levels of armed conflict and violence... generational gains in women’s rights hang in the balance around the world, undercutting the transformative potential of women’s leadership and inclusion in the pursuit of peace,” the report said.
UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous said the trends were part “of a larger war on women.”
“Women continue to pay the price of the wars of men,” she said.
“The deliberate targeting of women’s rights is not unique to conflict-affected countries but is even more lethal in those settings.”
In 2023, more than 170 armed conflicts were recorded, with around 612 million women and girls living within 50 kilometers (30 miles) of these conflicts — 150 percent more than a decade ago, the report said.
The number of cases of sexual violence against women in those conflict zones increased by 50 percent, the UN’s data showed, with the number of girls affected by “grave violations” in active conflict areas increasing by 35 percent.
“Perpetrators of sexual violence still largely enjoy impunity,” the report said. “In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, more than 123,000 cases of gender-based violence were reported in 2023, a 300 percent increase in only three years.”
Women also made up a tiny fraction of those involved in peace negotiations, the UN’s data showed.
Preliminary data from 50 peace processes showed that in 2023, on average, women made up only 9.6 percent of negotiators, 13.7 percent of mediators and 26.6 percent of signatories to peace agreements and ceasefire agreements.
The proportion of women signatories dropped to 1.5 percent if agreements in Colombia were excluded.
“Power and decision-making on peace and security matters remain overwhelmingly dominated by men, and progress has been disturbingly slow in terms of ending impunity for those who perpetrate atrocities against women and girls,” the report said.

Topics: UN women Secretary-General Antonio Guterres

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