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In Papa’s footsteps
The late Lope Sarreal Sr. is the only Filipino who wasn’t a fighter inducted in the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York......»»
Trending tickers: Trump Media, Tesla, Bitcoin and DS Smith
Former US president Donald Trump’s media firm, Trump Media & Technology Group, had a successful stock market debut in New York, with shares soaring past.....»»
Trump to face jurors in April before facing US voters in November
Republican strategists say voters have grown accustomed to Donald Trump's norm-shattering behavior, but a guilty verdict could hurt his ability to win over swing voters who decide elections.....»»
Remove the chaff from the grains
Other than the questioned selling of the buffer stock of rice to traders, what’s happening at the National Food Authority (NFA)? With 132 of around 2,000 NFA officials and employees all around the country suspended for six months without pay, this agency attached to the Department of Agriculture (DA) is struggling to stay relevant in the over-all schemes of the government on food security......»»
Executioner
Earlier this week, Trump adviser Peter Navarro finally stepped into jail......»»
Why Trump May Benefit from Truth Social Stock Market Merger
A recent study has shed light on the negative effects of excessive screen time on children’s development. Researchers have found that children who spend extended.....»»
Wanted for high-profile crimes killed in Bangsamoro police operation
A suspect in a series of motorcycle theft, multiple murder, extortion and operation of a drug den, who has links with local terrorist groups, was killed while his companion was wounded in a shootout with policemen in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte on Thursday......»»
Philippines, US air forces back together for Cope Thunder
The Philippine Air Force and the US Pacific Air Force are set to embark on joint exercises – involving their advanced fighter jets – from April 8 to 19 for this year’s iteration of Cope Thunder, an annual air defense and offense training event to be held in Luzon......»»
Bankman-Fried to testify at his US crypto trial
Sam Bankman-Fried, founder of the collapsed cryptocurrency exchange FTX, plans to make another high-stakes gamble and testify in his defense on Thursday at his criminal fraud trial. Bankman-Fried's decision to take the stand comes after three weeks of devastating testimony for the 31-year-old known as SBF, who has been accused of stealing billions of dollars from clients. His lawyer, Mark Cohen, told Judge Lewis Kaplan he expected Bankman-Fried's testimony to last for four or five hours. He is expected to begin around 2:00 p.m. (1800 GMT). Prosecutors were wrapping up their case on Thursday and handing it over to the defense, which said it plans to call four witnesses, including Bankman-Fried. Bankman-Fried, once one of the most respected figures in crypto, has been charged with seven counts of fraud, embezzlement, and criminal conspiracy. If convicted, he could face a de facto life sentence of more than 100 years in prison. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduate had, in just a few years, turned his FTX platform into the world's second-biggest crypto exchange -- making him a tech-world billionaire wunderkind. But his empire began to crumble last November when a news report pointed to unhealthy ties between FTX and Alameda Research, Bankman-Fried's personally owned trading company. Amid growing revelations, major investors pulled their money out of FTX, sinking it swiftly into bankruptcy. Some $8.7 billion was still unaccounted for after the dust settled, according to the receiver appointed to manage the liquidation. Bankman-Fried has denied taking other people's money, blaming former colleagues for the situation. But key witnesses in recent weeks, all former FTX or Alameda employees, refuted his account. Supported by internal documents compiled by the prosecution, they said he was behind the breaches and did not lose sight of the financial situation of FTX and Alameda. Ex-girlfriend offers evidence Among those taking the stand was Caroline Ellison, Bankman-Fried's former business partner and girlfriend. She offered conclusive evidence against him and delivered details on his management, saying he was involved in all major decisions. Ellison, a Stanford University mathematics graduate, was appointed by Bankman-Fried in 2021 to head Alameda, whose activities were largely financed by money from customers of FTX without their knowledge. She has pleaded guilty to fraud charges and agreed to cooperate with the prosecution, as have two other close associates of Bankman-Fried. Bankman-Fried's decision to testify in his defense is unusual in a country where criminal defendants generally decline to do so because they have to face cross-examination and run the risk of incriminating themselves. Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, comedian Bill Cosby, singer R. Kelly, and drug trafficker Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman were among high-profile defendants who declined to testify at their recent trials. A Cornell University study of hundreds of trials published in 2009 found that 77 percent of defendants who chose to testify were convicted while 72 percent of those who declined to take the stand were found guilty. The post Bankman-Fried to testify at his US crypto trial appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Israel demands UN chief’s ouster
Israel’s outspoken ambassador to the United Nations has called for the resignation of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for criticizing the country’s war with the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas. Gilad Erdan made the call in a post on X, saying the UN chief has “expressed an understanding for terrorism and murder.” Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, meanwhile, canceled a meeting with Guterres in response to the UN chief’s speech during a Security Council session on the Gaza crisis. The UN leader had alleged “clear violations” of international law as Israel pounds Gaza in response to the 7 October assault by Hamas and called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. Guterres also said that the Hamas attacks did not occur “in a vacuum,” pointing to “56 years of suffocating occupation” endured by the Palestinians. “How you can agree to a ceasefire with someone who swore to kill and destroy your own existence?” an angry Cohen said in response. Rejecting tying the violence to the occupation, Cohen said Israel gave Gaza to the Palestinians “to the last millimeter” with its withdrawal in 2005. The post Israel demands UN chief’s ouster appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
‘In what world do you live?’ Israeli FM asks UN chief after Gaza criticism
Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen on Tuesday denounced UN chief Antonio Guterres over his criticism of Israel's Gaza campaign, as Cohen recounted graphic details of Hamas attacks on civilians. "Mr. Secretary-General, in what world do you live?" Cohen told Guterres at a Security Council session on the crisis. Cohen later told reporters that he had canceled a meeting with Guterres. The United Nations leader earlier had alleged "clear violations" of international law as Israel pounds Gaza in response to the October 7 assault by Hamas and called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. Guterres also said that the Hamas attacks did not occur "in a vacuum," pointing to "56 years of suffocating occupation" endured by the Palestinians. "How you can agree to a ceasefire with someone who swore to kill and destroy your own existence?" Cohen said in English. Rejecting tying the violence to the occupation, Cohen said Israel gave Gaza to the Palestinians "to the last millimeter" with its withdrawal in 2005. Israel shortly afterward imposed a blockade of the impoverished territory, in place ever since, after Hamas took power, and it still occupies the West Bank. Israel's outspoken ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, called on Guterres to resign -- writing on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the UN chief has "expressed an understanding for terrorism and murder." A spokesman for Guterres said the secretary-general would go ahead with a meeting Tuesday with representatives of families held captive by Hamas in Gaza. He will attend in the presence of an Israeli mission representative but not Cohen, the UN spokesman said. The post ‘In what world do you live?’ Israeli FM asks UN chief after Gaza criticism appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Trump business empire under threat as New York fraud trial opens
A combative Donald Trump appeared in a New York court on Monday to face civil fraud charges, denouncing the case as a "sham" intended to torpedo his campaign to retake the White House. The fraud trial, one of several legal battles against the 77-year-old Trump, could potentially see the former president barred from doing business in New York state. "This has to do with election interference, plain and simple," Trump said as he arrived for the opening day of what could be a three-month trial. "What we have here is an attempt to hurt me in an election." New York Judge Arthur Engoron has already ruled that Trump and his sons Eric and Don Jr committed fraud by inflating the value of the real estate and financial assets of the Trump Organization for years. New York Attorney General Letitia James is now seeking $250 million in penalties and the removal of Trump and his sons from management of the family empire. "Justice will prevail," James told reporters before delivering opening arguments. "No matter how powerful you are, no matter how much money you think you may have, no one is above the law," she said. Trump, arriving in court, denounced the case as a "scam" and a "witchhunt." "It's a sham," he said. "My financial statements are phenomenal." Trump is scheduled to appear before a federal judge in Washington on March 4, 2024 on charges of trying to overthrow the results of the 2020 presidential election won by Democrat Joe Biden. Trump will then be back in New York state court, this time on charges of paying hush money to a porn star, and later in a Florida federal court, where he is accused of mishandling classified documents after leaving office. Finally, he will also have to answer to state charges in Georgia, where prosecutors say Trump illegally tried to get the southern state's 2020 election results changed in his favor. 'Major blow' In the New York case, Engoron ruled that Trump, his two eldest sons and other Trump Organization executives lied to tax collectors, lenders and insurers for years in a scheme that exaggerated the value of their properties by $812 million to $2.2 billion between 2014 and 2021. The judge revoked the business licenses that allowed the Trump Organization to operate some of its New York properties. Actually enforcing such penalties would be "a major blow to Donald Trump's ability to do business in the state of New York going forward," Will Thomas, a professor of business law at the University of Michigan, told AFP. Trump -- who made his reputation and fortune as a real estate mogul in the 1980s -- could eventually lose control over many of his company's flagship properties, such as his 5th Avenue Trump Tower in Manhattan. According to James, a Democrat, Trump's own apartment in that building is among the spaces that were fraudulently overvalued -- it was listed as three times bigger than its true size. Another Manhattan building, at 40 Wall Street, was overvalued between $200-$300 million in financial disclosures, James alleges. Trump's luxury Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida -- the site of the classified documents drama -- and several other Trump Organization golf clubs also appear in James's complaint. Trump has repeatedly dismissed the New York civil allegations, calling James, who is Black, "racist," and labeling Engoron "deranged." There are likely to be dozens of witnesses called to testify at the trial, including Trump himself and three of his children, Eric, Don Jr and his oldest daughter Ivanka. Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen -- now an outspoken critic of the former president -- and officials from Trump-linked financial institutions are also expected to appear. The post Trump business empire under threat as New York fraud trial opens appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Libya foreign minister suspended after Israel meeting
Libya's internationally recognized prime minister has suspended his top diplomat after she met her Israeli counterpart, with news of the encounter triggering demonstrations in a country that does not recognize Israel. Oil-rich Libya, which plunged into chaos after dictator Moamer Kadhafi was toppled and killed in 2011, has been divided since 2014 between the UN-supported government of Prime Minister Abdelhamid Dbeibah in Tripoli and a rival administration based in the country's east. Angry protesters took to the streets of the capital and other western cities on Sunday night, blocking roads with burning tires and waving Palestinian flags, after it emerged that Najla al-Mangoush had met with her Israeli counterpart in Rome last week. Mangoush was "provisionally suspended and subject to an 'administrative investigation'", Dbeibah's government said, hours after Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said the "unprecedented" meeting had taken place. On Monday, Libya's Internal Security Agency (ISA) said Mangoush had not been authorized to leave the North African country after reports on social media that she had flown to Turkey overnight as the protests flared. Internet users had posted the tracking details from the FlightRadar website of a flight said to be carrying Mangoush from Mitiga airport in Tripoli to Istanbul. "Surveillance cameras will prove this" is false, the ISA said in a statement. Mangoush "is on the travel ban list until she submits to the investigation", said the security agency. Turkey's Anadolu news agency, citing security sources, said Mangoush had already left for Istanbul following the diplomatic furor. There was no official confirmation of the flight from Ankara or Tripoli, however. 'Chance and unofficial encounter' The Libyan foreign ministry had in a statement defended the meeting with Cohen as a "chance and unofficial encounter". The minister had reiterated "in a clear and unambiguous manner Libya's position regarding the Palestinian cause", it said, while accusing Israel of trying to "present this incident" as a "meeting or talks". The Israel foreign ministry statement had quoted Cohen as saying that the two had discussed "the importance of preserving the heritage of Libyan Jews, which includes renovating synagogues and Jewish cemeteries in the country". "Libya's size and strategic location offer a huge opportunity for the State of Israel," he added. The statement said the meeting in Rome had been hosted by Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani. But on Monday the Israeli foreign ministry appeared to backtrack on Cohen's statement, saying that neither it nor the minister had anything to do with the "leak" about his meeting with Mangoush. The ministry did not offer details or clarify who was behind the so-called leak. "Contrary to what has been published, the leak regarding the meeting with Libya's foreign minister did not come from the foreign ministry or the foreign minister's office," the ministry said in a statement released to journalists. Tajani's office on Monday referred all questions to the Libyan and Israeli authorities. However, an Italian diplomatic source said the Italian minister had not himself been present at the meeting. In recent years, Israel has pushed for normalizing ties with some Arab countries as part of US-backed deals known as the Abraham Accords. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's hardline government has come under intense criticism from Arab states because of surging violence in the West Bank and for backing the expansion of Jewish settlements in the occupied territory. The post Libya foreign minister suspended after Israel meeting appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
The legal woes of Donald Trump
Former US president Donald Trump is facing four criminal indictments, all filed since March -- with the Republican frontrunner in the 2024 White House race possibly navigating a series of trials as he campaigns. On Thursday, he was formally arrested on 13 counts in the southern state of Georgia in connection with his alleged efforts to interfere with the results of the 2020 election, which he lost to Democrat Joe Biden. Trump has already been indicted in federal court in connection with election interference in multiple states, and over his handling of classified documents, making him the first former US president to face federal criminal charges. The twice-impeached Trump has also been charged in New York with making election-eve hush money payments to a porn star. Here are the key cases involving the 77-year-old one-term president -- and others that could materialize: Georgia election meddling Trump stands accused in Georgia of pressuring state officials to overturn Biden's election victory -- incidents that were also referred to in a federal indictment. Evidence includes a taped phone call in which he asked Georgia's then-secretary of state to "find" enough votes to reverse the result. Fulton County's top prosecutor Fani Willis has charged Trump with 13 felony counts including violating Georgia's Racketeer Influenced And Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, as well as six conspiracy counts over alleged efforts to commit forgery, impersonate a public official and submit false statements and documents. Eighteen co-defendants also were indicted, including Trump's former personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, for pressuring local legislators over the result after the election, and Trump's White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows. 2020 election interference Special Counsel Jack Smith had already slapped Trump with four federal charges related to efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. Trump is charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States, as well as conspiracy to obstruct and obstruction of an official proceeding -- the January 6, 2021, meeting of a joint session of Congress held to certify Biden's election victory. He is also charged with conspiracy to deny Americans the right to vote and to have one's vote counted. The indictment mentions six co-conspirators but none are identified -- Trump, currently the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, is the only named defendant. Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, as Congress met to certify the presidential election results. Before what was ultimately a deadly attack, Trump delivered a fiery speech urging the crowd to "fight like hell." Classified documents Trump, in another indictment brought by Smith, is accused of endangering national security by holding onto top secret nuclear and defense documents after leaving the White House. Trump kept the files -- which included records from the Pentagon, CIA, and National Security Agency -- unsecured at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida and thwarted official efforts to retrieve them, according to the indictment. Trump was initially charged with 31 counts of "willful retention of national defense information," each punishable by up to 10 years in prison. A count was added related to a classified document "concerning military activity in a foreign country." He also faces charges of conspiracy to obstruct justice, making false statements, and other offenses. The federal judge in the case has set a trial date of May 20, 2024, at the height of the presidential campaign. Stormy A New York grand jury indicted Trump in March over alleged hush money payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels. Prosecutors say the money was paid prior to the 2016 election to silence Daniels over claims she had a tryst with Trump in 2006 -- a year after he married Melania Trump. Late in the campaign, Trump's lawyer Michael Cohen arranged a payment of $130,000 to Daniels in exchange for her pledge of confidentiality, prosecutors said. That case, in which he faces 34 felony counts, is due to go to trial next March, in the middle of the Republican primary election season. Other probes Trump was found liable in a civil case for sexually abusing and defaming a former magazine columnist, E. Jean Carroll, in 1996, and ordered to pay her $5 million in damages. In New York, state Attorney General Letitia James has filed a civil suit against Trump and three of his children, accusing them of fraud by over-valuing assets to secure loans and then under-valuing them to minimize taxes. James is seeking $250 million in penalties as well as banning Trump and his children from serving as executives at companies in the city. Trump has denied all wrongdoing. The post The legal woes of Donald Trump appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Giuliani: ‘America’s Mayor’ threatened by anti-Mafia law he spearheaded
Forty years ago, Rudy Giuliani was the fearless Mafia-busting prosecutor whose aggressive use of racketeering laws brought down New York's Five Families. On Tuesday, he was fighting for his own freedom after being ensnared by the very legal strategy he had pioneered. The man once feted as "America's Mayor" for steering the US financial hub through the horror of the 11 September 2001 attacks has experienced a stunning fall from grace. Charged with 13 felonies over the help he is alleged to have given his client and longtime friend Donald Trump in trying to subvert the 2020 presidential election, the attorney is threatened with years behind bars as his 80th birthday approaches. "It's just the next chapter in a book of lies with the purpose of framing President Donald Trump and anyone willing to take on the ruling regime," Giuliani said on X, formerly known as Twitter, after he was charged Monday. It was a typically bombastic response from the 107th mayor of New York City, who played a starring role in Trump's post-election push to cling to power through an allegedly criminal campaign of lies about voter fraud. Giuliani was charged Monday under Georgia's Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Practices (RICO) statute, the plaudits he once earned squandered in a series of increasingly bizarre media appearances around the 2020 election. He is one of 18 co-defendants charged alongside Trump. 'Person of the Year' They included an unwitting cameo in a Sacha Baron Cohen movie in which Giuliani was filmed lying on a hotel bed with his hands down his pants and a post-election press conference held outside a landscaping business surrounded by a crematorium and a sex shop. At another press event, Giuliani and his allies claimed mass voter fraud without a shred of evidence as hair dye streamed in dark rivulets down the attorney's cheeks. Born in an Italian American enclave of Brooklyn on 28 May 1944, Rudolph William Louis Giuliani made his name in his 40s as a pioneering US attorney for Manhattan, using RICO to bring down the high command of the New York mob. Giuliani captured the New York mayorship in 1993 and gained national prominence in the wake of the 9/11 attacks by helping salve the shocked city's soul, earning Time Magazine's prestigious "Person of the Year" honor. "We've undergone tremendous losses, and we're going to grieve for them horribly, but New York is going to be here tomorrow morning, and it's going to be here forever," he declared. The Republican suffered his first big setback in 2008 with a disastrous bid for the White House and appeared adrift until Trump eventually brought him back into the fold. Gaffes and walk-backs After Trump was elected, he appointed Giuliani to fight a federal probe into the campaign's extensive ties to Russia, and the lawyer became a constant TV presence. But gaffes and walk-backs were as much a feature of Giuliani's lawyering as his spirited talk show diatribes -- and he led Trump into trouble as often as steering him away. Never the most reliable spokesman, Giuliani proved susceptible to seemingly unforced admissions -- contradicting Trump's denials over hush money payments to a porn star and his pursuit of a business deal in Moscow before the 2016 election. But the effort to reverse Trump's clear election loss in 2020 appears, in the end, to have sealed Giuliani's downfall. One by one, his post-election court challenges were withdrawn or dismissed as groundless. Giuliani's license to practice has been suspended in New York over his "demonstrably false" claims of a stolen election and the Bar in the nation's capital is considering disbarring him. Long before attracting the attention of a legal system that once basked in his reflected glory, Giuliani acknowledged that representing Trump could end up being his legacy. "I am afraid it will be on my gravestone. 'Rudy Giuliani: He lied for Trump,'" he told The New Yorker in 2019. "If it is, so what do I care? I'll be dead. I figure I can explain it to St. Peter." The post Giuliani: ‘America’s Mayor’ threatened by anti-Mafia law he spearheaded appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Sultanate arbitration award reaches $16 billion
The arbitration award granted to the heirs of the Sultanate of Sulu has increased from $14.9 billion to over $16 billion due to the yearly 10-percent penalty imposed by the French arbitration court that had ordered Malaysia to pay the descendants of the last Sultan of Sulu to settle a dispute over a colonial-era land deal. An official of the Sultanate who requested anonymity told the Daily Tribune Monday their lawyers had sent a letter to Malaysia on 2 June stating the increased amount of the award and demanding payment. “According to the court ruling the amount will increase 10 percent every year if not paid,” he said. Malaysia, however, has vehemently opposed the award and upheld its decision not to recognize the action taken by the Spanish arbitrator, Dr. Gonzalo Stampa, in the arbitration proceedings as well as his allegedly illegal decision and award. “Due to the above false allegations, the Government of Malaysia through the Attorney General has responded on 31 May 2023 to the said letter stating all the indisputable facts of the claims. In addition, a police report was lodged on 1 June 2023 against (sultanate lawyer) Paul H. Cohen for the unfair statements and allegations made against the Attorney General,” Malaysia said in a statement posted online. “This would allow for the necessary investigation to be made of any possible criminal offenses committed under the laws of Malaysia,” the statement said. It said the government of Malaysia will continue to take all necessary actions, including legal actions, to put an end to the claims and to ensure that Malaysia’s interest, sovereign immunity and sovereignty are protected at all times. The heirs of the Sultanate of Sulu had earlier played down the ruling of the Paris appellate court which upheld the Malaysian government challenge against enforcing a partial award to the former sultan who won $14.9 billion dollars in arbitration over the Sabah deal. Lawyers for the sultanate said the February ruling remained legally enforceable outside France through the New York Convention, a United Nations treaty on international arbitration recognized by 170 countries. In July 2022, the Paris Court of Appeal granted Malaysia a stay in enforcing the ruling in France, but international law allows it to be enforced in other countries. The commercial arbitration case filed in 2017 only involves the heirs and not the Philippines, which has a claim on Sabah. The post Sultanate arbitration award reaches $16 billion appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Historic visit of Israeli FM to the Philippines
The recent visit to the Philippines of Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen is a strong political message of the close relations between our nations. It exemplifies the desire to enhance the cooperation in the priority areas of agriculture, water, defense and economy. It is also the beginning of exploring development cooperation opportunities, innovation and technology exchanges and other partnerships......»»
Israeli Foreign Minister talks Fight Against Iran during visit to Korea
Jerusalem [Israel], June 7 (ANI/TPS): Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen quickly visited South Korea on Wednesday for discussions with the country's leaders on the threat posed by Tehran. "Korea understands very well the danger of a nuclear threat, and I intend to talk with my foreign minister colleagues [in various nations] about the fight against Iran," Cohen said. "As minister of the economy [in 2017-2020], I signed a.....»»
Ex-VP Pence jumps into 2024 White House race
Washington, United States Republican former vice president Mike Pence launched his bid for the 2024 presidential nomination on Monday, offering a traditionalist alternative to the battle royale being waged by populists Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis. The evangelical Christian filed his paperwork with the Federal Election Commission ahead of an official declaration Wednesday in the early voting state of Iowa -- joining an already crowded field. Pence, 63, honed his reputation as an unstintingly loyal deputy who stuck with Trump throughout a scandal-plagued four years and brought the religious right into the tent. But he became a pariah in Trumpworld after rejecting the Republican leader's demands that he overturn the 2020 election in his role as president of the Senate. Berated constantly by Trump after Joe Biden's victory -- and even heckled at a conservative conference with chants of "traitor!" -- Pence continued to praise the tycoon in public. That eventually changed after Trump's torrent of false claims of election fraud led to a mob chanting for Pence to be hanged at the US Capitol. Pence has spent much of the last two years touring early-nominating states such as Iowa and New Hampshire to reinforce his political vision as a "Christian, conservative, Republican -- in that order." His entry doesn't much change the dynamics of the race, which is divided into three lanes -- runaway leader Donald Trump, Trump's closest rival and sitting Florida governor DeSantis, and everyone else. Pence is framing himself as a traditional Republican, concerned with fiscal responsibility and family values, who can deliver Trump's economic policies without the drama. But he has also pointed to some clear blue water between the pair, as he allies himself strongly with Ukraine and refuses to rule out cuts to welfare payments. While his politics are popular among Republicans, critics question whether Pence has a constituency in a party that is more focused now on populism and cultural politics than traditional conservatism. And voters sympathetic to his decision to stand up for the Constitution have other candidate choices, such as the proselytizing Christian Tim Scott who do not bring with them the baggage of the Trump years. "We all give (Pence) credit for certifying the election," Republican strategist Sarah Longwell told Politico. "But he also stood next to Donald Trump and normalized and validated him for four years while Trump ran roughshod over the presidency." DeSantis has consistently been polling almost 20 points above Pence and is hoping to outflank Trump from the right. But the Florida governor's poor showing in head-to-head polls has opened the floodgates, with Chris Christie due to announce on Tuesday, joining former governors Nikki Haley, Asa Hutchinson and Doug Burgum in the race. Like Haley and DeSantis, Pence has appeared determined to avoid conflict with Trump in hopes of wooing his former supporters should the cascade of criminal investigations targeting the former president take him out of the race. The lower-ranked candidates have also pointed out that there is a long way to go in the race, and that Trump was trailing in the low single digits at this point in the 2016 cycle. Democrats watching from the sidelines pointed to Pence's socially conservative agenda as an abortion hardliner who has opposed same-sex marriage as evidence that he would drag the contest to the right. "In Mike Pence's own words, he was a member of the extreme Tea Party 'before it was cool,' and he hasn't slowed down since," said Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison. Zee Cohen-Sanchez, a left-leaning election strategist who has worked with progressives like Bernie Sanders, said Pence's break with Trump over the insurrection was a double-edged sword. "Despite allegations and charges against Trump, his base remains strong and given Pence essentially turned against Trump, these voters will not support him," she told AFP. "The majority of other Republicans support DeSantis, who has a track record conservatives are excited about and they see him as a powerful alternative to Trump." ft/jh © Agence France-Presse The post Ex-VP Pence jumps into 2024 White House race appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Phl, Israel seek to boost ties in agri, water management, direct flights
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen vowed to strengthen the partnership between the Philippines and Israel in agriculture, water management, and establishing direct flights between the two countries, Malacañang said on Tuesday. The Palace shared this announcement following Marcos’ and Cohen’s meeting in Malacañang on Monday. Marcos underscored the country’s agricultural development as very important for the nation, as he expressed admiration for Israel’s advancement in agriculture. The President said he was glad the Israeli official brought up the issue because agriculture has been the Philippines’ priority, particularly in improving the economy. “Because when we look at the economy as hard to just test, we said how do we fix the economy. It always comes down to agriculture first, how to fix every policy, then everything else would be great. So that's the position that we find ourselves in,” he said. “So, the offers that you make for assistance and partnership in those two areas are very, very welcome,” he added. In terms of water management, the Philippines, he said, is looking at Israel and Singapore for best practices that the country can imitate. Cohen, for his part, believes that Israel and Philippines can work together on the segment of agriculture. “I just let you know that our land, 60 percent of our land is desert. But although 60 percent of our land is desert, we were able to provide all our water needs,” Cohen said, suggesting that the two nations open an agricultural hub to push the initiative. “And I think that we can work together and let’s say that less import, more export for the Philippines. And I think that we can work together.” Aside from agriculture, Cohen said the Philippines and Israel can also collaborate on water management, noting Israel’s vast experience in this sector. Because of water scarcity, Israel has been reusing large portion of its water resources and it can share its experience in water management with the Philippines, he said, suggesting that an Israeli expert can visit the Philippines to provide advice. In addition to agriculture and water management, Cohen raised the issue of establishing direct flights between the Philippines and Israel to boost tourism and economic ties. “There’s another thing that we, both of us, took for an action item - (it) is to have a direct flight… your external sea between Israel and the Philippines,” Cohen said referring to his earlier meeting with Filipino officials. “And I think that we agree that both ministries will work together to have the direct flight and this is also to bring more business people to come to invest and reach the place between us. So this is also another important action item that we will do.” The post Phl, Israel seek to boost ties in agri, water management, direct flights appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»