Blinken to Fete Biden, Reassure Allies 07/26 06:05
Blinken to Fete Biden, Reassure Allies 07/26 06:05 U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will make the case for the Biden administration's expanded commitment to Asia and the Indo-Pacific region more broadly as he visits Laos, Vietnam, Japan, the Philippines, Singapore and Mongolia this week and next. VIENTIANE, Laos (AP) -- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will make the case for the Biden administration's expanded commitment to Asia and the Indo-Pacific region more broadly as he visits Laos, Vietnam, Japan, the Philippines, Singapore and Mongolia this week and next. The trip comes as the 2024 U.S. presidential election campaign heats up after a series of bombshell developments upended the race. Blinken, who has already modified his travel schedule twice since the trip was announced just hours after President Joe Biden made his decision not to seek re-election, arrives in Vientiane, Laos, on Saturday for the annual ASEAN Regional Forum. The security conference gathers the foreign ministers of Association of Southeast Asian Nations and regional powers like China, Australia, Japan, Russia, South Korea and India. All participants represent either critical U.S. allies and partners or Washington's two largest rivals -- Moscow and Beijing, which have grown closer over the past two years, prompting deep concerns about their combined global influence. Just this week, U.S. and Canadian jets intercepted Chinese and Russian bombers flying jointly near Alaska. The U.S. has repeatedly accused China of helping to rebuild Russia's military industrial base that allows it to wage its war in Ukraine. Blinken is expected to meet with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Vientiane but has no plans to see Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who is also attending the ASEAN conference, according to the State Department. Despite, or perhaps due to, its major policy differences with the U.S. over Taiwan, Tibet, Hong Kong, the South China Sea, trade and human rights, China is emerging as a potential challenger to the U.S. in international diplomatic dominance. Beijing has recently mediated a fragile rapprochement between r ival Palestinian factions, negotiated a tentative deal with the Philippines to end escalating confrontations over their competing maritime claims in the South China Sea, agreed to work with India on withdrawing tens of thousands of troops along their disputed Himalayan border, and hosted Ukraine's foreign minister. Despite assertions from U.S. officials that Biden's decision to withdraw will have no impact on the administration's foreign policies for his last six months in office, questions abound about his priorities before he leaves the White House and the path his successor may take. Although there was no discussion of Blinken cancelling his travel plans after Biden's announcement, his time and meetings in Laos have been cut nearly in half since the original trip announcement, and two brief stops in Vietnam and Mongolia have been added. While the presumptive Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, might be expected to hew closely to Biden's approach, Republican challenger Donald Trump could bring major change, particularly regarding security commitments to America's Asian allies, notably Japan, South Korea and the Philippines. "Foreign leaders and adversaries now are not only facing new uncertainty about the outcome of the election that seemed Trump's for the taking, but uncertainty as well about how the policies of a victorious Democratic candidate would differ from Biden," said Danny Russel, a former assistant secretary of state for East Asia and the Pacific in the Obama administration who is currently vice president of the Asia Society Policy Institute in New York. "For China in particular, this argues for a cautious wait-and-see posture," he said. Blinken will use the trip to reassure partners that "America is all in on the Indo-Pacific," said Dan Kritenbrink, the top U.S. diplomat for Asia. "The United States has been an Indo-Pacific power for more than a century and will remain so going forward." "We're going to continue to do everything possible to demonstrate that commitment in coming months," Kritenbrink told reporters earlier this week. He discounted concerns about the presidential campaign but added: "We do try to reassure allies and partners that there are certain fundamentals about America's engagement that are not going to change, that have been consistent." Among those constants for the past six decades have been large U.S. troop deployments in Japan and South Korea and a mutual defense treaty with the Philippines. During his first term in office, Trump cast doubt on the usefulness of U.S. alliances around the world and suggested that the American military presence in Japan and South Korea be reduced or eliminated. As part of his Asia tour, Blinken will be joined by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in Tokyo and Manila, where they will meet with their Japanese and Filipino counterparts to shore up their defense cooperation "in the face of really growing and unprecedented threats in the region," according to Kritenbrink. And, in the view of analysts like Russel, Biden may direct his team to step up engagement. "Leaders who may have effectively counted him out are now dealing with an undistracted Joe Biden, focused on augmenting his substantial legacy and unencumbered by the heavy burden of campaigning," Russel said.
US Arrests Heads of Sinaloa Cartel 07/26 06:10
US Arrests Heads of Sinaloa Cartel 07/26 06:10 WASHINGTON (AP) -- Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, a longtime leader of Mexico's Sinaloa cartel, and Joaqun Guzmn Lpez, a son of another infamous cartel leader, were arrested by U.S. authorities in Texas on Thursday, the U.S. Justice Department said. A leader of the powerful Sinaloa cartel for decades alongside Joaqun "El Chapo" Guzmn, Zambada is one of the most notorious drug traffickers in the world and known for running the cartel's smuggling operations while keeping a lower profile. A Mexican federal official told The Associated Press that Zambada and Guzmn Lpez arrived in the United States on a private plane and turned themselves in to authorities. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized discuss the matter. The U.S. government had offered a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to the capture of Zambada, who eluded authorities for decades. Zambada and Guzmn Lpez oversaw the trafficking of "tens of thousands of pounds of drugs into the United States, along with related violence," FBI Director Christopher Wray said, adding that now they will "face justice in the United States." "Fentanyl is the deadliest drug threat our country has ever faced, and the Justice Department will not rest until every single cartel leader, member, and associate responsible for poisoning our communities is held accountable," Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. Mexican authorities didn't immediately comment on the arrests. U.S. officials have been seeking Zambada's capture for years, and he has been charged in a number of U.S. cases. He was charged in February in the Eastern District of New York with conspiring to manufacture and distribute the synthetic opioid. Prosecutors said he was continuing to lead the Sinaloa cartel, "one of the most violent and powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world." Zambada, one of the longest-surviving capos in Mexico, was considered the cartel's strategist, more involved in day-to-day operations than his flashier and better-known boss, "El Chapo" Guzmn, who was sentenced to life in prison in the U.S. in 2019 and is the father of Guzmn Lpez. Zambada is an old-fashioned capo in an era of younger kingpins known for their flamboyant lifestyles of club-hopping and brutal tactics of beheading, dismembering and even skinning their rivals. While Zambada has fought those who challenged him, he is known for concentrating on the business side of trafficking and avoiding gruesome cartel violence that would draw attention. In an April 2010 interview with the Mexican magazine Proceso, he acknowledged that he lived in constant fear of going to prison and would contemplate suicide rather than be captured. "I'm terrified of being incarcerated," Zambada said. "I'd like to think that, yes, I would kill myself." The interview was surprising for a kingpin known for keeping his head down, but he gave strict instructions on where and when the encounter would take place, and the article gave no hint of his whereabouts. Zambada reputedly won the loyalty of locals in his home state of Sinaloa and neighboring Durango through his largess, sponsoring local farmers and distributing money and beer in his birthplace of El Alamo. Although little is known about Zambada's early life, he is believed to have gotten his start as an enforcer in the 1970s. By the early 1990s, he was a major player in the Juarez cartel, transporting tons of cocaine and marijuana. Zambada started gaining the trust of Colombian traffickers, allegiances that helped him come out on top in the cartel world of ever-shifting alliances. Eventually he became so powerful that he broke off from the Juarez cartel, but still managed to keep strong ties with the gang and avoided a turf war. He also developed a partnership with "El Chapo" Guzman that would take him to the top of the Sinaloa Cartel. Zambada's detention follows some important arrests of other Sinaloa cartel figures, including one of his sons and another son of "El Chapo" Guzmn, Ovidio Guzmn Lpez. Zambada's son pleaded guilty in U.S. federal court in San Diego in 2021 to being a leader in the Sinaloa cartel. In recent years, Guzman's sons have led a faction of the cartel known as the little Chapos, or "Chapitos" that has been identified as a main exporter of fentanyl to the U.S. market. They were seen as more violent and flamboyant than Zambada. Their security chief was arrested by Mexican authorities in November. Ovidio Guzmn Lpez was arrested and extradited to the U.S. last year. He pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking charges in Chicago in September. Mike Vigil, former head of international operations for the DEA, said Zambada's arrest is important but unlikely to have much impact on the flow of drugs to the U.S. Joaqun Guzmn Lpez was the least influential of the four sons who made up the Chapitos, Vigil said. "This is a great blow for the rule of law, but is it going to have an impact on the cartel? I don't think so," Vigil said. "It's not going to have a dent on the drug trade because somebody from within the cartel is going to replace him," Vigil said.
Harris Tries to Thread Needle on Gaza 07/26 06:11
Harris Tries to Thread Needle on Gaza 07/26 06:11 Vice President Kamala Harris, the likely Democratic nominee for president, is attempting to bridge divides within the party over the war in Gaza, emphasizing Israel's right to defend itself while also focusing on alleviating Palestinian suffering. WASHINGTON (AP) -- Vice President Kamala Harris, the likely Democratic nominee for president, is attempting to bridge divides within the party over the war in Gaza, emphasizing Israel's right to defend itself while also focusing on alleviating Palestinian suffering. She delivered remarks after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday that reflected a delicate balancing act on one of the country's most divisive political issues. Some Democrats have been critical of President Joe Biden's steadfast support for Israel despite the increasing death toll among Palestinians, and Harris is trying to unite her party for the election battle with Republican candidate Donald Trump. "We cannot look away in the face of these tragedies," she said. "We cannot allow ourselves to become numb to the suffering. And I will not be silent." Harris did not deviate from the administration's approach to the conflict, including grueling negotiations aimed at ending the fighting, releasing hostages held by Hamas and eventually rebuilding Gaza. She also said nothing about military assistance for Israel, which some Democrats want to cut. Instead, she tried to refocus the conversation around mitigating the calamity in Gaza, and she used language intended to nudge Americans toward an elusive middle ground. "The war in Gaza is not a binary issue," she said. "But too often, the conversation is binary when the reality is anything but." In addition, Harris made a more explicit appeal to voters who have been frustrated by the ceaseless bloodshed, which began when Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7. "To everyone who has been calling for a cease-fire, and to everyone who yearns for peace, I see you, and I hear you," she said. Harris' meeting with Netanyahu was private, and she described it as "frank and constructive." She also emphasized her longtime support for Israel, which includes raising money to plant trees in the country when she was a young girl. Jewish Americans traditionally lean Democratic, but Republicans have tried to make inroads. Trump claimed this week that Harris "is totally against the Jewish people" because she didn't attend Netanyahu's address to a joint meeting of Congress. The vice president was traveling in Indiana during the speech. Harris is married to a Jewish man, Doug Emhoff, who has played an outspoken role in the administration's efforts to combat antisemitism. Netanyahu did not speak publicly after his meeting with Harris. His trip was scheduled before Biden dropped his reelection bid, but the meeting with Harris was watched closely for clues to her views on Israel. "She is in a tricky situation and walking a tightrope where she's still the vice president and the president really is the one who leads on the foreign policy agenda," said Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud, a Democrat whose city is home to one of the largest Arab American communities in the nation. "But as the candidate, the presumptive nominee, she has to now create the space to differentiate in order for her to chart a new course." Protesters gathered outside Union Station on the day of Netanyahu's speech, ripping down American flags and spray painting "Hamas is coming." Harris sharply criticized those actions, saying there were "despicable acts by unpatriotic protesters and dangerous hate-fueled rhetoric. " "I support the right to peacefully protest, but let's be clear: Antisemitism, hate and violence of any kind have no place in our nation," she said in a statement. As vice president, Harris has tried to show little daylight between herself and Biden. But David Rothkopf, a foreign policy writer who has met with her, said there's been "a noticeable difference in tone, particularly in regards to concern for the plight of innocent Palestinians." The difference was on display in Selma, Alabama, in March, when Harris commemorated the anniversary of the Bloody Sunday march for voting rights in 1965. During her speech, Harris said that "given the immense scale of suffering in Gaza, there must be an immediate ceasefire." The audience broke out in applause. A few sentences later, Harris emphasized that it was up to Hamas to accept the deal that had been offered. But her demand for a cease-fire still resonated in ways that Biden's comments had not. An AP-NORC poll conducted in June found that about 6 in 10 Democrats disapproved of the way Biden is handling the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Roughly the same number said Israel's military response in Gaza had gone too far. Israeli analysts said they doubted that Harris would present a dramatic shift in policies toward their country. Chuck Freilich, a former Israeli deputy national security adviser and senior fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies, a Tel Aviv think tank, said Harris was from a generation of American politicians who felt they could both support Israel and publicly criticize its policies. "The question is as president, what would she do?" Freilich said. "I think she would put considerably more pressure on Israel on the Palestinian issue overall."
SE Asian Diplomats Meet With China 07/26 06:14
SE Asian Diplomats Meet With China 07/26 06:14 VIENTIANE, Laos (AP) -- Top diplomats from Southeast Asia met Friday in Laos with China's foreign minister for talks that come as friction escalates over Beijing's growing effort to press its sweeping maritime claims in the South China Sea. Several members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have territorial disputes with China, which have led to direct confrontations that many worry could lead to broader conflict. "One wrong step in the South China Sea will turn a small fire into a terrible firestorm," Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said ahead of the talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. ASEAN members Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei all have conflicts with China over its claim of sovereignty over virtually all of the South China Sea, one of the world's most crucial waterways for shipping. Indonesia has also expressed concern about what it sees as Beijing's encroachment on its exclusive economic zone. The United States and its allies, meanwhile, have regularly conducted military exercises and patrols in the area to assert their "free and open Indo-Pacific" policy, including the right to navigate in international waters, drawing criticism from China. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was to arrive Saturday to attend the ASEAN foreign ministers' meetings and was expected to meet with Wang on the sidelines. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is also attending the meetings, and already held direct talks with Wang. China is a key ally of Russia's in its war against Ukraine, and Wang emphasized the "deepening strategic coordination" between the two nations, China's official Xinhua News Agency reported. Josep Borrell, the European Union's top diplomat, urged the ASEAN ministers not to ignore the European conflict as they hold their meetings. "I am aware that the Russian aggression against Ukraine may seem far away from ASEAN, but its consequences, be it in inflation or increase in food and oil prices, are also felt by our populations, even if Russia works hard to spread disinformation," Borrell said. This year, tensions between the Philippines -- an American treaty ally --- and China have escalated. In June, a Chinese vessel and a Philippine supply ship collided near the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, sparking alarm. The ASEAN members -- Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Myanmar, Cambodia, Brunei and Laos -- emphasized in their opening meetings Thursday that it's important they don't get drawn in as both China and the U.S. look to expand their influence in the region. Following the talks, Marsudi said the group stressed that it should not be a proxy for any power, otherwise "it will be difficult for ASEAN to become an anchor for regional stability and peace." Wang did not mention the South China Sea in his opening remarks as he met with the ASEAN ministers Friday, instead emphasizing Chinese economic and trade ties. But the issue did come up, with Indonesia imploring China to "participate in maintaining peace, stability and prosperity in the region," Indonesia's Foreign Ministry said. The ASEAN ministers emphasized the importance of completing ongoing work with China on preparing a South China Sea code of conduct, as issues there continue to be a "stumbling block" in ASEAN relations with China, the ministry said. "Indonesia's position is consistent, namely that all claims must be resolved peacefully through direct dialogue between the parties concerned," it quoted Marsudi as saying. China and the Philippines said Sunday they had reached a deal that they hope will end their confrontations, aiming to establish a mutually acceptable arrangement for the disputed area without conceding each side's territorial claims. There are divisions within ASEAN on how to deal with China's maritime claims and the Philippines has been critical over a perceived lack of support from the bloc. In Thursday's talks, the Philippines pushed for the inclusion of June's collision in the joint communique to be issued at the end of the meetings. Cambodia and Laos, which are close to China, opposed the wording, according to a senior Southeast Asian diplomat who was involved in closed-door negotiations and spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the matter freely. Manila's proposal stated that a recent incident in the South China Sea caused "damage to properties" and "caused injuries" without mentioning specific details like the name of the shoal and the contending state forces, the diplomat said. The increasingly violent civil war in ASEAN member state Myanmar is also one of the main issues being taken up, and the group supported Thailand taking a broader role, Thai Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa said. Thailand, which shares a long border with Myanmar, has already been involved in providing humanitarian assistance. Maris announced another $250,000 will be donated to the ASEAN Coordinating Center for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management that is overseeing a plan to deliver aid into Myanmar. The army in Myanmar ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021 and suppressed widespread nonviolent protests that sought a return to democratic rule, leading to increasing violence and a humanitarian crisis. ASEAN has been pushing a "five-point consensus" for peace, but the military leadership in Myanmar has so far ignored the plan, raising questions about the bloc's efficiency and credibility. It calls for the immediate cessation of violence in Myanmar, a dialogue among all concerned parties, mediation by an ASEAN special envoy, provision of humanitarian aid through ASEAN channels, and a visit to Myanmar by the special envoy to meet all concerned parties. Myanmar has been blocked from sending political representatives to ASEAN meetings and is instead represented by Aung Kyaw Moe, the permanent secretary of Myanmar's Foreign Ministry. China, which also shares a long border with Myanmar, also plays an important role in that it supports the military regime while also maintaining close contacts with several of the powerful ethnic armed groups that are currently fighting against it. In his opening statement ahead of talks between ASEAN and China, Aung Kyaw Moe had effusive praise for Beijing, pledging that the bloc would continue to work to deepen cooperation with China in all areas.
Netanyahu, Trump to Meet at Mar-a-Lago 07/26 06:16
Netanyahu, Trump to Meet at Mar-a-Lago 07/26 06:16 WASHINGTON (AP) -- As president, Donald Trump went well beyond his predecessors in fulfilling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's top wishes from the United States. Yet by the time Trump left the White House, relations between the two had broken down after Netanyahu rapidly congratulated Joe Biden on his 2020 presidential victory. On Friday, the two men will meet face-to-face for the first time in nearly four years in a test of whether the relationship can be mended. Both have an interest in getting past their differences. For Trump, now the Republican presidential nominee, the meeting could cast him as an ally and statesman, as well as sharpen efforts by Republicans to portray themselves as the party most loyal to Israel. That's as divisions among Americans over U.S. support for Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza open cracks in what has been decades of strong bipartisan backing for Israel, the biggest recipient of U.S. aid. For Netanyahu, who was in the United States to address Congress and meet with Biden, repairing relations with Trump is imperative given the prospect that he may once again become president of the United States, Israel's main arms supplier and protector. For both men, Friday's meeting at Mar-a-Lago will highlight for their home audiences their depiction of themselves as strong leaders who have gotten big things done on the world stage, and can again. One political gamble for Netanyahu is whether he could get more of the terms he wants in any deal on a Gaza cease-fire and hostage release, and in his much hoped-for closing of a normalization deal with Saudi Arabia, if he waits out the Biden administration in hopes that Trump wins. "Benjamin Netanyahu has spent much of his career in the last two decades in tethering himself to the Republican Party," said Aaron David Miller, a former U.S. diplomat for Arab-Israeli negotiations, now a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. For the next six months, that means "mending ties with an irascible, angry president," Miller said, meaning Trump. Trump broke off with Netanyahu in early 2021. That was after the Israeli prime minister became one of the first world leaders to congratulate Biden for his presidential election victory, disregarding Trump's false claim he had won. "Bibi could have stayed quiet," Trump said in an interview with an Israel newspaper back then. "He made a terrible mistake." Netanyahu and Trump last met at a September 2020 White House signing ceremony for the signature diplomatic achievement of both men's political careers. It was an accord brokered by the Trump administration in which the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain agreed to establish normal diplomatic relations with Israel. For Israel, it amounted to the two countries formally recognizing it for the first time. It was a major step in what Israel hopes will be an easing of tensions and a broadening of economic ties with its Arab neighbors. In public postings and statements after his break with Netanyahu, Trump portrayed himself as having stuck his neck out for Israel as president, and Netanyahu paying him back with disloyalty. He also has criticized Netanyahu on other points, faulting him as "not prepared" for the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks that started the war in Gaza, for example. In his high-profile speech to Congress on Wednesday, Netanyahu gave recognition to Biden, who has kept up military and diplomatic support for Israel's offensive in Gaza despite opposition from within his Democratic Party. But Netanyahu poured praise on Trump, calling the regional accords Trump helped broker historic and thanking him "for all the things he did for Israel." Netanyahu listed actions by the Trump administration long-sought by Israeli governments -- the U.S. officially saying Israel had sovereignty over the Golan Heights, captured from Syria during a 1967 war; a tougher U.S. policy toward Iran; and Trump declaring Jerusalem the capital of Israel, breaking with longstanding U.S. policy that Jerusalem's status should be decided in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. "I appreciated that," Trump told "Fox & Friends" on Thursday, referring to Netanyahu's praise. He didn't quiet his criticism, however, of Israel's conduct of the war, which has killed more than 39,000 Palestinians. "I want him to finish up and get it done quickly. You gotta get it done quickly, because they are getting decimated with his publicity," Trump said in Thursday's interview. "Israel is not very good at public relations, I'll tell you that," he added.
Kagan: Need Way to Enforce Ethics Code 07/26 06:21
Kagan: Need Way to Enforce Ethics Code 07/26 06:21 SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- Justice Elena Kagan on Thursday became the first member of the U.S. Supreme Court to call publicly for beefing up its new ethics code by adding a way to enforce it. In her first public remarks since the nation's highest court wrapped up its term earlier this month, Kagan said she wouldn't have signed onto the new rules if she didn't believe they were good. But having good rules is not enough, she said. "The thing that can be criticized is, you know, rules usually have enforcement mechanisms attached to them, and this one -- this set of rules -- does not," Kagan said at an annual judicial conference held by the 9th Circuit. More than 150 judges, attorneys, court personnel and others attended. It would be difficult to figure out who should enforce the ethics code, though it should probably be other judges, the liberal justice said, adding that another difficult question is what should happen if the rules are broken. Kagan proposed that Chief Justice John Roberts could appoint a committee of respected judges to enforce the rules. Democrats, including President Joe Biden, have renewed talk of Supreme Court reforms, including possible term limits and an ethics code enforceable by law. The court had been considering adopting an ethics code for several years, but the effort took on added urgency after ProPublica reported last year that Justice Clarence Thomas did not disclose luxury trips he accepted from a major Republican donor. ProPublica also reported on an undisclosed trip to Alaska taken by Justice Samuel Alito, and The Associated Press published stories on both liberal and conservative justices engaging in partisan activity. Earlier this year, Alito was again criticized after The New York Times reported that an upside-down American flag, a symbol associated with former President Donald Trump's false claims of election fraud, was displayed outside his home. Alito said he had no involvement in the flag being flown upside down. Public confidence in the court has slipped sharply in recent years. In June, a survey for The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that 4 in 10 U.S. adults have hardly any confidence in the justices and 70% believe they are more likely to be guided by their own ideology rather than serving as neutral arbiters. Kagan, who was nominated to the Supreme Court in 2010 by then-President Barack Obama, said Thursday that having a way to enforce the ethics code would also protect justices if they are wrongly accused of misconduct. "Both in terms of enforcing the rules against people who have violated them but also in protecting people who haven't violated them -- I think a system like that would make sense," she said. Kagan also weighed in on other issues. She said justices should generally avoid issuing separate opinions on cases when they agree on the overall outcome, which could confuse lower courts. She highlighted the importance as justices of respecting precedent. And she said justices should not "use individual cases as vehicles to advance some broader agenda." The Supreme Court ruled on a range of contentious issues this term, from homelessness to abortion access to presidential immunity. Kagan was in the minority as she opposed decisions to clear the way for states to enforce homeless encampment bans and make former presidents broadly immune from criminal prosecution of official acts. Kagan joined with the court's eight other justices in preserving access to mifepristone, an abortion medication. Kagan has spoken in the past about how the court is losing trust in the eyes of the public. She said after the court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022 that judges could lose legitimacy if they're seen as "an extension of the political process or when they're imposing their own personal preferences." Toward the beginning of her remarks Thursday, Kagan reflected on a time decades ago when the public held the Supreme Court in higher regard. The late Justice Sandra Day O'Connor was serving on the high court -- the first woman in history to do so. "Because of her decision-making in that time, I mean, I think people generally had a deep reservoir of respect for the court," Kagan said. "What better thing can you say about a judge who's put in this incredibly important decision-making position than that? That she left the court a better, more respected institution than she found it."
G20 Discusses Global Tax on Super-Rich 07/26 06:23
G20 Discusses Global Tax on Super-Rich 07/26 06:23 Finance ministers from leading rich and developing nations gathered in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday for a two-day meeting to discuss a global tax on the super-rich, a top priority for Brazil, which holds the presidency. RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) -- Finance ministers from leading rich and developing nations gathered in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday for a two-day meeting to discuss a global tax on the super-rich, a top priority for Brazil, which holds the presidency. According to the proposal before the Group of 20, individuals with over $1 billion in total assets would be required to pay the equivalent of 2% of their wealth in income tax. Brazil's Finance Minister Fernando Haddad told reporters that the final declaration will mention a proposal to tax the super-rich, but he didn't detail wording or whether it will specifically cite the 2% proposition. "Against the skepticism expressed by everyone since the beginning of the year, we have taken a first step," Haddad said, adding that ministers agreed it was necessary to include mention of the proposal so that it maintains its centrality after Brazil leaves the presidency. "What has been initiated today is a broader process that will require the participation of academia, scholars and international organizations with experience in the subject, such as the OECD and the U.N.," Haddad added. France, Spain and South Africa -- which will chair the G20 in 2025 -- had expressed support, an official from the Brazilian Ministry of Finance told journalists last week. But U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen reiterated at a news conference Thursday that the U.S. does not support the initiative. "Tax policy is very difficult to coordinate globally, and we don't see a need or really think it's desirable to try to negotiate a global agreement on that," Yellen said, although she emphasized the U.S. is "strongly supportive of progressive taxation." An agreement on a global tax on billionaires is necessary to diminish the attractiveness of tax havens, said economist Bruno Carazza, a professor at the Dom Cabral Foundation, a business school. Billionaires currently pay the equivalent of 0.3% of their wealth in taxes, according to a report from French economist Gabriel Zucman commissioned by Brazil. The report said a 2% tax would raise $200 billion to $250 billion per year globally from about 3,000 individuals, money that could fund public services such as education and health care as well as the fight against climate change. The richest 1% have amassed $42 trillion in new wealth over the past decade, nearly 36 times more than the entire bottom 50% of the world's population, according to an Oxfam analysis released Thursday ahead of the finance ministers' meeting. Brazil's President Luiz Incio Lula da Silva defended the need for increased taxation of the world's richest in Rio on Wednesday when he unveiled plans for a global alliance against hunger and poverty. "At the top of the pyramid, tax systems stop being progressive and become regressive. The super-rich pay proportionally much less tax than the working class," Lula said. "Some individuals control more resources than entire countries. Others have their own space programs," he added, in an apparent jab at Elon Musk, who owns SpaceX, and Jeff Bezos, who founded the space company Blue Origin. The global alliance against hunger and poverty aims to implement a mechanism to mobilize funds and knowledge to support the expansion of policies and programs to combat inequality and poverty, according to a statement from Brazil's G20 press office on Tuesday. It would be managed by a secretariat located at the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization headquarters in Rome and Brasilia until 2030, with half of its costs covered by Brazil, Lula said in his speech.
Wall Street Rallies Friday 07/26 09:35
Wall Street Rallies Friday 07/26 09:35 U.S. stocks are climbing Friday as they close out a bumpy week dominated by sharp, market-cleaving swings. NEW YORK (AP) -- U.S. stocks are climbing Friday as they close out a bumpy week dominated by sharp, market-cleaving swings. The S&P 500 was 0.8% higher in early trading following stronger-than-expected profit reports from 3M and several other big companies. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 415 points, or 1%, as of 9:35 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.8% higher. The market's gains were widespread, including both Big Tech behemoths and smaller stocks. That's a departure from much of this week, where a divide deepened between the handful of elite stocks that have dominated the market this year and almost everyone else. Nvidia rose 2.6% to cut into what had been a 4.8% loss for the week. Other members of the small group of stocks known as the "Magnificent Seven" also rose to claw back some of their losses from earlier in the week. They were under pressure after the latest profit results from Tesla and Alphabet raised worries among investors that they had gotten carried away by the frenzy around artificial-intelligence technology and taken Magnificent Seven prices too high. As those old leaders of the market's leaderboard tumbled, formerly downtrodden areas of the market turned higher, and they continued their momentum Friday. The Russell 2000 index of smaller stocks rose 1.7%. It's up more than 10% this month, far better than the slight drop for the big stocks in the S&P 500. Industrial companies and other businesses whose profits are closely tied to the strength of the economy also rallied. They have lagged this year as high interest weighed on the U.S. economy and slowed its growth. Norfolk Southern jumped 10% to erase what had been a loss for the year so far after the rail company reported better profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. It got a boost from insurance payments related to last year's disastrous East Palestine derailment. The company also made progress in reducing its expenses and improving efficiency. 3M rose 13.7% after reporting stronger profit and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected. The company behind the Scotch-Brite and Nexcare brands also raised the bottom end of its forecasted range for profit for the full year of 2024. Stocks generally got another boost from the latest update on inflation , which investors saw as further proof that their expectations for coming cuts to interest rates will prove true. Prices rose just 0.1% from May to June, the Commerce Department said Friday, up from the previous month's unchanged reading. Compared with a year earlier, inflation declined to 2.5% from 2.6%, according to the personal consumption expenditures index, which the Federal Reserve pays particularly close attention to. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.19% from 4.25% late Thursday and from 4.70% in April. That's a significant move for the bond market and offers support for stock prices. Among the other winners on Wall Street, where nearly 90% of the stocks in the S&P 500 were rising, Deckers Outdoors jumped 12.5% after it breezed past Wall Street's earnings expectations on the strength of its Ugg and Hoka brand footwear. The California company also raised its full-year profit forecast. Newell Brands soared 26% after the owner of Coleman camping supplies and Sharpie markers easily topped analysts' profit targets. In stock markets abroad, stock indexes were higher across much of Europe and Asia. Japan's Nikkei 225 was an outlier and slipped 0.5% amid expectations the Bank of Japan may raise interest rates at a policy meeting next week.
