Tag: The Independent

ROME — Italy is the “center of the political universe,” according to former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon. Thus far, many of the Continent’s far-right politicians have reacted cautiously to Bannon’s advances. Bannon began promoting it in July. The League’s Matteo Salvini, Italy’s interior minister, has already joined, and during his trip to Rome Bannon also reached out to 5Stars leader Luigi Di Maio. According to two individuals with knowledge of the talks — one a person who has worked with Bannon and another a 5Star MP — Bannon and Di Maio met on Saturday and had a “constructive dialogue.” The 5Stars are yet to decide whether they will endorse the project or not though. On the face of it, the far-right base of the Movement (Bannon is also in talks with Germany’s far-right AfD, Marine Le Pen’s National Rally in France and Viktor Orbán’s Christian nationalist Fidesz party in Hungary) is far removed from the 5Stars’ left-wing populism. Some of the party’s MPs are worried it would alienate their voting base. Nevertheless, Bannon has praise for both sides of Italy’s coalition government. Following Italy’s general election in March, neither party would agree during negotiations about forming the coalition to the other’s leader heading the government. The American political strategist said that he hoped the Italian model of bringing together populists on the left and right could be replicated both in the U.S. and the U.K. “You are going to have to compromise … On one side you have the guaranteed income, on the other the flat tax, both sides will get what they want and you’ll move on from there,” he said, referencing major domestic priorities of the 5Stars and League parties.

“Truth isn’t truth? Mr Mayor, do you realize … I mean, this is going to become a bad meme.” The Mr Mayor to whom he was referring, creator of the bad meme, was Rudy Giuliani, legendary New York mayor on 9/11. Now Trump’s attorney on the Russia investigation, he was trying to justify why the White House has been dragging its feet over granting an interview between the president and special counsel Robert Mueller. Trump's 'good person' defence could affect jurors in Manafort trial Read more “No, no, don’t do this to me,” Giuliani said, head in hands, when he realized the hole he had dug for himself. “Don’t do ‘Truth isn’t truth’ to me,” Todd replied, still scarcely holding it together. At which point, Giuliani did the only thing that came to mind: he dug deeper, into competing versions of events regarding former national security adviser Michael Flynn, Russia and fired FBI director James Comey. “Donald Trump says, ‘I didn’t talk about Flynn with Comey’, Comey says, ‘You did talk about it’. So tell me what the truth is, you’re such a genius.” Chuck Todd may not be a genius. But he was smart enough not to answer the question. Still bearing a broad grin, he let the new bad meme soar into the digital firmament.

President Trump’s attacks on the press have reached a new level in recent weeks. On Sunday, he called the press, “very dangerous & sick” and wrote that the media can “cause War.” The FiveThirtyEight Politics podcast team talks about what the goal of the president’s rhetoric is and how the press should respond. The crew also previews the last special congressional election to happen before the midterms — in Ohio’s 12th District on Tuesday — and reviews the key primaries to watch that night. You can listen to the episode by clicking the “play” button above or by downloading it in iTunes, the ESPN App or your favorite podcast platform. If you are new to podcasts, learn how to listen. The FiveThirtyEight Politics podcast publishes Monday evenings, with occasional special episodes throughout the week. Help new listeners discover the show by leaving us a rating and review on iTunes. Have a comment, question or suggestion for “good polling vs. bad polling”? Get in touch by email, on Twitter or in the comments.

It is tempting to treat the news that Ruth Davidson, the leader of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist party, is pregnant as a matter of equally trivial non-news news. To put it another way, it would be considered a surprise if a male politician felt the need to make such a statement and, of course, I do not recall David Cameron having to do so when he and Samantha had a child while, you may remember, Cameron was serving as prime minister. Still, to the extent politicians are “role models” there is something cheering about politicians, and I suppose especially female politicians, demonstrating that there is no necessary contradiction between maternity and their careers. Davidson has always told interviewers that she and her fiancee, Jen, would like a family. It must mean something, so it was assumed it must mean she is looking towards furthering her political career in London, not Edinburgh. That Davidson had said nothing new and that she frequently reiterated that made little impression. Well maybe, one day, she might. Speculation she finds amusing sometimes, but only because the alternative is to find it infuriating. The 2021 Holyrood elections will be a full-throttle, no-quarter asked or given, affair. In the meantime, joy and good luck to her and to Jen.

Amid rising concern about a possible trade war between the US and China, Donald Trump said on Sunday Beijing will ease trade barriers “because it is the right thing to do”, thereby allowing the economic superpowers to settle the disputes that have rattled financial markets, consumers and businesses. However, two of the president’s top economic advisers simultaneously offered mixed messages as to the best approach to China, which has threatened to retaliate if Washington follows through with proposed tariffs. “President Xi [Jinping] and I will always be friends, no matter what happens with our dispute on trade,” Trump wrote on Twitter. Taxes will become Reciprocal & a deal will be made on Intellectual Property. Great future for both countries!” President Trump threatens extra $100bn of tariffs on Chinese imports Read more Trump did not explain why, in a week of economic saber-rattling between the two countries that shook global markets, he felt confident a deal could be made. China has pledged to “counterattack with great strength” if Trump decides to follow through on his latest threat to impose tariffs on an additional $100bn in Chinese goods, after an earlier announcement that targeted $50bn. Beijing also declared that the current rhetoric made negotiations impossible, even as the White House suggested that the tariff talk is a way to spur China to the bargaining table. But he also downplayed the tariff threat as “part of the process” and said he was hopeful China would enter negotiations. Kudlow, who started his job a week ago after predecessor Gary Cohn quit over the tariffs plan, noted that none of the US moves have gone into effect and downplayed the possibility of economic repercussions. But another top White House economic adviser, Peter Navarro, took a tougher tack, declaring China’s behavior “a wake-up call to Americans”.

Nightly News 02/25/2018 1:57 Ivanka Trump says the president's idea to arm teachers in schools 'needs to be discussed' Ivanka Trump in a new interview on Sunday said she was unsure if the president's call to arm teachers in schools would be effective, but said it was an option that "needs to be discussed." "To be honest, I don't know," the daughter of and senior adviser to President Trump told NBC News when asked whether the proposal would make children safer. The first daughter, who’s currently in South Korea, where she attended the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics, said it was nonetheless an option worth considering. “Obviously, there would have to be an incredibly high standard for who would be able to bear arms in our school,” she told the broadcaster. “If you had a teacher who was adept at firearms, that could very well end the attack very quickly,” President Trump said during a meeting with survivors of the shooting at the White House. “We’re going to be looking at that very strongly. And I think a lot of people are going to be opposed to it. I think a lot of people are going to like it.” The president on Saturday doubled down on his call, despite heavy criticism from gun-control advocates. Trump also addressed the comparisons made between her and Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, saying she didn't think it was a fair comparison. “I would far prefer to be compared to my sisters in South Korea, who are thriving in this incredible democracy,” Trump told NBC News.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said during an interview on Sunday that she is “very disappointed” in President Trump’s actions on health care. The White House also announced that the president is ending key payments to insurers selling ObamaCare.