Daily Archives: June 3, 2017

Could be saying...literally anything.

By Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images.

On Thursday, Donald Trump stood in the Rose Garden and announced, effectively, that he was granting U.S. companies permission to pollute to their hearts delight, by pulling out of the Paris climate accord. It was a move that was widely expected, mostly symbolic, and yet still shocking. So well forgive you if you missed another startling moment wherein the president of the United States invented legislation and then proceeded to invent the progress its making in Congress.

Our tax bill is moving along in Congress, and I believe its doing very well, Trump said during his speech announcing the Paris decision. I think a lot of people will be very pleasantly surprised. In fact, no such tax bill exists, at least not yet, but that didnt stop Trump from elaborating further. The Republicans are working very, very hard. Wed love to have support from the Democrats, but we may have to go it alone. But its going very well.

Perhaps the president can be forgiven for his evident confusion. Earlier this month, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn unveiled a CliffsNotes version of Trumps tax proposal, which was notable for being a single-page, double-spaced series of bullet points. Does the president think that document is a bill? Its unclear what would be worse: if he simply made up a fictional bill thats moving along in congress or if he thinks the one-page outline that was hastily thrown together in a matter of days is what passes for legislation.

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Delusional Trump Cites Progress on Bill That Doesn't Exist - Vanity Fair

HAVANA

Cuba and the United States have dramatically reduced the rate of human trafficking since reaching a landmark accord in January but risk losing those gains if the two neighbors fail to resume high-level talks, Cuban Interior Ministry officials said in an exclusive interview.

During bilateral talks in the final days of former U.S. President Barack Obamas administration, the United States agreed Jan. 12 to end a longstanding policy of admitting Cubans who set foot on U.S. soil, a move aimed at discouraging them from taking a dangerous voyage on the high seas.

The wet foot, dry foot policy was one example of the special welcome the U.S. government extended to Cubans as it sought to isolate the islands Communist government, and its repeal marked the culmination of Obamas rapprochement with Americas former Cold War rival.

Bilateral talks halt

Since President Donald Trump assumed power Jan. 20 with promises to review the detente, high-level bilateral talks have ground to a halt. In the meantime, smuggling rings have been trying to reorganize and consolidate, Cuban officials said, seeking new ways to sneak Cubans and other foreign nationals into the United States.

Although U.S. and Cuban law enforcement agencies maintain direct communications with each other, the high-level talks are essential, the Cubans say.

Its of great importance for both countries because the security of both is put at risk, Lieutenant Colonel Dalgys Lamorut said. Cooperation is important to safeguard the advances we have made.

Lamorut, representing the immigration directorate, and two other lieutenant colonels in the Interior Ministry, representing the police and coast guard, spoke to Reuters Wednesday in a rare opening to the foreign media, limiting their comments to human trafficking and immigration fraud.

The interview took place as the Trump administration nears completion of a policy review to determine how far it will go in rolling back Obamas engagement with Cuba, according to current and former U.S. officials and people familiar with the discussions.

The announcement of any policy change could come in June, they said. Trump, a Republican, has been critical of the move by his Democratic predecessor on the grounds it did not push Cuba hard enough on human rights issues.

Officers want pact to continue

At a meeting of senior officials from major U.S. government agencies in mid-May, Justice Department and immigration service officials were among those who expressed support for continuing law enforcement engagement implemented under Obamas rapprochement, according to people familiar with the discussions. However, Trumps senior national security aides have yet to take up the issue in detail, the sources said.

Bilateral talks enable multiple agencies from both sides to coordinate and update strategies against criminal organizations, said Lieutenant Colonel Marco Rodriguez, representing Cuban police.

These organizations are not going to cease their criminal activity, which undoubtedly is going to involve Cuba and the United States, Rodriguez said. Together we can continue neutralizing these structures, he said.

Sharp drop in trafficking

The Cuba officials said the smuggling of illegal immigrants had dropped remarkably since Jan. 12, the day the United States ended the wet foot, dry foot policy.

In the first 12 days of this year, Cuba intercepted 69 plots to smuggle people off the island, but there were only 44 such cases in the following three and a half months, Rodriguez said.

The U.S. Coast Guard reported zero detention of Cubans at sea in April, the first month in seven years that has happened.

It is just 90 miles (145 km) from Cuba to Key West, Florida, and tens of thousands of Cubans, if not more, have made the journey since Cubas 1959 revolution.

Cuba describes human trafficking as the work of paid smugglers in organized criminal gangs, distinguishing it from cases of Cubans attempting to leave on their own in homemade rafts. It also considers the forced trafficking of people for sexual exploitation a separate category.

The Cuban officials also revealed a host of other previously unreported statistics.

Since 2013, officials have stopped 1,153 Cubans attempting to reach the United States with false visas or travel documents, Lamorut said.

In 2015 and 2016 alone, she said, on 23 occasions Cuba stopped a total of 86 foreigners trying to enter the United States via illegal voyages from Cuban territory, but none since Jan. 12 of this year.

From 2010 to 2017, Cuba detained 182 traffickers including four U.S. citizens in Cuban territory, confiscating 83 speed boats, said Lieutenant Colonel Imandra Oceguera, representing the Cuban coast guard.

During that time 49 died while being smuggled, including 30 from one launch last year, Oceguera said.

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US, Cuba Cut Human Trafficking, Want Progress to Continue - Voice of America

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- 2020 guard Jalen Green has been among the top performers at the USA Basketball u16 trials, which tipped on Thursday.

Progress from one USA Basketball camp to the next is exactly what you want to see out of some of the best young players in the sport. 2020 guard Jalen Greenis among the players that have shown improvement from Octobers mini-camp to the u16 trials.

Through two days and three sessions on the court, Green has proven himself as one of the most explosive scorers at camp. Green, who has grown to 6-foot-5, has quick first step, impressive athleticism and a scorers mentality.

Its going good, Green said about the USA Basketball experience. The first day I didnt play to my full potential. I wasnt really standing out, but today came back and am. http://www.scout.com/player/211961-jalen-green

I had to lock in, he added. What the coaches were saying, I wasnt locked in on the first day. I was kind of tired. I had to bring it today. I was locked in. I was hitting shots, coming off screens, dunking and getting lay ups.

Green, a standout at Fresno (Calif.) San Joaquin Memorial, said when hes dialed in, hes active and making plays.

Im just all over the court, Green said. Im aggressive. Im playing defense. Im trying to get buckets and set up my teammates.

I could play a lot of spots, he added. I play all over the court with my AAU team and I can do that here too.

Although such a young prospect, Green is already reeling in college intrest, citing scholarship offers from Fresno State,Florida State,UNLV,Creighton,USC,Villanova,ArizonaandWashington.

Green said hes taken unofficial visits to Fresno State, UNLV and USC. He also cited some interest from UCLA. Which schools are prioritizing him early?

Arizona is really committed to me right now and Fresno State is in my hometown, so them too, Green said.

Green said Arizona has just been in constant contact with him.

They talk to me and they are keeping in touch with me, he said when pressed on Arizona. They are trying to keep in touch.

Being from Fresno, Green said hes developed a strong relationship with the coaches and players at Fresno State.

Im always over there with those guys, he said. Those are my guys right now. Thats my hometown.

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USA: Jalen Green shows progress, says who is prioritizing him in recruiting - Scout

OPINION/ANALYSIS

Real Money asked me to outline the winners and losers of President Trump's decision to abandon the Paris climate accords.

The answer here is pretty easy and obvious: The winners will be a few coal companies, most likely Arch Coal (ARCH) , Peabody Energy (BTU) and Cloud Peak Energy (CLD) , all three of whom advised against leaving -- and their gains will more than likely only be short and temporary.

The losers are virtually everyone else.

I don't say that merely from an environmental point of view, but let's look at the very long term first. We have an ongoing progression of energy sourcing that dates back to the 1800s, when the major energy source for the growing nation was wood-based. As the Industrial Revolution gained steam in the 1850s, coal overtook wood in powering our nation. The progression continued in the early 1900s with the advent of fossil fuels, including natural gas and oil refining, with crude oil remaining the larger component in transportation and electricity generation.

Natural gas has become an ever more important component of core energy production, and the progression is naturally continuing toward natural gas and away from crude oil. Ultimately, alternative energy sources are the next step and will at some point become the dominant form of energy.

We may argue about the timing and speed of this progression, but the outcome is universally agreed upon -- even among oil and coal companies.

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Is Trump Tampering With the Natural Progress of Civilization? - TheStreet.com