Trump makes headlines on another unpredictable day in office  David Knowles Yahoo News•April 6, 2018 The real first sign that Thursday was going to be a particularly tumultuous day for Donald Trump came at the start of what was billed to be a West Virginia roundtable about tax reform.“This was going to be my remarks,” Trump told his West Virginia audience while holding up a copy of  prepared talking points. “It would have taken about two minutes, but, to hell with it. Reading off the first paragraph, I said, ‘This is boring.’ Come on. Tell it like it is.”What followed next had nothing to do with tax reform. The president proceeded to resurrect his own conspiracy theory about why he trailed Hillary Clinton by nearly 3 million votes in the 2016 election.“In many places, like California, the same person votes many times,” Trump said. “You’ve probably heard about that. They always like to say, ‘Oh, that’s a conspiracy theory.’ It’s not a conspiracy theory, folks. Millions and millions of people.”No credible evidence has been presented to support Trump’s voter fraud claims, and he quickly moved on to another highly charged assertion. Referencing his incendiary campaign launch, during which he portrayed Mexican immigrants as “rapists,” Trump appeared to concoct another unverifiable story.“Everybody said, ‘Oh, he was so tough,’ and I used the word rape,” Trump said before referencing an annual symbolic caravan of Honduran immigrants in Mexico.  “And yesterday it came out where this journey coming up, women are raped at levels that nobody has ever seen before. They don’t want to mention that.”It was unclear what news report the president might be referring to. Although some Honduran immigrants have fled their home country because of violence, including rape, no recent news stories about rape and this year’s caravan could be sourced.President Donald Trump talks with reporters aboard Air Force One, Thursday, April 5, 2018, in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)After the West Virginia event came to an end, the president returned to Washington aboard Air Force One, but wasn’t done grabbing headlines. The president surprised reporters on the plane by taking questions after making an appearance in the main cabin.“Did you know about the $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels?” a reporter asked the president.“No,” Trump responded.“Then why did Michael Cohen make it?” the reporter asked about the president’s personal lawyer, “if there was no truth to her allegations?”“You’ll have to ask Michael Cohen,” Trump replied. “Michael’s my attorney, and you’ll have to ask Michael.”Another reporter then asked Trump if he knew where Cohen got the money to make the payment.“No,” Trump said. “I don’t know.”His denial was the first time the president had spoken publicly about Daniels, who alleges she had an affair with Trump in 2006 and was paid $130,000 in hush money during the presidential election.As night fell on Washington, the president had one more surprise up his sleeve, making an announcement sure to roil the stock market and the nerves of congressional Republicans seeking re-election in 2018.“In light of China’s unfair retaliation, I have instructed the USTR to consider whether $100 billion of additional tariffs would be appropriate under section 301 and, if so, to identify the products upon which to impose such tariffs,” Trump said in a statement.Trump’s own chief economic adviser, Larry Kudlow, had spent much of the last two days trying to assure investors that a full-blown trade war with Beijing was not in the offing, but news of possible new tariffs sent Dow futures plummeting Thursday night.If anything, each subsequent, self-inflicted headline served to obscure the one Trump had made hours earlier. When looked at in retrospect, however, some historians will no doubt be tempted to ask why the president didn’t simply stick to his original script in West Virginia.If anything, each subsequent, self-inflicted headline served to obscure the one Trump had made hours earlier. When looked at in retrospect, however, some historians will no doubt be tempted to ask why the president didn’t simply stick to his original script in West Virginia.

China’s Xi has a key advantage over Trump in any trade war Michael B. Kelley Editor Yahoo Finance•April 5, 2018U.S. President Donald Trump takes part in a welcoming ceremony with China’s President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, November 9, 2017. REUTERS/Damir SagoljIf the world’s two largest economies are heading toward a trade war, time is on China’s side.“Don’t forget: The Chinese have a very long-term view,” Bloomberg News Chief Content Officer Marty Schenker argued on Wednesday, while noting that Chinese President Xi Jinping no longer has term limits. “He’s going to be there long after Donald Trump is gone. So they’re in this for the long haul, and they’re playing hardball.”On Tuesday evening, the Trump administration announced 25% tariffs on more than 1,000 industrial technology, transport, and medical products amounting to about $50 billion in 2018 imports. China swiftly countered with proportional tariffs of up to 25% on more than 100 U.S. goods. The latest move followed a previous round of reciprocal tariffs worth about $3 billion.And while Chinese officials encouraged negotiations, Beijing doesn’t seem to be backing down.“Even though China and the U.S. have not publicly said they are in a trade war, the sparks of such a war have already started to fly,” an editorial in China’s government-backed Global Times newspaper announced. “There are some people in the West who think that China looks tough for the sake of a domestic audience, and would easily make concessions. But they are wrong.”Charting the value of Chinese products imposed with increased tariffs by the U.S. government. REUTERSThere’s no telling how long the trade tensions will last. Trump faces pressure that don’t exist for Xi, including criticism for market turmoil and political risks in the run-up to 2018 midterm elections. At the same time, the American president is buoyed by the popular notion that a rising China has taken advantage of the current trade relationship.“Does [Trump] care what this is doing to the markets?” Greg Valliere, Chief Global Strategist at Horizon Investments, wrote in a new note. “Yes, of course, but he has an election to win, and a base to satisfy, so the markets may have to endure the volatility for months to come.”Trump tweeted that the trade war with China was already lost, blaming previous U.S. administrations.He later added: “When you’re already $500 Billion DOWN, you can’t lose!”  When asked about the tweet, new top White House economic advisor Larry Kudlow said he was “not sure what exactly he’s referring to.”In any case, markets are jittery as China patiently matches the Trump administration’s moves.“This is a game of chicken, with both sides seeing the other as the bigger chicken,” Scott Kennedy, a China scholar at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, told Bloomberg. “They are positioned in a way that could create miscalculations on both sides and create an escalatory ladder.”Follow Michael B. Kelley on Twitter @MichaelBKelley.Follow Yahoo Finance on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Russia to Join U.S.-China South China Sea Face Off After Vietnam PactDavid Brennan Newsweek•April 5, 2018Russia has agreed a new military cooperation roadmap with Vietnam, which could bring Moscow into the ongoing power struggle between the China and the U.S. in the South China Sea. The deal was signed by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and his Vietnamese counterpart General Ngo Xuan Lich in Moscow on Wednesday, Russian news agency TASS reported.The agreement—signed on the sidelines of the seventh Moscow Conference on International Security—set out the details of military cooperation between the two countries from 2018 until 2020. Gen. Ngo told Shoigu he was pleased that Russia and Vietnam were taking steps to increase their military and naval coordination.Trending: Is Flu Season Over Yet?As part of the agreement, Russia will deploy a rescue boat from its Pacific fleet to Vietnam, which will take part in search and rescue operations in the region. Moscow will also send a delegation to Vietnam to continue work on a draft deal on search and rescue operations for disabled submarines.Sergey Shoygu and Ngo Xuan Lich Russia VietnamRussia’s Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu (R) and his Vietnamese counterpart Ngo Xuan Lich review an honor guard during a welcome ceremony in Hanoi on January 23, 2018. HOANG DINH NAM/AFP/Getty ImagesThough Moscow and Hanoi have a defense relationship dating back to the Vietnam War, Russia is now promoting a stronger and public presence. The Russian and Vietnamese navies are an important element of this relationship. In February, two Russian-built Gepard-class frigates entered service in Vietnam’s navy, joining two others that had been delivered in 2011 as part of a $350 million contract.The two countries have agreed to conduct joint military training and Gen. Ngo said 176 Vietnamese soldiers would travel to Russia for instruction. At the end of January, it was announced that the Russian and Vietnamese militaries were drawing up plans for joint military drills to be held over the next three years.In March, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russian-Vietnamese military alignment was working towards “an architecture of cooperation that would ensure sustainable development and meet interests of security” in Asia.Don’t miss: People Are Getting Non-Resident Concealed Carry Permits Through Virginia, Skirting Local Gun LawsThe diplomatic offensive is party of a wider Russian effort in southeast Asia, where Moscow is also pursuing closer relations with Vietnam’s western neighbour Laos. In January, Shoigu visited the landlocked country to build on an increasingly close military relationship. After the visit, Laotian Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith said virtually “everything the Laotian Armed Forces now have is linked with Russia.”Russia clearly considers southeast Asia a fertile ground for closer diplomatic ties and arms sales. With Vietnam and Laos, Moscow also seems to be cultivating ties to fellow authoritarian governments.Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (L) shakes hands with Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang (R) at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi on March 23, 2018. Lavrov has said that closer ties between the two countries will improve the security of the entire region. MINH HOANG/AFP/Getty ImagesCloser relations between Moscow and Hanoi could give Russia direct access to the hotly contested South China Sea. In April 2017, three ships from the Russian Pacific Fleet conducted a five-day visit to the Vietnamese port of Cam Ranh. As military cooperation grows, such visits are likely to become more regular.Vietnam, China, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Taiwan all have territorial claims on the South China Sea’s rich fishing grounds, vital sea routes and potential natural resources. China has come under fire for creating artificial islands to enforce its claims, and the U.S. has conducted several “freedom of navigation” operations nearby to re-assert its authority.Most popular: Stan Lee’s Stolen Blood Stamped on Signed ‘Black Panther’ Comics?China is investing heavily in modernizing its naval and air forces to challenge U.S. influence and enforce its regional policy. Russia now looks to be throwing its significant influence into play, though whether it will pick sides or strike out alone remains to be seen. China and Russia have previously held joint drills in the South China Sea, showing that the two navies can work together.A fleet of ships sail out at sea as China and Russia’s naval joint drill concludes in Zhanjiang, Guangdong Province, China, September 19, 2016. REUTERS/StringerThere is a chance that Russia will be caught between Chinese and its own interests in the South China Sea, but for now Beijing and Moscow are getting on well. On Tuesday, Chinese Defense Minister Wei Feng said he was attending the Moscow conference “to show Americans the close ties between the armed forces of China and Russia… We’ve come to support you.”Both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese premier Xi Jinping have consolidated their domestic power in recent months. The two authoritarian governments reject democratic western liberalism and see each other as useful counterweights to America’s superpower clout, not to mention its network of western and NATO allies.Thanks to the efforts of Xi and Putin, Shoigu said, relations between Russia and China are reaching “unprecedentedly high” levels. In November 2011, President Barack Obama said he had taken a “deliberate and strategic decision” that the U.S. “will play a larger and long-term role in shaping [the Asia-Pacific] region and its future.”With Chinese soft and hard power growing ever-stronger and Russian influence spreading, the future shape of Asia Pacific will not be decided by the U.S. alone.This article was first written by Newsweek

World Chinese Defense Minister Says China will ‘Support’ Russia Against AmericaAsia Times The National Interest•April 4, 2018 Asia TimesSecurity,Should Washington be worried? Chinese Defense Minister Says China will ‘Support’ Russia Against AmericaChina’s new defense minister Wei Fenghe has reportedly said during a visit to Moscow that China is ready to support Russia against the US.“I am visiting Russia as a new defense minister of China to show the world a high level of development of our bilateral relations and firm determination of our armed forces to strengthen strategic cooperation,” Wei said at a meeting with Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu, according to a report by state-run Tass Russian News Agency.Recommended: How Israel Takes U.S. Weapons and Makes Them Better.Recommended: North Korea’s Most Lethal Weapon Isn’t Nukes.Recommended: 5 Worst Guns Ever Made.“Second, to support the Russian side in organizing the Moscow International Security Conference the Chinese side has come to show Americans the close ties between the armed forces of China and Russia, especially in this situation. We’ve come to support you,” he added. “The Chinese side is ready to express with the Russian side our common concerns and common position on important international problems at international venues as well.”Wei is attending the seventh Moscow International Security Conference with a delegation of other high-level Chinese military officials. He emphasized to the Russian press that his trip was coordinated directly with Chinese President Xi Jinping.The annual security conference hosted by Russia’s Defense Ministry is focusing this year on the defeat of terrorists in Syria. The Russian side is said to be sharing its experience on combating ISIL. It’s also providing assessments on future developments in the Middle East, including post-conflict rehabilitation.“Security issues facing Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America will also be in the spotlight of the forum. Special session will address ‘Soft power’ phenomenon as a tool to pursue military-political objectives,” the ministry said in a statement.This first appeared in AsiaTimes here. Image: Creative Commons. 

World Israel arrests 10 Gazans accused of planning naval attackAFP•April 4, 2018An Israeli navy vessel enters the southern Israeli port of Ashdod on March 15, 2011 (AFP Photo/JACK GUEZ)Jerusalem (AFP) – Israeli authorities said Wednesday they have arrested 10 Palestinians from the Gaza Strip accused of planning a missile attack and hostage taking against a navy ship.The announcement of the March 12 arrests comes ahead of expected new mass protests along the Gaza Strip’s border with Israel on Friday.Authorities did not immediately respond to a question on why the announcement was delayed for more than three weeks, though Israel often keeps such arrests under a gag order while it investigates.A protest by tens of thousands last Friday led to clashes in which Israeli forces killed 17 Palestinians and injured more than 1,400 others, the bloodiest day since a 2014 war. There were no casualties among Israelis.Israel’s Shin Bet domestic security service announced the arrests in a statement, saying the 10 Palestinians from the city of Rafah in southern Gaza were on a boat outside a designated fishing zone off the blockaded enclave.It alleged one of those arrested, fisherman Amin Juma, 24, has been involved in „terrorist activities” for militant group Islamic Jihad.According to the statement, Islamic Jihad assigned him to gather information to prepare for an attack using a Kornet missile against an Israeli naval vessel.It said the plan was to fire on an Israeli vessel and take hostages that could be used in a prisoner exchange.Juma was expected to be formally charged later Wednesday.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a statement called the arrests „proof of the real intentions of terrorist organisations in Gaza”.Israel’s use of live fire last week has come under criticism from rights groups, while the European Union and UN chief Antonio Guterres have called for an independent investigation.Israel has defended its soldiers’ actions, saying they opened fire only when necessary against those throwing stones and firebombs or rolling tyres at soldiers.It said there were attempts to damage the fence and infiltrate Israel, while alleging there was also an attempted gun attack against soldiers along the border.Palestinians say protesters were fired on while posing no threat to soldiers.

World Erdogan: Turkey to keep pushing Kurds out of Syria’s north SUZAN FRASER

, Associated Press•April 5, 2018

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, center left, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, center, arrive for a meeting with Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani in Ankara, Turkey, Wednesday, April 4, 2018. The leaders of Russia, Iran and Turkey are meeting in the Turkish capital for talks on Syria’s future. The leaders are expected to reaffirm their commitment to Syria’s territorial integrity and the continuation of local cease-fires when they meet Wednesday. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday that his military „won’t stop” trying to oust Syrian Kurdish fighters from northern Syria, as he met with the leaders of Russia and Iran for talks on trying to resolve the conflict.The three countries, which have teamed up to work for a Syria settlement despite their differences, reaffirmed their commitment to Syria’s territorial integrity and the continuation of local cease-fires. They called on the international community to provide more aid for war-ravaged Syria.Erdogan, President Vladimir Putin of Russia and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani were holding their second summit to discuss Syria’s future since attending a similar meeting in Sochi, Russia, in November. Russia and Iran have provided crucial support to President Bashar Assad’s forces, while Turkey has backed the rebels seeking to overthrow him.Speaking at a joint news conference, Erdogan said Turkish troops, which last month took control of the northwestern Kurdish enclave of Afrin, would move eastward into Manbij and other areas controlled by the U.S.-backed Kurdish militia, the Peoples’ Protection Units, or YPG, which Turkey considers to be terrorists.”I say here once again that we will not stop until we have made safe all areas controlled by the (YPG), starting with Manbij,” Erdogan said.He stressed that Turkey’s fight against the YPG would not distract from efforts to eliminate remnants of the Islamic State group from the country.Wednesday’s summit came as the White House said its military mission to eradicate IS in Syria was coming to a „rapid end,” though it offered no timetable for withdrawal of the roughly 2,000 U.S. troops currently in Syria as part of an American-led coalition fighting the Islamic militants since 2014. President Donald Trump had said a day earlier that the U.S.’s primary mission was to defeat IS and „we’ve almost completed that task.”With allies anxious about a hasty U.S. withdrawal, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Wednesday that the U.S. would stay in war-torn Syria to finish off the job of defeating the Islamic State group and was committed to eliminating the militants’ „small” presence that „our forces have not already eradicated.”But Sanders suggested that would not be a long-term endeavor, and she described the extremist group that once controlled vast swaths of Syria and Iraq as „almost completely destroyed.”Trump’s comments conflict with views of his top military advisers, some of whom spoke at a separate event in Washington on Tuesday about the need to stay in Iraq and Syria to finish off the militant group, which once controlled large swaths of territory in both countries.Asked about a possible U.S. pullout, Rouhani suggested Wednesday that the U.S. threat to withdraw from Syria was an excuse for soliciting money from countries that want U.S. forces to remain there.”One day they say they want to pull out of Syria. … Then it turns out that they are craving money,” he said. „They have told Arab countries to give them money to remain in Syria.”It was unclear what Rouhani was referring to. But Trump in recent weeks has asked Saudi Arabia to contribute $4 billion for reconstruction in Syria as part of his efforts to get other countries to help pay for stabilizing the country, according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to discuss the conversations publicly.Rouhani also reiterated that there can be no military solution to the Syrian crisis. „It should be resolved through political solutions,” he said.Russia, Iran and Turkey have sponsored several rounds of talks between the Syrian government and the opposition, and brokered local truces in four areas, helping to reduce hostilities. Their next tripartite meeting will be held in Tehran.Erdogan said the Turkish and Russian militaries were discussing the possibility of establishing field hospitals in Syria’s Tal Abyad town to care for people injured in the Syrian government offensive on the rebel-held Damascus suburbs of eastern Ghouta. „Be it the Turkish armed forces, be it the Russian armed forces, (we) want to quickly establish a field hospital so that initial treatment can be provided,” Erdogan said.Meanwhile, the Russian military said Wednesday that it expects a rebel evacuation from the suburbs of the Syrian capital to be completed in the coming days.The Russian Defense Ministry and Syrian rebels struck a deal on Sunday for the Army of Islam, the biggest opposition group in eastern Ghouta, to leave the area for the rebel-controlled north.The rebels were still leaving the town of Douma, but the evacuation was expected to wrap up in the coming days, said Col. Gen. Sergei Rudskoy of the Russian General Staff.

Earlier, Russia’s Defense Ministry said that more than 3,000 rebels and their family members had evacuated Douma since Sunday.The evacuation comes after a blistering five-week government offensive in February and March that killed hundreds of people and caused catastrophic damage in the besieged suburbs._Associated Press writers Josh Lederman in Washington, Zeina Karam and Bassem Mroue in Beirut, Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow, Cinar Kiper in Istanbul and Amir Vahdat in Tehran contributed to this report.