Bertha Henson bans “arrogant” pro-PAP Polish blogger from her Facebook page

By

Jewel Stolarchuk

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January 22, 2020

0

Veteran journalist Bertha Henson has decided to ban Polish blogger Michael Petraeus from her Facebook page.

Mr Petraeus, the man behind the blog Critical Spectator, is a marketing and design consultant who has been based in Singapore since 2016. He is known for publishing blog posts that are overwhelmingly supportive of the Singapore Government — so much so that he has been accused of being a part of the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) Internet Brigade.

The blogger’s posts are frequently shared by pro-PAP pages like the “Fabrications about PAP” Facebook page as well as by certain well-known figures, like Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s wife and Temasek CEO Ho Ching.

Last year, Ms Henson shared one of Mr Petraeus’ blog posts on her personal Facebook page and quipped that he should be given a Singapore passport. He had written about how the mosque attacks in Christchurch, New Zealand, could have been avoided if the world had studied and followed the Singapore model.

On Thursday (Jan 16), however, Ms Henson announced that she would be banning him from her Facebook page if she received 100 “likes” on her post.

Ms Henson said: “According to the rules of engagement on this wall, I am asking to ban Michael Petraeus. I find him loutish, abhorrent and totally devoid of civility. He claims to be a great intellect but look deeper at what he says and it’s really just personal attacks with big words used.

“He has been doing this constantly on my wall and I have tolerated it. But I have to conclude he’s a horrible person and extremely toxic. I also think he’s just invading my wall to get some profile. I hope at least 100 of you agree with me. Please like this post if you agree.”

Ms Henson ended up receiving more than 1,000 “likes” on her Facebook post:

This is not the first time Mr Petraeus has clashed with a prominent Singaporean. In October last year, Singaporean academic Cherian George called him a “troll” after he published their private email exchanges online.

The disagreement between them arose after Dr George criticised The Straits Times on Twitter for “supporting the Singapore Government’s attack on independent journalists, not for lack of professional ability but for want of ethical application”.

Mr Petraeus disagreed with Dr George on Twitter and went on to email the academic when he did not receive a reply on Twitter. In his email to Dr George, Mr Petraeus called his views a “swipe” against the Singapore Government and accused the academic of “fighting for freedom as long as it is freedom on your terms only”.

In response to Mr Petraeus’ complaint that he “failed” to engage in discussion online, Dr George sharply responded that he engages in discussion with those he feels can contribute meaningfully to an exchange.

Mr Petraeus took offence and accused Dr George of “intellectual dishonesty” before accusing him of being a “self-righteous academic with no meaningful contribution — and zero responsibility — for any society…” He then made their email exchange public.

Asserting that people like Mr Petraeus hurt the ruling party, Dr George subsequently tweeted: “Couldn’t resist feeding this troll. He’s made our emails public. Wonder if PAP knows how trolls like him and Calvin Cheng hurt it. The populist demons PAP’s using to suffocate critics will poison the culture sustaining its antipopulist technocratic model.”

War of words: Professor Cherian George calls Critical Spectator a troll whom he ‘couldn’t resist feeding’

Kim Kardashian proves critics wrong, finishes first year of law school

By

Lydia Koh

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January 22, 2020

0

Reality TV star Kim Kardashian West said on Saturday that she had finished the first year of law school and that she was working on a documentary on advocacy work for criminal justice reform.

The documentary, titled Kim Kardashian West: The Justice Project, will premiere on the Oxygen cable network on April 5.

The two-hour film will show West paying prison visits, while working with legal experts on four cases.

The 39-year-old reality star is famous for beauty and fashion, while documenting her life with her siblings on the Kardashian series.

In the past two years, West helped to win the release two women from prison, which led to her interest in criminal justice reform.

West was asked recently about how she responded to people who think she was interested in it to make her brand popular. During a meeting organised by the Television Critics Association, West replied that she was used to criticism so it did not faze her. She added that she was genuinely caring about the cases and the people and that she was not doing it to be famous.

West, who spent 20 hours a week on her law programme in the first year, will be taking the bar exam in 2022.

Her late father, Robert Kardashian, was a prominent Los Angeles lawyer. He represented O.J. Simpson in the 1995 case.

The executive producer of The Justice Project, Vince DiPersio, said West was taking a fair amount of risk for advocating the release of prisoners.

He hoped, however, that no one came out and did something bad, but added that West was willing to take that risk.

Kim Kardashian West is continuing law studies. Picture: Instagram

Two years ago, West convinced President Donald Trump to commute the life sentence of a 63-year-old Tennessee woman convicted of a first drug offence. A year later, she helped win clemency for another Tennessee woman who had been convicted as a teenager of murdering a man who paid to have sex with her.

The people in The Justice Project were found through letters sent to West. She works on some cases and sends some to other lawyers who can help.

West hopes that the TV show can convince viewers that there is hope for everyone and that people can show more empathy for those who run afoul of the law.

Grab to scrap some vouchers and increase cost of rewards

By

Jewel Stolarchuk

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January 22, 2020

0

Grab has announced major revisions to its GrabRewards programme from March 2.

The cost of rewards will go up while certain coveted rewards like S$15, S$20 and S$25 vouchers will disappear under the updated programme.

From March, Grab users will earn fewer GrabRewards points with each transaction. While users currently earn between 2 and 10 points per dollar depending on the Grab service and the rewards tier they belong to, users will only be able to earn 2 to 4 points per dollar across all types of Grab transactions with the rewards update.

Additionally, members who belong to the higher tiers — like the Gold or Platinum tiers — will no longer be able to use fewer points to unlock bigger discounts. From March, Grab ride and food delivery vouchers will cost a standard 550 points for S$1 off, 2,500 points for S$5 off, and 5,000 points for S$10 off no matter which tier members belong to.

For comparison, a S$10 Grab ride or food delivery voucher presently costs 4,200 points for regular members, 4,000 points for Silver members, 3,800 points for Gold members, and just 3,600 points for Platinum members.

The S$15, S$20 and S$25 ride and food delivery vouchers that are available now will no longer be offered when the update goes into effect.

Users who are part of the Platinum tier — the highest rewards tier — now earn 10 points per dollar spent on GrabPay transaction but will only earn a maximum of four points per dollar spent after the update. This means that Platinum members will need to spend about S$1,250 to accumulate enough points to be eligible for the S$10 discount after the update.

Users will also have to spend more to unlock and maintain each membership tier from March.

Users who now need to spend S$60 to unlock the Silver tier will soon need to spend S$150 to achieve that tier, those who need to spend S$240 now to move on to the Gold tier must soon spend S$600 to do so and those who want to move to the Platinum tier must soon spend a hefty S$1,500 to do so, compared to just S$600 now.

Meanwhile, some netizens have pointed out that it is no longer possible to make payments via GrabPay at transaction portals like YouTrip, Revolut and AXS.

Grab said in a press statement that the revisions to its GrabRewards programme will be made to adapt better to “shifts in customer expectations”:

“Our customers today interact with the Grab app more frequently for their transport, food, payments and other needs, and are demanding for better engagement on the platform. With shifts in customer expectations, coupled with the overall growth of our ecosystem, the way we reward and create value for our customers must change too.”

Grab is expected to run more promotional campaigns this year like flash sales and the ongoing “Zodiac Coin Hunt” campaign that was launched to coincide with Chinese New Year.

Assuring users that they will soon have “more places to earn and spend their reward points at millions of merchants” despite the plunge in points per dollar, Grab said: “In addition, customers can also look forward to more ways of earning points and rewards, such as through Challenges, flash sales and moment-based campaigns.”

Commuters have expressed their unhappiness with Grab’s announcement.

Facebook user Allen Eleaneur Chong, writing on The Straits Times FB page, said: “That’s the impact of not restricting the M&A between Grab and Uber last time. Now consumers will feel the pain without a competent competitor.”

Some others commenting on the same platform suggested that the travel app company will lose more business to its competitors because of this unpopular move. Others encouraged commuters to quickly use their rewards before the start of the revised programme.

Facebook user Rishi Katreddi, commenting on Today’s report on the issue, said: “This is what happens when one brand monopolises the market.” Another user, Joice Toh, said: “We need some worthy competitors.”

Facebook user Ng Swee Shoon said: “As with Lazada’s LiveUp membership, once the threshold of perceived rewards fall below an acceptable level, pioneer members will look for alternatives. A great opportunity for Gojek, Comfortdelgro, Deliveroo and Food Panda.”

Another Facebook user, Singh Prem, said: “Does not surprise me one bit! The richer it gets, it loses integrity, and starts to show its true colours — real ugly, from my perspective. I find this to be in bad taste. It is very much like biting the hand that feeds it.”

Mr Paul Ho, chief mortgage officer at iCompareLoan, said: “This is not the first time Grab has massively devalued its rewards programme.”

He added: “Commuters should quickly redeem their Grab points before the revised rewards programme kicks in. It remains to be seen if commuters will migrate to other competitor apps like Gojek and Tada to protest Grab’s devaluation of its rewards programme.”

In July 2018, Grab gutted the earning rates for rides and hiked the cost of vouchers for its customers. In March 2018, when Uber sold out to Grab, many people feared that Grab’s newly-gained monopoly power would lead to higher prices for rides. New entrants to the market have helped to better mitigate the price hikes, but not before critics took the transport travel app company to task.

Aaron Wong, writing in The Milelion, said at that time: “This is not how you run a loyalty program. Unannounced devaluations and sticking it to your most loyal customers? Who’d want to use your service then?”

ESM Goh goes full swing with CNY visits at Marine Parade

By

Obbana Rajah

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January 22, 2020

0

82561283_3664466333596006_3092885509823791104_n — FB/Mparader

With Chinese New Year just around the corner, Emeritus Senior Minister (ESM) Goh Chok Tong has been going round Marine Parade Group Representation Constituency (GRC) to offer greetings and spend time with his constituents.

On Sunday (Jan 19), Mr Goh visited Marine Parade Central Market and had breakfast with residents and stallholders there.

In a Facebook post that day, he wrote that he extended Chinese New Year greetings to stall operators and customers there before heading to the community club to give out Edusave awards.

Along with sharing photos of moments with residents, Mr Goh wrote: “Good food and good vibes. People are happy with the clean, newly-renovated market.”

In another Facebook post on Tuesday (Jan 21), Mr Goh mentioned that the seniors enjoyed a bingo session and a lo hei lunch at St Luke’s ElderCare in Marine Parade.

He wrote: “We thank the cheerful and dedicated staff of St Luke’s for looking after our elderly. St Luke’s will be part of our Caregivers Support Network. They will provide respite service and transportation to hospitals for caregivers and their wards.” /TISG

Opposition party leader once again vehemently defends belief in UFOs

By

Jewel Stolarchuk

-

January 22, 2020

0

ylib23 — Photos: YT screencapture, Goh Meng Seng FB

Singapore — People’s Power Party (PPP) Secretary-General Goh Meng Seng has once again vehemently defended his belief in unidentified flying objects (UFOs).

The opposition leader was most recently in the news for his involvement in a proposed opposition coalition between his party, the Reform Party, the Democratic Progressive Party and the Singaporeans First party.

In 2011, Mr Goh claimed that he saw a UFO in the year 2000 and said that this experience led him to develop a belief that “there exists a more advanced civilization somewhere which is alien to Earth”. He repeated his claims in 2018.

When there was a backlash against his views, he hit out at the detractors and labelled them “myopic and ignorant”. He added that his belief in UFOs was more credible than the religious beliefs of those who had never seen their gods.

In a Facebook post last Thursday (Jan 16), Mr Goh reiterated his belief in UFOs and vehemently defended his belief in the face of fresh criticism. He wrote on social media: “It is confirmed that I am NOT the First nor the Last politicians to believe in UFOs.

“In the lesser known history of UN, UN has discussed about forming committee to look into UFOs before. Their attempts might have not succeeded yet but there are several interesting testimonies from astronauts and such which indicated sightings of UFOs.

“Some politicians even regard UFO as the most important issue that we were facing during their time. When will a formal UFO disclosure comes? Maybe in my lifetime, maybe not. A 80,90 years lifespan is really peanuts in the timeline of the universe.”

When netizens criticised his views and asked him whether such beliefs would help him get elected, Mr Goh retorted: “I am not like somebody who will plot whole day whole night just to dream about getting elected … I have a life you know!

“The worse kind of people I know are those who will go crazy in doing all sorts of treacherous things just to fulfill their political ambition.”

In 2011, Mr Goh explained why he was a “UFO/alien believer”. Describing the UFO he claimed to have witnessed, the opposition politician added that he believed there were two types of UFOs — one type operated by real aliens, while the other was “human made, by some countries like America or Russia”:

“Ok, I shall tell you why I am UFO/alien believer. I have witnessed what I believe to be an UFO, an alien object back in 1999 because no human technology can explain or did what that object did. I have written about it back then on soc.culture.sg.

“At a glance, it looks like a glowing white cloud floating in the air. It was oval in shape. It was floating just outside my windows. I was watching TV at that time.

“It caught my eyes because of its “glowing” nature and the way it moved, in a slow and steady movement which somehow looked “unnatural” to me. I tried to take a closer by moving to the window. Just a minute later, it just zipped and zoomed out of my sight within a blink of my eyes… I believe no human technology could make any object to move at such a great speed.

“Such image is still imprinted in my mind deeply. Just too bad I didn’t have any video camera back then to record the whole process. From then on, I always keep an open mind about UFO sightings. Some UFO sighting reports around the world coincide with my own witnessing experience … such objects just zip and zoom out of sight within seconds.

“Whether or not this news about the three gigantic spaceship is real, I really don’t know. Top travel from Earth to Pluto or Jupiter by a normal human space exploration crafts will take years… tens of years. If it takes only 2 years to reach Earth, it is already traveling at 20 times or more than human technology could do.

“Keep an open mind. In my opinion, there are two types of UFOs on Earth. Some are human made, by some countries like America or Russia. But these are the ones which could just fly at “normal” speed due to technological limitations. They may be in saucer shape, have the ability to hover around etc but do not have the technology of traveling at the speed of light. Those which could do that, most probably are alien types.”

He repeated his claims in November 2018 and said: “Back in 2000, I have seen an object masquerading as a cloud which was glowing and floating at a very slow speed. Before I could take out my camera to take a picture of it, it just zoomed away in extreme speed … astronomical speed, zipping through the evening sky.

“Such technology of speed is unknown to human civilization and that is why I believe there exists a more advanced civilization somewhere which is alien to Earth.”

When there was a backlash, Mr Goh compared his belief in UFOs to belief in religion and said his belief was “more credible” than religion. Lashing out that his detractors were myopic and ignorant, Mr Goh said:

“In this world, there are billions of people believing in religions without seeing their God, Goddess, Buddha, Angels or whatever supernatural beings but we hardly say anything silly about it. And yes, I am also one of the billions who believe in my religion with a leap of faith.

“But when I say I also believe aliens or UFOs exist because I have seen one with my own eyes before, camouflaging itself as a cloud but zipping off with a ultra supersonic speed, people start to say GMS has discredited himself blah blah!

“Well as far as I am concern, seeing is believing and my belief in the existence of alien UFO is much more credible than any religion which was believed by others who didn’t even see their God, Goddess, Buddha, Angels etc before!

“In all logical sense, how could a person who believe in exactly what he has seen be less credible than someone who believe in something that he didn’t even see before? Common sense and logic are really not common at all.

“Besides, the truth is, I repeated my consistent claim of my sighting when there is a recent report of a couple of pilots in Ireland who also witnessed UFOs which also flew in unbelievable speed!

“I am definitely not the only one who had seen such things zipping through our sky on Earth. It shows how myopic and ignorant people could be.”

“My belief in alien UFO is more credible than any religion which was believed by others who didn’t even see their God”: Opposition politician hits out at UFO sighting detractors

Facebook to boost site safety with 1,000 more UK staff

By

AFP

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January 21, 2020

0

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg And News Corp CEO Robert Thomson Debut Facebook News — Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg - Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images/AFP

Facebook on Tuesday said it plans to create 1,000 more London-based jobs this year to improve safety on the social network with the aid of artificial intelligence.

The new roles will increase the number of staff at the company’s largest engineering hub outside the United States to more than 4,000.

“The UK is a world leader in both innovation and creativity. That’s why I’m excited that we plan to hire an additional 1,000 people in London this year alone,” said Facebook’s chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg.

She said that many of the new roles would help Facebook to “address the challenges of an open internet and develop artificial intelligence to find and remove harmful content more quickly.

“They will also help us build the tools that help small businesses grow, compete with larger companies and create new jobs.”

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson welcomed the move, saying that “the UK is successfully creating both homegrown firms at the forefront of cutting-age technologies, such as artificial intelligence, whilst attracting established global tech giants like Facebook”.

/AFP

Thunberg condemns climate inaction as Trump joins Davos

By

AFP

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January 21, 2020

0

SWITZERLAND-POLITICS-ECONOMY-DIPLOMACY-WEF-ENVIRONMENT-CLIMATE — Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg attends a session at the Congres center during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, on January 21, 2020. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP)

by Alex PIGMAN and Sebastian SMITH

Swedish teen activist Greta Thunberg on Tuesday slammed the business elite for doing “basically nothing” on climate change, as the Davos forum braced for an address from US President Donald Trump hours before his impeachment trial begins.

The 50th meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in the Swiss Alps resort got under way seeking to thrash out dangers to both the environment and economy from the heating of the planet.

Trump, who has repeatedly expressed scepticism about climate change, is set to give the first keynote address of Davos 2020, on the same day as his impeachment trial opens at the Senate in Washington.

Before his appearance, Thunberg underlined the message that has inspired millions around the world, saying “basically nothing has been done” to fight climate change.

“It will require much more than this. This is just the very beginning,” the 17-year-old said.

Speaking calmly and with a wry smile, Thunberg acknowledged that her campaign which began with school strikes had attracted huge attention without yet achieving concrete change.

“There is a difference between being heard to actually leading to something,” she said.

“I am not the person who should complain about not being heard,” she said to appreciative laughter.

“I am being heard all the time. But the science and the voice of the young people are not at the centre of the conversation.”

While the WEF and individual business leaders have been detailing their own concerns about climate change, Greenpeace complained in a new report that some of the world’s biggest banks, insurers and pension funds have collectively invested $1.4 trillion in fossil fuel companies since the Paris climate deal in 2016.

“Pretty much nothing has been done as global Co2 emissions have not been reduced. And that is of course what we are trying to achieve,” said Thunberg.

– Davos showdown? –
There are no expectations that Trump and Thunberg, who have exchanged barbs through Twitter, will actually meet, but the crowded venue and intense schedule mean a chance encounter cannot be ruled out.

When Trump and his entourage walked through UN headquarters last year at the annual General Assembly, a photo of the teenager staring in apparent fury at the president from the sidelines went viral.

Tweeting before arriving in Davos aboard his Marine One helicopter, Trump appeared in bullish mood, writing he would “bring Good Policy and additional Hundreds of Billions of Dollars back to the United States of America!”

Although Trump’s Republican party holds a majority in the Senate and is almost sure to acquit him on charges of abusing his power and obstructing Congress, the impeachment adds volatility to an already tense 2020 presidential election.

– ‘Governments continue to fail’ –
Sustainability is the buzzword at the Davos forum, which began in 1971, with heel crampons handed out to participants to encourage them to walk on the icy streets rather than use cars, and the signage paint made out of seaweed.

Trump’s opposition to renewable energy, his withdrawal from the Paris accord negotiated under his predecessor Barack Obama, and the free hand extended to the fossil fuel industry puts him at odds with this year’s thrust of the event.

“People are playing a lot more attention to” climate, Eurasia Group president Ian Bremner told AFP at Davos, adding there was “genuine action by some big players”, after investment titan BlackRock said it was partially divesting out of coal.

“But let’s be clear — a big part of this is because we failed for a very long time and governments continue to fail,” he added.

Business leaders are likely also to be concerned by the state of the global economy whose prospects, according to the International Monetary Fund, have improved but remain brittle.

The IMF cut its global growth estimate for 2020 to 3.3 percent, saying that a recent truce in the trade war between China and the US had brought some stability but that risks remained.

“We are already seeing some tentative signs of stabilisation but we have not reached a turning point yet,” said IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva.

Activists meanwhile will be pressing for much more concrete action to fight inequality, after Oxfam issued a report outlining how the number of billionaires has doubled in the past decade and the world’s 22 richest men now have more wealth than all the women in Africa.

/AFP

Death toll from SARS-like China virus rises to 6: official

By

AFP

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January 21, 2020

0

CHINA-HEALTH-VIRUS — A man wearing a protective mask takes pictures on the promenade of the Bund along the Huangpu River in Shanghai on January 21, 2020. - The number of people in China infected by a new SARS-like virus jumped to 291 on January 21, according to authorities. There have been nearly 80 new confirmed cases of the virus that has so far killed four people, with over 900 still under medical observation, said the National Health Commission. (Photo by HECTOR RETAMAL / AFP)

Update: The death toll from a new China virus that is transmissible between humans rose to six, the mayor of Wuhan said in an interview with state broadcaster CCTV Tuesday.

According to Zhou Xianwang, the central Chinese city — believed to be the epicentre of the epidemic — has seen a total of 258 cases, including 227 patients who are still receiving medical treatment.

China says number of confirmed virus cases jumps to nearly 300

The number of people in China infected by a new SARS-like virus jumped to 291 on Tuesday, according to authorities.

There have been nearly 80 new confirmed cases of the virus that has so far killed four people, with over 900 still under medical observation, said the National Health Commission.

The new confirmed cases are mostly in Hubei province where a seafood market in the capital city Wuhan has been identified as the epicentre of the outbreak.

The statement did not confirm if the new cases are in Wuhan or other areas across the province.

The commission said there are five confirmed cases in Beijing, 14 in the southern province of Guangdong and two in Shanghai.

It added that there are over 50 suspected cases under observation in 14 other provinces and regions across China, including the northeastern Jilin province, eastern Zhejiang and southern Hainan.

Countries across Asia have ramped up measures to block the spread of the new virus which can be transmitted between humans, raising fears of a massive outbreak during the upcoming major holiday travel rush.

/AFP

Signs of life at ‘no-man’s land’ around Philippine volcano

By

AFP

-

January 21, 2020

0

PHILIPPINES-VOLCANO — A bird's eye view of mud-covered houses at the foot of Taal volcano as seen from a Philippine airforce helicopter during an aerial survey on January 21, 2020. - Philippine authorities ordered a crackdown on January 20 on evacuees' daily visits to homes in the danger zone around Taal volcano, amid a warning it could be "recharging" for a more powerful explosion. (Photo by Ted ALJIBE / AFP)

A desolate landscape of ash dunes and bare trees left by the eruption of the Philippines’ Taal volcano lay in contrast with a few signs of life at ground zero of the disaster on Tuesday.

The island site was buried by massive deposits of ash when Taal erupted last week and remains under a mandatory evacuation order due to a feared bigger blast.

Yet about a dozen white cows milled near dust-blanketed homes, and several brightly coloured boats were docked at the shore on Tuesday, according to an AFP reporter taken on a rare military flight around the area.

Thin plumes of steam rose from the crater.

Authorities have said any outward signs of an imminent eruption have been weak over the past several days.

But scientists warn the volcano is still at risk of a major blast, and more than 110,000 people have taken refuge in shelters away from danger.

At least 3,000 who lived on the island were ordered out, though many have made trips back to rescue livestock or fetch items from their homes.

Houses were flattened or buried under the ash, though AFP saw at least one with a roof swept clean.

Many families previously offered services catering to the tourists who visited the volcano — a popular attraction in the Philippines despite the risk of eruption.

The government has said it is now working on a plan to permanently relocate them, and turn the island into what officials have called a no-man’s land.

bur-rbl/jm/axn

/AFP

Historic Trump impeachment trial to begin in earnest

By

AFP

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January 21, 2020

0

FILES-US-POLITICS-IMPEACHMENT — Donald Trump - Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP

by Francesco FONTEMAGGI

President Donald Trump’s historic impeachment trial begins in earnest Tuesday in the Senate, with Democrats calling for his removal from office and Republicans determined to acquit him — and quickly, if possible.

Four months after the Ukraine scandal exploded and went on to overshadow the end of Trump’s term, and 10 months before Americans go to the polls to decide whether to re-elect him, the 100 members of the Senate will gather at 1 pm (1800 GMT) with Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts presiding over the trial.

The job of these lawmakers, sworn in last week as jurors, is to decide if Trump abused his office and obstructed Congress as charged in the two articles of impeachment approved last month by the House of Representatives.

They state that Trump tried to pressure Ukraine into interfering in the 2020 US election to help him win, and then tried to thwart a congressional probe of his behavior.

It will be only the third time a president has endured an impeachment trial, after Andrew Johnson in 1868 and Bill Clinton in 1999.

Part of the scandal centers on a July 25 telephone call in which Trump pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to announce an investigation of former Vice President Joe Biden, Trump’s potential opponent in the November vote.

Democrats, who control the House of Representatives and led the investigation, accuse Trump of manipulating Ukraine by withholding nearly $400 million in military aid for its war against Russian-backed separatists and a White House meeting for Zelensky until the latter announced a Biden probe.

– ‘Nothing wrong’ –
“The president did nothing wrong,” Trump’s lawyers responded in a 110-page brief submitted to the Senate on Monday.

This echoes the repeated assertions of the 73-year-old real estate magnate that the saga is a political witch hunt and a hoax, and that his phone call with the Ukrainian leader was “perfect.”

In the president’s brief, his 12-man legal team contested the very idea of his impeachment.

They called the two articles of impeachment — approved largely along party lines in the Democratic-controlled House — the product of “a rigged process” and “constitutionally deficient on their face” because they involved no violation of established law.

That team, which has recruited high-profile lawyers such as Kenneth Starr, who tried to bring down Clinton over his affair with Monica Lewinsky, said in the brief: “The Senate should reject the Articles of Impeachment and acquit the president immediately.”

– ‘Worst nightmare’ –
“President Trump abused the power of his office to solicit foreign interference in our elections for his own personal political gain, thereby jeopardizing our national security, the integrity of our elections, and our democracy,” the House managers said Saturday in a memorandum.

They said the president’s behavior “is the Framers’ worst nightmare,” referring to the authors of the US Constitution, and that Trump deserves to be removed from office.

But Trump looks almost certain to be acquitted because of the 53-47 Republican majority in the Senate.

He will be abroad as his trial opens. Trump arrived Tuesday in snowy Davos, Switzerland, ahead of his scheduled speech to the World Economic Forum.

How long the trial will last is up in the air.

The first order of business Tuesday will be to set the rules, such as how long they will hear the arguments of the House managers, or prosecutors; how long they will hear the defense; the time allotted for questions, submitted by the senators but read by Roberts; and whether they will call witnesses or seek other evidence.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell late Monday proposed rules calling for each side to have 24 hours over two days to present their arguments. That makes for long trial days stretching late into the night but is a significantly quicker pace than in Bill Clinton’s impeachment trial in 1999. The chamber will debate and vote on the proposed rules Tuesday.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said McConnell is rushing the trial and also making it harder for witnesses and documents to be presented.

“On something as important as impeachment, Senator McConnell’s resolution is nothing short of a national disgrace,” Schumer said in a statement.

The Democrats want key Trump administration officials to testify, such as acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and former national security adviser John Bolton, in the belief that they know a lot about Trump’s dealings with Ukraine. Bolton has said he is willing to testify if subpoenaed.

The White House has said it expects the trial to be over in two weeks. Clinton’s trial lasted five weeks.

McConnell has said he won’t consider the witness issue until after the arguments and questioning take place, and his majority means he will likely prevail.

/AFP

Bertha Henson bans “arrogant” pro-PAP Polish blogger from her Facebook page

Kim Kardashian proves critics wrong, finishes first year of law school

Grab to scrap some vouchers and increase cost of rewards

ESM Goh goes full swing with CNY visits at Marine Parade

Opposition party leader once again vehemently defends belief in UFOs

“Ok, I shall tell you why I am UFO/alien believer. I have witnessed what I believe to be an UFO, an alien object back in 1999 because no human technology can explain or did what that object did. I have written about it back then on soc.culture.sg.

“At a glance, it looks like a glowing white cloud floating in the air. It was oval in shape. It was floating just outside my windows. I was watching TV at that time.

“In this world, there are billions of people believing in religions without seeing their God, Goddess, Buddha, Angels or whatever supernatural beings but we hardly say anything silly about it. And yes, I am also one of the billions who believe in my religion with a leap of faith.

“But when I say I also believe aliens or UFOs exist because I have seen one with my own eyes before, camouflaging itself as a cloud but zipping off with a ultra supersonic speed, people start to say GMS has discredited himself blah blah!

“Well as far as I am concern, seeing is believing and my belief in the existence of alien UFO is much more credible than any religion which was believed by others who didn’t even see their God, Goddess, Buddha, Angels etc before!

“In all logical sense, how could a person who believe in exactly what he has seen be less credible than someone who believe in something that he didn’t even see before? Common sense and logic are really not common at all.

“Besides, the truth is, I repeated my consistent claim of my sighting when there is a recent report of a couple of pilots in Ireland who also witnessed UFOs which also flew in unbelievable speed!

“I am definitely not the only one who had seen such things zipping through our sky on Earth. It shows how myopic and ignorant people could be.”

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