| Trump, trying to head off testimony, says Bolton would have started 'World War Six' Posted: 29 Jan 2020 06:37 AM PST  As pressure mounts on senators to allow John Bolton's testimony in President Trump's impeachment trial, the president used Twitter to trash his former national security adviser.
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| House Democrats’ Super Pac Raises $32.8 Million in Second Half Posted: 30 Jan 2020 02:14 PM PST  (Bloomberg) -- The super PAC that backs House Democrats raised $32.8 million in the second half of 2019 and ended the year with $37.7 million cash on hand, according to its filing with the Federal Election Commission.The biggest contribution to the House Majority PAC was from Michael Bloomberg, who gave $10 million in December. Bloomberg, who's also spending hundreds of millions of dollars on his presidential campaign, is the founder and majority owner of Bloomberg LP, the parent company of Bloomberg News.Longtime Democratic donor Fred Eychaner gave the super PAC $4 million, and hedge-fund operator S. Donald Sussman gave $2 million. Billionaire Haim Saban and real estate developer George Marcus each gave $1 million, while Joshua Bekenstein of Bain Capital gave $900,000.This post is part of Campaign Update, our live coverage from the 2020 campaign trail.To contact the reporter on this story: Bill Allison in Washington DC at ballison14@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Wendy Benjaminson at wbenjaminson@bloomberg.net, Max BerleyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| New Jersey mayor admits getting drunk, taking off his pants and passing out in employee's bed Posted: 30 Jan 2020 10:19 AM PST  The mayor of a New Jersey town admitted that he had "too much to drink" when he took off his trousers and crawled into an employee's bed at a party.Mahwah mayor John Roth told NorthJersey.com that he "did go upstairs to bed" and apologised for his drunken behaviour at staff party after a letter from the "concerned employees of the township of Mahwah" circulated in local reports following the incident.
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| Warren Vows to Give ‘Young Trans Person’ Veto Power over Her Secretary of Education Pick Posted: 30 Jan 2020 09:23 AM PST  Senator Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) said earlier this week that she would only nominate a Secretary of Education who was pre-screened by a "young transgender person" in order to ensure that her pick would be "committed to creating a welcoming environment, a safe environment, and a full educational curriculum for everyone."Speaking Sunday at a townhall in Iowa, Warren responded to a question about how to address a lack of LGBTQ history and sexual education in public schools."It starts with a Secretary of Education who has a lot to do with where we spend our money, with what gets advanced in our public schools, with what the standards are," she replied.The Massachusetts Democrat went on to explain that any candidate for the position first had to be a former public-school teacher, and then had to go through an interview conducted by a young transgender person Warren had met on the campaign trail who was worried about the lack of a "welcoming community" in public schools."I said, I'm going to have a Secretary of Education that this young trans person interviews, on my behalf, and only if this person believes that our Secretary of Education nominee is truly as committed to creating a welcoming environment, a safe environment, and a full educational curriculum for everyone, will that person be actually advanced to be Secretary of Education," Warren explained.> Warren says that she will have a "young trans person" interview her future Secretary of Education and only hire this future secretary if the young trans person approves.> > This in reference to a question about sex education/LGBTQ history in public schools. pic.twitter.com/txyt6OI6FX> > -- Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) January 30, 2020Warren has released several plans highlighting her agenda to promote transgender talking points. A recent plan detailing how to restore "Integrity and Competence to Government after Trump" included a commitment to have at least half of Warren's Cabinet be filled by "women and non-binary people."In October, Warren released her criminal justice reform platform, which included an end to the "Trump Administration's dangerous policy" of jailing prisoners based on their biological sex, and also proposed providing "transition-related surgeries," to already-incarcerated inmates.In 2012, Warren told a Massachusetts radio station that "I don't think it's a good use of taxpayer dollars" to pay for sex-change operations for prisoners.
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| Mayor banned from Trump rally after asking campaign to cover costs of event: Report Posted: 30 Jan 2020 04:18 AM PST  President Trump's "Keep America Great" rally on Tuesday for his 2020 reelection bid welcomed thousands of people to a seaside town in New Jersey — except for the city's mayor.
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| British officials: Tanker on fire in Gulf off Sharjah in UAE Posted: 29 Jan 2020 09:00 AM PST ![British officials: Tanker on fire in Gulf off Sharjah in UAE]( "British officials: Tanker on fire in Gulf off Sharjah in UAE") The United Kingdom's Maritime Trade Operations said the fire struck the vessel northwest of Sharjah, an Emirati sheikhdom. Emirati officials said they were working to put out the blaze some 21 miles (34 kilometers) off the coast of Sharjah. The blaze comes amid heightened tensions in the region after the U.S. killed Iranian Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani in a drone strike in Baghdad and Iran fired ballistic missiles at Iraqi bases housing U.S. troops.
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| Mexican Narcos, More Brazen by the Day, Land Coke Plane on a Highway and Shoot a General Posted: 29 Jan 2020 01:37 AM PST  CALI, Colombia—Talk about a tough commute. Traffic was backed up for miles early Monday morning in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo after drug traffickers landed a twin engine prop plane on Highway 307, near the resort town of Bacalar.Mexican Police Chief Arrested in Mormon Massacre CaseThe flight—which originated in South America and had been tracked by radar since entering Mexican airspace—touched down at about 4:30 a.m. A task force led by the senior commander of military operations in that state moved out to intercept.When soldiers worked their way through the traffic jam caused by the plane they were met by a light cavalry force consisting of some 50 vehicles belonging to well-armed, ground-based accomplices who had been waiting for the delivery. The sicarios had also cut down roadside trees and signs to create a makeshift runway for the aircraft. By the time the army showed up, the traffickers already were hustling to offload more than a half ton of cocaine.In the pitched battle that followed, Mexican troops came under fire from military-grade weapons, including a high-powered .50 caliber sniper rifle. When the firefight was over the general in charge had been hit, his driver killed, and at least two more soldiers wounded. Two suspects were apprehended nearby. A portion of the contraband cargo, the .50 cal, a few other rifles, and two vehicles also were seized. The pilots and other traffickers, along with an unknown quantity of narcotics, apparently escaped.To make room for more marching powder, the plane had been gutted of all seats save the pilots'. Authorities retrieved 26 individually wrapped packages of cocaine in the raid, altogether weighing some 600 kilograms (1,320 pounds). Given that the average U.S. street price for the drug is about $96 per gram, that makes the captured haul worth some $57,600,000 dollars.Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador issued a rather laconic statement later that day about the "confrontation," confirming that the raid was indeed led by General José Luis Vásquez Araiza, who heads up the 34th military zone, and that "unfortunately they shot him." Quintana Roo Governor Carlos Joaquín González took to Twitter to offer his condolences to the soldiers and their families and to praise their "hard work and courage ensuring the security of Quintana Roo."Boilerplate rhetoric aside, security in Quintana Roo is in relatively short supply of late, as cartels carry out turf wars in areas once safe for tourists. The Associated Press reported six people were killed in drug-related violence over the weekend in the popular beach town of Cancún, farther north on the same highway where the plane landed. This once placid region in southeast Mexico, near the border with Belize, is now part of a major smuggling corridor, which led to Quintana Roo's murder rate nearly tripling in 2018. Though homicide rates fell slightly in 2019, decapitated and dismembered victims still draw unwelcome attention from the press, stoking fears that the steady stream of foreign visitors, so crucial to the local economy, might be scared away.The image of a drug plane blocking traffic on a national highway in broad daylight has drawn eyeballs throughout the hemisphere. But the incident also highlights just how bold and fearless the cartels have become. * * *A GRIM NEW STANDARD* * *Most cocaine that enters the United States from South America makes a stopover in Mexico. It comes by land, sea, and air, in shipping containers and submarines and modified planes like the one captured this week. Cocaine production in the Andean nations is soaring, especially in Colombia, which now produces about 70 percent of the global supply. To enhance their profits, Mexican cartels have recently taken to importing raw coca paste and refining it in their own country, so as not to have to pay middlemen to cook it on site. As heroin and marijuana have steadily declined in value, thanks to synthetic opioids and legalization respectively, cocaine remains a more stable and valuable commodity—making the cartels "desperate" to obtain it, according to Robert Bunker, a security analyst with the U.S. Army War College.Why the Drug War Can't Be Won—Cartel Corruption Goes All the Way to the TopWhat Bunker describes as "the cartels' increasing brazenness" is also fueled by their growing power, it seems, to get away with just about anything, including colluding with senior Mexican officials. In the last month, U.S. prosecutors have charged two high-level Mexican national police officers with taking millions in bribes. "They have become so used to operating with such high levels of impunity that this is becoming the new standard of their activities," Bunker told The Daily Beast.In reference to the airborne smuggling episode in Quintana Roo, a high-ranking source within one of Mexico's cartels (who requested anonymity for security reasons) described the operation as daring to the point of being foolhardy."I am surprised that a group with access to a plane and that amount of cocaine would land on a road instead of a more secure location," the source said. He also said the tactics were "sloppy" and suggested the lack of "lookouts" and "exit routes" indicated the traffickers might be too cocky for their own good. "There should have been blockades ready in case they were under surveillance," he said.Bunker said one of the more likely culprits behind the highway-as-tarmac plot is the Jalisco New Generation Cartel [CJNG]. Now one of the nation's most powerful crime groups, the CJNG has been encroaching on Quintana Roo for the last few years, driving the surge in violence there.Bunker also said the presence of a .50 caliber rifle and other assault weapons is in line with the CJNG's paramilitary profile. Additionally, one of the two men arrested at the scene was a Jalisco native."The cartel unit was more than willing to go toe-to-toe with the Mexican armed forces in a tactical engagement," said Bunker. That's also in line with CJNG's aggressive behavior, as the cartel has also shot down army helicopters and attacked military convoys in the past.* * *TROUBLE IN PARADISE* * *Quintana Roo isn't the only tourist hotspot suffering from new and unusually high levels of violence in Mexico. Once the playground of Hollywood elites, Acapulco is now among the most dangerous cities in the Americas. Tijuana, on the border with California, was the site of a record-breaking 2,518 murders in 2018. Even Mexico City, long thought to be the safe-zone free from organized crime, has been rocked by gun battles among armed groups. Murders in Mexico reached an all-time high last year, with more than 35,500 victims.Part of the spike in killings is due to the cartel world fragmenting, meaning no one group can maintain order and hegemony—what Bunker calls a "Pax Mafiosa"—over its territory.Up until a few years ago, places like Quintana Roo had been relatively exempt from narco violence because government officials and powerful business owners—including wealthy investors from within established criminal organizations—wanted to keep the tourist dollars rolling in. But today's new breed of next-gen narcos like the CJNG have shown themselves all too willing to challenge that hierarchy. In Quintana Roo, the move of CJNG into tourist safe havens "is slowly changing the 'off-limits' rules that once existed," Bunker said."These groups do not fear kicking over the old economic interests in Mexico or the power structure that exists behind them."The cartel insider agreed that the security situation in places like Quintana Roo could continue to worsen. "The narcos are getting bolder," he said, "and it isn't going to get better."Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| Biden Says He's Getting Old—So His VP Should Be 'Capable of Immediately Being a President' Posted: 29 Jan 2020 10:03 AM PST  'I'm an old guy,' Biden admitted.
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| An emergency UK flight out of Wuhan has been canceled, leaving 200 Britons and their families stranded in quarantine Posted: 30 Jan 2020 02:30 AM PST  A total of 130 people had been screened for the Wuhan coronavirus in the UK. So far, there have been no confirmed cases.
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| Prowling Lions and Corrupt Officials Block Roads to Africa Trade Posted: 29 Jan 2020 09:01 PM PST ![Prowling Lions and Corrupt Officials Block Roads to Africa Trade]( "Prowling Lions and Corrupt Officials Block Roads to Africa Trade") (Bloomberg Markets) -- Nyoni Nsukuzimbi drives his 40-ton Freightliner for just over half a day from Johannesburg to the Beitbridge border post with Zimbabwe. At the frontier town—little more than a gas station and a KFC—he sits in a line for two to three days, in temperatures reaching 104F, waiting for his documents to be processed.That's only the start of a journey Nsukuzimbi makes maybe twice a month. Driving 550 miles farther north gets him to the Chirundu border post on the Zambian frontier. There, starting at a bridge across the Zambezi River, trucks snake back miles into the bush. "There's no water, there's no toilets, there are lions," says the 40-year-old Zimbabwean. He leans out of the Freightliner's cab over the hot asphalt, wearing a white T-shirt and a weary expression. "It's terrible."By the time he gets his load of tiny plastic beads—the kind used in many manufacturing processes—to a factory on the outskirts of Zambia's capital, Lusaka, he's been on the road for as many as 10 days to traverse just 1,000 miles. Nsukuzimbi's trials are typical of truck drivers across Africa, where border bureaucracy, corrupt officials seeking bribes, and a myriad of regulations that vary from country to country have stymied attempts to boost intra-African trade.The continent's leaders say they're acting to change all that. Fifty-three of its 54 nations have signed up to join the QuicktakeAfrican Continental Free Trade Area; only Eritrea, which rivals North Korea in its isolation from the outside world, hasn't. The African Union-led agreement is designed to establish the world's biggest free-trade zone by area, encompassing a combined economy of $2.5 trillion and a market of 1.2 billion people. Agreed in May 2019, the pact is meant to take effect in July and be fully operational by 2030. "The AfCFTA," South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said in his Oct. 7 weekly letter to the nation, "will be a game-changer, both for South Africa and the rest of the continent."It has to be if African economies are ever going to achieve their potential. Africa lags behind other regions in terms of internal trade, with intracontinental commerce accounting for only 15% of total trade, compared with 58% in Asia and more than 70% in Europe. As a result, supermarket shelves in cities such as Luanda, Angola, and Abidjan, Ivory Coast, are lined with goods imported from the countries that once colonized them, Portugal and France.By lowering or eliminating cross-border tariffs on 90% of African-produced goods, the new regulations are supposed to facilitate the movement of capital and people and create a liberalized market for services. "We haven't seen as much institutional will for a large African Union project before," says Kobi Annan, an analyst at Songhai Advisory in Ghana. "The time frame is a little ambitious, but we will get there."President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana and other heads of state joined Ramaphosa in hailing the agreement, but a number of the businesspeople who are supposed to benefit from it are skeptical. "Many of these governments depend on that duty income. I don't see how that's ever going to disappear," says Tertius Carstens, the chief executive officer of Pioneer Foods Group Ltd., a South African maker of fruit juices and cereal that's being acquired by PepsiCo Inc. for about $1.7 billion. "Politically it sounds good; practically it's going to be a nightmare to implement, and I expect resistance."Under the rules, small countries such as Malawi, whose central government gets 7.7% of its revenue from taxes on international trade and transactions, will forgo much-needed income, at least initially. By contrast, relatively industrialized nations like Egypt, Kenya, and South Africa will benefit from the outset. "AfCFTA will require huge trade-offs from political leaders," says Ronak Gopaldas, a London-based director at Signal Risk, which advises companies in Africa. "They will need to think beyond short-term election cycles and sovereignty in policymaking."Taking those disparities into account, the AfCFTA may allow poorer countries such as Ethiopia 15 years to comply with the trade regime, whereas South Africa and other more developed nations must do so within five. To further soften the effects on weaker economies, Africa could follow the lead of the European Union, says Axel Pougin de La Maissoneuve, deputy head of the trade and private sector unit in the European Commission's Directorate General for Development and International Cooperation. The EU adopted a redistribution model to offset potential losses by Greece, Portugal, and other countries.There may be structural impediments to the AfCFTA's ambitions. Iron ore, oil, and other raw materials headed for markets such as China make up about half of the continent's exports. "African countries don't produce the goods that are demanded by consumers and businesses in other African countries," says Trudi Hartzenberg, executive director of the Tralac Trade Law Center in Stellenbosch, South Africa.Trust and tension over illicit activity are also obstacles. Beginning in August, Nigeria shut its land borders to halt a surge in the smuggling of rice and other foodstuffs. In September, South Africa drew continentwide opprobrium after a recurrence of the anti-immigrant riots that have periodically rocked the nation. This could hinder the AfCFTA's provisions for the free movement of people.Considering all of these roadblocks, a skeptic would be forgiven for giving the AfCFTA little chance of success. And yet there are already at least eight trade communities up and running on the continent. While these are mostly regional groupings, some countries belong to more than one bloc, creating overlap. The AfCFTA won't immediately replace these regional blocs; rather, it's designed to harmonize standards and rules, easing trade between them, and to eventually consolidate the smaller associations under the continentwide agreement.The benefits of the comprehensive agreement are plain to see. It could, for example, limit the sort of unilateral stumbling blocks Pioneer Foods' Carstens had to deal with in 2019: Zimbabwe insisted that all duties be paid in U.S. dollars; Ghana and Kenya demanded that shippers purchase special stickers from government officials to affix to all packaging to prevent smuggling.The African Export-Import Bank estimates intra-African trade could increase by 52% during the first year after the pact is implemented and more than double during the first decade. The AfCFTA represents a "new pan-Africanism" and is "a pragmatic realization" that African countries need to unite to achieve better deals with trading partners, says Carlos Lopes, the former executive secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and one of the architects of the agreement.From his closer-to-the-ground vantage point, Olisaemeka Anieze also sees possible benefits. He's relocating from South Africa, where he sold secondhand clothes, to his home country of Nigeria, where he wants to farm fish and possibly export them to neighboring countries. "God willing," he says, "if the free-trade agreement comes through, Africa can hold its own."In the meantime, there are those roads. About 80% of African trade travels over them, according to Tralac. The World Bank estimates the poor state of highways and other infrastructure cuts productivity by as much as 40%.If the AfCFTA can trim the red tape, at least driving the roads will be more bearable, says David Myende, 38, a South African trucker resting after crossing the border post into South Africa on the way back from delivering a load to the Zambian mining town of Ndola. "The trip is short, the borders are long," he says. "They're really long when you're laden, and customs officers can keep you waiting up to four or five days to clear your goods." —With Pauline Bax and René VollgraaffSguazzin is a senior writer and Naidoo is a reporter at Bloomberg News in Johannesburg. Latham covers government affairs in Harare.To contact the authors of this story: Antony Sguazzin in Johannesburg at asguazzin@bloomberg.netPrinesha Naidoo in Johannesburg at pnaidoo7@bloomberg.netBrian Latham in Sandton, Johannesburg at blatham@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Stryker McGuire at smcguire12@bloomberg.netFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Coronavirus influencers are a thing now. You knew it would happen. Posted: 30 Jan 2020 09:19 AM PST  Some social-media influencers are sharing facts about coronavirus while posing in surgical masks and trendy outfits.
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| Tom Cotton Claims Coronavirus Epidemic ‘Much Worse’ than China Admits Posted: 30 Jan 2020 07:52 AM PST  Senator Tom Cotton (R., Ark.) claimed on Thursday that the coronavirus epidemic spreading across China is worse than the country is willing to admit."There was a 28% increase in coronavirus cases overnight in China," Cotton wrote in a Twitter post. "Make no mistake, though: these aren't 'new' cases. Just what China is willing to admit. It's much worse."By Thursday morning over 7,700 cases of the virus were confirmed worldwide, mostly in mainland China, while 68 cases were recorded in other locations around the world. 170 people have died from the virus so far.Cotton has repeatedly pushed for a travel ban to China due to concerns over the spread of the virus. On Tuesday Cotton sent a letter to members of President Trump's cabinet, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, urging the administration to enact a travel ban."As of [Tuesday] morning, China has reported that the Wuhan coronavirus has infected more than 4,500 people and killed more than 100," Cotton wrote in the letter. "But the real number is likely far higher — perhaps in the hundreds of thousands — given the Chinese Communist Party's long history of covering up and minimizing these crises."On Friday Senator Josh Hawley (R., Mo.) himself called for a ban on U.S.-China travel as the epidemic spread.The World Health Organization will meet on Thursday to determine whether to announce a global-health emergency. W.H.O. director general Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has praised China's response to the outbreak."I was struck by the determination of Chinese leadership & it's people to end the new coronavirus outbreak," Dr. Tedros wrote on Twitter.
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| The U.S. Interior Department Grounds All of Its Chinese-Made Drones Posted: 30 Jan 2020 12:12 PM PST  If it was made in China—or uses Chinese parts—it ain't flying.
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| US hits Iran with new sanctions, keeps some waivers in place Posted: 30 Jan 2020 01:30 PM PST  The Trump administration said Thursday that it will continue — at least for now — its policy of not sanctioning foreign companies that work with Iran's civilian nuclear program. Brian Hook, U.S. envoy to Iran, said the U.S. would renew for 60 days sanctions waivers that permit Russian, European and Chinese companies to continue to work on Iran's civilian nuclear facilities without running afoul of U.S. sanctions.
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| The outbreaks of both the Wuhan coronavirus and SARS likely started in Chinese wet markets. Photos show what the markets look like. Posted: 30 Jan 2020 09:03 AM PST  The Wuhan coronavirus outbreak likely started in a Chinese wet market, where livestock and poultry are sold alongside animals like dogs and civets.
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| Dershowitz: Trump can't be impeached because he believed his reelection is in the national interest Posted: 29 Jan 2020 01:27 PM PST  The retired Harvard law professor said that Trump's demand for Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden is not an impeachable offense because the president was acting on the belief that his reelection is "in the public interest."
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| Yang’s Pet Issue Could Outlive His Campaign Posted: 29 Jan 2020 10:00 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- When Andrew Yang started thinking about a long-shot bid for the U.S. presidency, he asked Andy Stern, the former president of the Service Employees International Union, out for lunch in Greenwich Village.Back in 2017, Stern was perhaps the most prominent advocate for the idea of giving every American $1,000 each month. The year before, he had written a book called "Raising the Floor: How a Universal Basic Income Can Renew Our Economy and Rebuild the American Dream." It hadn't made any bestseller lists, but it did help popularize the idea, known as universal basic income, or UBI, amongst a certain kind of politically-minded technologist. Yang, who was then running a nonprofit called Venture for America, fit right into that profile.The lunch seemed to be developing into a classic if-only-the-universe-worked-this-way gripe session until Yang asked the question that he had clearly been gearing up for: Did Stern know anyone running for president on this platform? Stern remembers being surprised by the question, but he told Yang to go for it.UBI has played a central role in Yang's subsequent run for the presidency. Like Stern, he would give all American adults $1,000 a month. The Freedom Dividend, as Yang calls it, would put a family of four—two adults, two children, and no other form of income—$2,200 below the annual federal poverty line.Yang has argued this money would be the solution to almost every ill. Unfair elections controlled by wealthy donors? People can use their "democracy dollars" to support whatever candidate they want. Worried that global warming will flood your coastline property? Use your government check to "adjust and adapt." First and foremost, however, Yang sees UBI as an answer to job losses caused by automation.Yang has outlasted many veteran politicians who were also vying for the Democratic nomination. After failing to qualify for the last debate, he got into the next one, scheduled for Feb. 7. This practically guarantees that at least one candidate on stage will be discussing UBI.Yang spoke Wednesday morning at a Bloomberg News reporter roundtable in Des Moines, Iowa, ahead of the caucuses. "To me, job one is to get more money into the hands of the American people," he told Bloomberg TV's Joe Weisenthal. The chances that Yang becomes president remain minuscule. But even if UBI isn't enough to land him in the White House, his campaign's legacy may be how it contributed to the mainstreaming of UBI. Yang's embrace of one of Silicon Valley's pet causes hasn't come without complications—people associated with some prominent UBI projects take issue with the specifics of Yang's approach. Still, UBI seems more relevant to the American political debate than it has in decades. "Andrew Yang," said Stern, "has done more to promote the idea of universal basic income than almost anybody in American history." The concept of UBI has existed in one form or another for decades, but has mostly faded from the public discussion in the U.S. since the 1970s. Instead, other related ideas were implemented, like the earned income tax credit, which gives tax credits to low-wage workers based on their incomes and number of children.UBI has been inching back into the public conversation in the U.S. for years, with an unusal appeal across ideological lines. The left sees UBI as a step towards socialism; the right sees cash assistance to create a more market-based approach to services currently provided by government-managed programs. The idea also proved to be a good fit for the odd politics of Silicon Valley, where tech leaders worried about the downsides of the economic disruptions they were creating. "I think automation will cause a lot of job change," said Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI and the former president of Y Combinator, in a recent interview. Y Combinator has funded a UBI research project in Oakland, which is expected to continue for another three years. Elizabeth Rhodes, who is leading it, said in January she expected to share early analysis from the study in "next few months."The interest in UBI doesn't necessarily translate to support for Yang's plan. Rhodes declined to comment on Yang's approach. Even Altman, who has made personal donations to Yang and held fundraisers for his campaign, said the candidate still needs to develop the plan's details. "It's not a policy that I would implement today," Altman said. He wants to see the results of YC's research before settling on an approach, and is concerned about striking the right balance between cash assistance and funding services like education. Altman also said he preferred distributing a "fixed percentage of the money generated by a society each year, not a fixed dollar amount, so that the better a society does, the better everyone does in a very direct way."Chris Hughes, one of the co-founders of Facebook Inc., in late 2016 helped start the Economic Security Project, a group pushing for what it calls "unconditional cash stipends." His group is funding a research project giving 125 people in Stockton, California $500 a month for 18 months. With the support of the city's mayor, researchers sent a letter to everyone who made less than $46,033, the median income for the city. Then they randomly selected families to receive money.Natalie Foster, co-chair of the Economic Security Project, also met with Yang before his presidential run. But unlike Stern, she's not supporting him. Her group has dropped its insistence on the idea of "universal" income, proposing limiting payouts to just those that need it.Foster also takes issue with Yang's plans to pay for his freedom dividend. Yang's version would implement a so-called value-added tax on everyday consumption to pay for his Freedom Dividend. This would affect everyone, and people on the left have generally supported paying for social programs with targeted taxation on the rich. "We would favor a way of paying for the policy that's more progressive, something like a wealth tax," said Foster.Yang has adjusted his guaranteed income proposal during the campaign. He's had to grapple with what to do about poor people who would no longer qualify for existing government services like food stamps once they receive $12,000 a year from the government. Yang now says he'd give people the option between the two programs. More progressive versions of the proposal would give people both.For some of Yang's supporters, one appeal of the plan is how it doesn't fall easily into existing political camps. "He convinced me that universal basic income is the best way forward," said Pradhyumna Agaram, an engineer at the augmented reality company Magic Leap who became a die-hard Yang supporter after he watched an interview with the candidate on Joe Rogan's popular podcast. "He's not ideological. Everything is based on logic and data."Over the course of Yang's campaign, support for UBI has increased, according to polling data. Voter support for UBI grew to 49% in September, up from 43% in February, according to a Hill-HarrisX poll. According to an Emerson college poll conducted in January, 53% of potential Iowa caucus voters now support Yang's UBI plan, with 30% of them opposing it. None of the leading Democratic candidates have taken up UBI. But they have various proposals based on related ideas. Many want to expand child tax credits, increasing the credit available to parents based on how many children they have, regardless of whether they work. Some candidates also support expanding the earned income tax credit.In Congress, Representative Rashida Tlaib introduced a bill in June that would offer money unconditionally to individuals earning less than $50,000 and married couples earning less than $100,000 a year, a version of a bill introduced the year before by Senator Kamala Harris. An unemployed person could receive up to $3,000, without cutting into their social security or disability payments. Another proposal introduced by Senator Sherrod Brown with widespread Democratic support would offer the child tax credit to families regardless of whether they were working.Even Republicans have toyed with a guaranteed income concept. Senator Mitt Romney co-sponsored a bill in December with Democrat Michael Bennet that would offer parents $1,000 for every child they have under 18 and $1,500 for children younger than seven."I love all of these approaches I think they're all pushing us in the right direction," Yang said Wednesday. "I obviously prefer a dividend for the simplicity and impact."The longer that UBI remains a part of the political discussion, the greater the likelihood that related ideas like these will continue to emerge, said Foster. "A whole lot of people are thinking about what an income floor could mean in America today thanks to the fact that he's running for president," she argued. "That means that we have to take our policy differences even more seriously as the idea gets bigger. And that is what primaries are for."(Disclaimer: Michael Bloomberg is also seeking the Democratic presidential nomination. He is the founder and majority owner of Bloomberg LP, the parent company of Bloomberg News.)To contact the author of this story: Eric Newcomer in New York at enewcomer@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Joshua Brustein at jbrustein@bloomberg.net, Anne VanderMeyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| A Purple Heart recipient who feds say faked his own death after raping his step-daughter is now on the '15 most-wanted' list Posted: 29 Jan 2020 01:46 PM PST  US Marshals say that Jacob Scott is a survivalist and a military veteran who knows how to live off the grid.
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| China's CH-4 Drones Are No MQ-1 Predator (And Too Good To Be True) Posted: 29 Jan 2020 07:00 PM PST  This is what cutting corners gets you.
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| A New and Controversial U.S. Nuclear Weapon Goes to Sea Posted: 30 Jan 2020 08:13 AM PST  The missile submarine USS Tennessee is the first to deploy with the W76-2 warhead.
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| So Long, Spitzer, You Were a Good Telescope and Friend Posted: 30 Jan 2020 07:41 AM PST |
| Clinton Refuses to be Served Tulsi Gabbard’s Defamation Lawsuit Posted: 30 Jan 2020 07:57 AM PST  Hillary Clinton has twice refused to see a process server attempting to convey Representative Tulsi Gabbard's (D., Hawaii) defamation lawsuit against her, Gabbard's lawyer told the New York Post on Wednesday."I find it rather unbelievable that Hillary Clinton is so intimidated by Tulsi Gabbard that she won't accept service of process," attorney Brian Dunne said. "But I guess here we are."According to Dunne, the server first visited Clinton's home in Westchester, N.Y. to deliver the lawsuit but was refused entry by secret service agents. The agents told the server to contact Clinton lawyer David Kendall, but Kendall told the server on Wednesday that he would be unable to accept the lawsuit for the former presidential candidate.Clinton had suggested in an October podcast that Gabbard was being "groomed" by Russia to run for president, and further termed the congresswoman "the favorite of the Russians." In response, Gabbard sued Clinton for defamation. on January 22."If Hillary Clinton and her allies can successfully destroy my reputation — even though I'm a war veteran and a sitting member of Congress — then they can do it to anybody," Gabbard wrote in a statement announcing the lawsuit. "I will not allow this blatant effort to intimidate me and other patriotic Americans into silence go unchallenged."Gabbard is in the midst of a long-shot presidential bid. She is currently polling at leass than one percent nationally, according to a RealClearPolitics average. In October, Gabbard said she would not run for reelection to Congress and was "fully committed" to her presidential bid.
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| Senators break into laughter as Schiff points out ironic difference between Trump's legal defense and DOJ arguments Posted: 30 Jan 2020 12:46 PM PST  President Trump's impeachment defense team seems to be on a different page than lawyers in the Department of Justice.Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) noted this disparity while answering questions from senators in Trump's Senate impeachment trial on Thursday. Schiff said that while Trump's legal team argued the House should have gone to court to force witnesses like former National Security Adviser John Bolton to testify via subpoena, Justice Department lawyers were — nearly simultaneously — arguing in a separate case that it's up to Congress to enforce subpoenas through measures like... impeachment.> "You can't make this stuff up... The Justice Department, in resisting House subpoenas, is in court TODAY and was asked: If Congress can't come to the court to enforce subpoenas... what remedy is there?> > The DOJ lawyers response? Impeachment." - @RepAdamSchiff pic.twitter.com/eUMkaENXHQ> > — House Intelligence Committee (@HouseIntel) January 30, 2020"You can't make this stuff up," said Schiff. As CNN reports, a DOJ lawyer on Thursday said if the House needs to enforce a subpoena, one of its options is to use its impeachment powers. As a reminder, Trump was impeached on obstruction of Congress after ordering aides to defy subpoenas that would have brought them to the House floor as witnesses. During the court hearing (related to the Trump administration's efforts to change the census, not an impeachment-related hearing), DOJ lawyer James Burnham argued the House can't ask the courts to enforce subpoenas — precisely what Trump's impeachment lawyers are suggesting Democrats should have done. Trump's legal team says Democrats should have fought in court for further witnesses, while Trump administration lawyers say courts have no right to enforce congressional subpoenas.There were reportedly "audible gasps and laughs" on the Senate floor after Schiff pointed out the comedic timing of the opposing arguments.More stories from theweek.com Mitch McConnell's rare blunder John Bolton just vindicated Nancy Pelosi 7 witheringly funny cartoons about the GOP's John Bolton problem
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| Movin' on up: Bloomberg glides past Warren to No.3 in Democratic race - Reuters/Ipsos Posted: 30 Jan 2020 01:42 PM PST  After steadily rising in popularity over the last several weeks, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg appears to have surpassed U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren among registered voters for the 2020 Democratic nomination, according to a Reuters/Ipsos national public opinion poll released on Thursday. The Jan. 29-30 poll found that 12% of registered Democrats and independents said they would vote for Bloomberg in the state nominating contests that begin next week in Iowa. Bloomberg appears to have won over a broad coalition of potential voters, including Baby Boomers, high-income earners, rural Americans and Democrats without a college degree, according to an analysis of the last two months of Reuters/Ipsos polling.
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| Japan Issues Warrants for Taylor, Others Aiding Ghosn Flight Posted: 30 Jan 2020 12:06 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Prosecutors in Tokyo issued a fresh warrant on Thursday for the arrest of ex-Nissan Motor Co. Chairman Carlos Ghosn, who jumped bail and fled the country last month to escape trial for alleged financial crimes.The Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office issued the warrant on Ghosn for illegally departing Japan, where the former auto executive was charged with failing to fully report his compensation and using company money for personal gain.Ghosn, 65, who made his way in a private jet to Lebanon at the end of December, held a news conference the week after he arrived, lashing out at Japan's prosecutors for what he called a "rigged" criminal justice system. The Justice Ministry has pushed back, issuing government statements and using news conferences and interviews to defend the country. Japan Sees Nothing Wrong With Justice System Ghosn Called Rigged"Without obtaining permission to travel abroad, suspect Ghosn boarded a private jet at Kansai International Airport at around 11 p.m. on Dec. 29, with the intent of traveling to Lebanon via Turkey, illegally leaving the country," prosecutors said in the statement.Prosecutors also issued a warrant for the arrest of American Michael Taylor, 59, a former U.S. Green Beret special forces soldier, and George-Antoine Zayek, 60, a former Christian militia fighter from Lebanon, for allegedly aiding Ghosn's escape. They are also seeking the arrest of a newly identified suspect thought to have aided Ghosn, Peter Maxwell Taylor, 26.The Tokyo Job: Inside Carlos Ghosn's Escape to BeirutThe three are suspected of helping Ghosn in making his way to a Tokyo hotel, and then to the airport and onto the plane using various methods to prevent him from being detected, prosecutors said in their statement.Earlier this month, prosecutors also issued an arrest warrant for Carole Ghosn, the fugitive executive's wife, for allegedly giving false testimony in court last April.The former Nissan chair is believed to have left Japan apparently concealed in an equipment case aboard a charter jet bound for Turkey en route to Lebanon, where Carlos Ghosn holds citizenship. Ghosn has maintained his innocence and defended his decision to flee Japan, saying that he couldn't get a fair trial in the country.(Updates with details from prosecutors' statement in fourth paragraph.)To contact the reporter on this story: Chester Dawson in Southfield at cdawson54@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Young-Sam Cho at ycho2@bloomberg.net, Reed Stevenson, Jon HerskovitzFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| A Costco sample-stand worker turned away a kid wearing a face mask because she thought he was from China and could give her the coronavirus Posted: 29 Jan 2020 09:41 PM PST  "One thing that is in the back of my mind is that someone Asian is being judged in public right now," Cabanilla said.
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| 4,309-foot-long tunnel in San Diego is longest ever discovered along Southwest border Posted: 29 Jan 2020 05:08 PM PST  The 4,309-foot tunnel starts in Tijuana, in an industrial area and ends in a warehouse district in San Diego, according to the Border Patrol.
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| The Hummer EV Pickup Is Real, and It Has 1000 HP Posted: 30 Jan 2020 07:46 AM PST  The new electric truck will be available starting in late 2021, GM says, and appears in a Super Bowl ad this Sunday.
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| Brexit finally arrives Friday: A momentous yet quiet moment Posted: 30 Jan 2020 03:47 AM PST  A few Union Jack flags will be lowered from European Union buildings in Brussels, more will be waved in jubilation by Brexiteers in London at the moment of Britain's departure — at 11 p.m. in the U.K., midnight in much of the EU (2300 GMT). Britain and the bloc fought tooth and nail for the best part of four years — with insults flying across the English Channel — over the terms of their divorce. Now, on the eve of one of the most significant events in European Union history, the political eruptions have ceased and an uneasy quiet reigns: the calm before the next storm.
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| Remain in Mexico: 80% of migrants in Trump policy are victims of violence Posted: 30 Jan 2020 11:26 AM PST  Asylum seekers sent to Mexico to wait US court hearings under Trump scheme routinely targeted for abduction, survey findsA staggering 80% of asylum seekers sent to Mexico to await US court hearings report being victims of violence, according a survey by Doctors Without Borders (MSF).In one month – October – three-quarters of asylum seekers seen by MSF physicians in Nuevo Laredo reported having been kidnapped for ransom, according to the figures released on Wednesday.Some 44% of MSF patients also reported having been victims of violence in the week leading up to their consultations.Wednesday marked the first anniversary of a scheme officially known as Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), under which migrants seeking asylum in the United States are sent to Mexico to wait as their cases wind their way through US courts.Under the scheme, also known as "remain in Mexico", more than 57,000 non-Mexican asylum seekers have been sent to wait in cities along the border – many of which have been plagued by drug-war violence for years.Migrants – who stand out because of their appearance and accents – are routinely targeted for abduction outside migration offices and bus terminals, and held until relatives back home wire ransom payments to the kidnappers."The US continues to send asylum seekers back into danger and into the hands of the cartels that control the migration routes in Mexico," said Sergio Martín, MSF general coordinator in Mexico."The Mexican government lacks the ability to provide the most minimum of conditions for thousands of people who are being sent to its territory," he said.Migrants are at risk along the entire border, "but mainly in places like Nuevo Laredo, where there is serious violence – and migrants are 'merchandise' for organised crime," Martín said.Nuevo Laredo is considered so insecure that the US government has issued a Level 4: "Do not travel" alert to its citizens for the city and surrounding state of Tamaulipas – the same as war-torn countries like Syria and Afghanistan.The Cartel del Noreste – an offshoot of the blood thirsty Zetas cartel – "operates a sophisticated kidnapping business that targets asylum seekers – many of whom are women and children – who enter the city," said Stephanie Leutert, director of the Mexico Security Initiative at the Strauss Center at the University of Texas."The kidnappers charge several thousand dollars for each kidnapped asylum seeker and operate with almost complete impunity."The Mexican government promised to provide asylum seekers with shelter, work permits and access to health services, but observers say many of the migrants have been left to fend for themselves.On Wednesday, the US department of homeland security announced that the scheme would be expanded to include Brazilians. Brazilian arrivals at the border have tripled in the past year.
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| Chief Justice John Roberts shut down Republican demands to name the Ukraine whistleblower, and it could spark a major standoff Posted: 30 Jan 2020 09:42 AM PST  Democrats and some prominent Republicans have insisted that the whistleblower must be protected from death threats and other retaliation.
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| American Airlines pilots union sues to stop carrier's U.S.-China service Posted: 30 Jan 2020 03:51 PM PST  The Allied Pilots Association has sued American Airlines to stop the company from flying its U.S.-China routes, amid the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak."The safety and well-being of our crews and passengers must always be our highest priority — first, last, and always," APA President Capt. Eric Ferguson said in a statement. "Numerous other major carriers that serve China, including British Airways, Air Canada, and Lufthansa, have chosen to suspend service to that country out of an abundance of caution."The union, which represents 15,000 American Airlines pilots, is asking for a temporary and immediate restraining order halting the flights, CNN reports, citing "serious, and in many ways still unknown, health threats posed by the coronavirus." This new coronavirus was first identified in Wuhan, China, and the death toll has risen to more than 200. On Thursday, the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus a global emergency.More stories from theweek.com Mitch McConnell's rare blunder John Bolton just vindicated Nancy Pelosi 7 witheringly funny cartoons about the GOP's John Bolton problem
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| U.S. Farm Chief Presses EU to Throw Doors Open to American Foods Posted: 30 Jan 2020 04:39 AM PST ![U.S. Farm Chief Presses EU to Throw Doors Open to American Foods]( "U.S. Farm Chief Presses EU to Throw Doors Open to American Foods") (Bloomberg) -- Terms of Trade is a daily newsletter that untangles a world embroiled in trade wars. Sign up here. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue signaled that a renewed transatlantic trade truce will require more ambitious European Union efforts to ease imports of American foods.Perdue criticized an idea being pursued by the bloc of a piecemeal accord that would scale back European regulatory barriers to individual American products such as shellfish, saying a U.S. farm-trade deficit with the EU of $10 billion to $12 billion was "unsustainable and unreasonable."Instead, he said, Europe should reject the "political science of fear" over U.S. farm goods and ease market access for them in general."We're looking for real substance," Perdue said from Rome on Thursday during a conference call with reporters. "It depends on recognizing international standards."The comments challenge Europe's better-safe-than-sorry approach to food safety -- a stance that has led to longstanding EU bans on hormone-treated beef and "chlorinated" chicken, and to a slow approval process in Europe for genetically modified foods.The remarks also highlight the obstacles to reviving a July 2018 transatlantic commercial truce. A fraying of that deal in recent months prompted U.S. President Donald Trump and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen last week to pledge fresh efforts to reach a trade accord, which she said could also include matters related to energy and technology.Any failure could prompt an escalation in tit-for-tat tariffs that began in 2018 when Trump invoked national-security considerations to impose duties on steel and aluminum from Europe.Perdue described talks he held on Monday with EU officials in Brussels as "very productive." And, while declining to speculate about the elements of any transatlantic farm deal because it is being handled in Washington by U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, Perdue held out the prospect of results within weeks.To contact the reporter on this story: Jonathan Stearns in Brussels at jstearns2@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Ben Sills at bsills@bloomberg.net, Nikos Chrysoloras, Peter ChapmanFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| No hot meals, blankets, magazines as airlines step up fight on virus Posted: 28 Jan 2020 10:38 PM PST  Passengers on some flights to China will have to make do without hot meals, blankets and newspapers, as airlines step up measures to protect crew and travelers from a new virus that has killed more than 130 in the country. Seeking to contain the spread of the coronavirus by reducing personal contact, Taiwan's China Airlines said it was encouraging passengers to bring their own drinks bottles and would limit re-usable items by replacing them with disposables. The airline and its regional arm Mandarin Airlines stopped from Monday serving hot meals and have replaced tablecloths and napkins with paper towels on cross-strait and Hong Kong flights.
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| Prince Harry's complaint about a report that said he edited his photo of an elephant in Africa to hide that it was tethered and tranquilized was just dismissed Posted: 30 Jan 2020 10:54 AM PST  The Independent Press Standards Organisation ruled in favor of the Mail on Sunday, as Prince Harry didn't indicate the photo was edited in his post.
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| Is This Picture How China Takes Over the South China Sea? Posted: 30 Jan 2020 10:48 AM PST  The outposts in the South China Sea are a serious threat to demilitarized sea lines.
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| Idaho kids still missing after "multiple deaths with strange circumstances" Posted: 29 Jan 2020 07:20 PM PST  Grandparents Larry and Kay Woodcock are pleading for the safe return of 7-year-old JJ Vallow and 17-year-old Tylee Ryan.
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| North Korea says it has intensified efforts to block virus Posted: 30 Jan 2020 02:47 AM PST  North Korea is intensifying efforts to prevent the spread of a new virus from China into the isolated country by blocking tourists, reducing flights and mobilizing more screening efforts, a health official said Thursday. It has sickened thousands, most of them China, but South Korea has reported six cases.
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| GOP wins handily a closely watched Texas special election Posted: 29 Jan 2020 11:36 AM PST  Republicans won handily a closely watched special election Tuesday to keep hold of a suburban Houston district that President Trump won easily four years ago, fending off a national blitz by Democrats in a Texas legislative race.
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| Former Trump Aide Carter Page Sues DNC over Commissioning of Steele Dossier Posted: 30 Jan 2020 07:07 AM PST  Former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page is suing the Democratic National Committee over its commissioning of the infamous and largely discredited Steele dossier, which the FBI used to obtain warrants to surveil him during the 2016 election cycle.Page filed a lawsuit Thursday in federal court in Illinois against the DNC as well as the law firm Perkins Coie and its partners, who contracted opposition research firm Fusion GPS to compile the the dossier on the DNC's behalf. The suit accuses the defendants of pursuing a "political agenda" by using "false information, misrepresentations and other misconduct to direct the power of the international intelligence apparatus and the media industry against" Page."This is a first step to ensure that the full extent of the FISA abuse that has occurred during the last few years is exposed and remedied," Page's attorney John Pierce said Thursday. "Defendants and those they worked with inside the federal government did not and will not succeed in making America a surveillance state."The dossier, which contained allegations that then-candidate Donald Trump conspired with Russia as well along side salacious details about his personal life, was a "central and essential" piece of the FBI's application to procure multiple warrants from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Court to surveil Page.The largely uncorroborated report was compiled by former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele, who was investigating Trump for an opposition research firm hired by the DNC and Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign, with law firm Perkins Coie as a funding middle man."This is only the first salvo. We will follow the evidence wherever it leads, no matter how high," Pierce added. "The rule of law will prevail."Last month, the Justice Department's inspector general concluded that the FBI omitted crucial details in its requests for warrants to surveil Page and neglected to inform the FISA Court that the dossier was unreliable.The FBI found Steele's information about a Russian government connection to be dubious but declined to mention as much in the later applications to the FISA court for warrants to surveil Page.
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| Alibaba billionaire Jack Ma, China's richest man, pledged $14.5 million to fight the coronavirus Posted: 30 Jan 2020 01:59 PM PST  The money will be donated through Ma's charitable foundation, which will use it to help medical research efforts and disease prevention.
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| Family of handcuffed man fatally shot expresses sorrow, relief after officer charged Posted: 29 Jan 2020 02:39 PM PST  Michael Owen Jr., a veteran of the Prince George's County Police Department, was charged with murder Tuesday in the shooting death of William Green.
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| How Trump's impeachment created two Democratic superstars Posted: 30 Jan 2020 02:03 AM PST  Adam Schiff and Hakeem Jeffries are seeing their profiles rise during the Senate trial. How high can they go?
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| U.K. Says Huawei Decision Won’t Affect U.S. Intelligence Sharing Posted: 29 Jan 2020 02:09 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- The U.K.'s decision to allow China's Huawei Technologies Co. to be involved in building its 5G telecom networks won't affect trans-Atlantic intelligence sharing, despite U.S. threats to the contrary, Digital Secretary Nicky Morgan said.Britain gave the green light for Huawei kit to be used in non-sensitive parts of its new networks Tuesday, ending a protracted debate. In the run-up to the decision, there was a steady drumbeat of warnings from President Donald Trump's administration that the U.S. may hold back secret intelligence if Prime Minster Boris Johnson pressed ahead with giving the company a role.Asked in a Bloomberg Television interview whether she'd had assurances before the decision to include Huawei -- deemed a high-risk vendor, Morgan said: "Yes, we've obviously had a lot of advice from our various security agencies about that," before adding: "There is no reason why the decision should or would affect our ability to share classified data with the U.S. or our allies."U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo, who was among officials to warn Britain ahead of the decision, is in London on Wednesday and is likely to raise the issue in meetings with ministers. A slew of U.S. congressional figures have already criticized the U.K.'s position and Johnson and Trump spoke about the issue on Tuesday evening, with the premier underlining the need for Western allies to work together to break the market dominance of a small number of companies."I know that there are very strong feelings in the U.S. particularly in relation to China, but there are many, many areas where we cooperate very fully in lots of different ways with the U.S., and I think that special relationship will remain," Morgan said on Wednesday. "We would like eventually to have more providers to work with the U.S. and other countries creating or supporting companies to have this capability," she said, "so we don't have to rely on high-risk vendors in the future."U.S. Disappointed as Johnson Gives Huawei Partial 5G Role (1)With Ericsson AB and Nokia Oyj the only alternatives, Huawei's involvement is needed to ensure the networks are resilient because "we would never want to rely just on two vendors," Morgan said."That's why a third provider is necessary," she said. "At the moment it's deemed to be Huawei, it's a high risk vendor, but hopefully the market will respond to calls for more diversification so we will have a better choice in the future."Morgan, who earlier told LBC Radio that the National Security Council decision on Huawei was "unanimous," pointed out that the U.K. has monitored the Chinese company's involvement in U.K. telecom networks for years, and is "clear-eyed" about the risk. That, she said, informed the decision to keep the company out of core networks and sensitive locations and limit them to a 35% share of the market."We know more about Huawei, the way they operate, their capabilities, than any other country, which means we are confident we can mitigate the risk," Morgan said. "We would not make the decision if we thought that it compromised national security at all."\--With assistance from Anna Edwards and Matthew Miller.To contact the reporter on this story: Alex Morales in London at amorales2@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, Giles Turner, Thomas PennyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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