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The Unstoppable Donald

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8 years ago

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The Unstoppable Donald

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The stay on his executive order banning entry of foreign nationals from seven predominantly Muslim countries to the United States may have been upheld in court, but mere technicalities will not dishearten the American president who has now learnt his lesson and will plan his course carefully 

By Sujit Bhar

US President Donald Trump’s exhortations about “so-called” judges and about how he will have the several bans on his executive order on immigration from seven Muslim states “overturned” hit a huge hurdle on February 9. A three-judge bench of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit was unanimous in upholding the decision of a Federal District Court judge which had stayed the implementation of Trump’s executive order.

The district judge’s order had provided a temporary stay, and the decision of the bench is also a temporary one. If one knows Trump—and of late people have come to know his arrogance a little too well—he will not stop till the Supreme Court.

The order itself, which runs into 28 pages (plus one), has considered the circumstances under which an emergency order was sought from the Justice Department to have the district court ban lifted. And the bench was not satisfied. The court has been able to look into the immediate reality, an area Trump didn’t really care about while placing the blanket ban.

The bench said it considered “several factors, including… the degree of hardship caused by a stay or its denial, and the public interest in granting or denying a stay”. It was a technical judgement, which relied on the wording of the appeal of the Justice Department. The bench said: “We hold that the government has not shown a likelihood of success on the merits of its appeal, nor has it shown that failure to enter a stay would cause irreparable injury, and we therefore deny its emergency motion for a stay.”

The court order, therefore, does not look into the merits or demerits of the broader Trump executive order. Neither does it need to, at this point. What it needed to satisfy itself with was whether the Justice Department’s appeal to lift the ban itself has merit. The bench found that it does not.

The Justice Department’s appeal was possibly hastily prepared, without paying heed to specifics that seasoned judges would pounce on quickly. When an argument comes in front of judges, asking for the repeal of an order, the issue would be read from the last, backwards. This one got stuck within the periphery of the appeal itself. It had asked for a blanket withdrawal, as was wont, but the argument hinged on a total rejection, without scrutiny, because the two states seemingly cannot sue. The critical reason for rejecting the appeal wasn’t a broad sociopolitical one. It was because, among others, it would not allow eligible and meritorious foreign students to come in and attend universities.

This is a technical glitch for Trump and his band of men. They aren’t going to back out and walk into the sunset. The administration has said clearly that it will use “every legal means” to reinstate Trump’s executive order. So the legal battle continues, while experts look at what is extent of the US president’s power in enforcing an executive order.

Frankly, as it seems today, the powers are calibrated against the president being able to coerce the citizenry into doing things that would be harmful for society.

Interestingly, though “social harm” and national security happen to be the crux of Trump’s order. If national security is taken out of the order, “social harm” would assume immense proportions, with as many interpretations as there are races and sects. That would be hard to negotiate and create a legal minefield. Trump is not averse to walking that minefield, however.

As a beginning, Trump has declared that the district judge who blocked his travel ban remains responsible in the event of an attack on America. He castigated Judge James Robart for placing American lives in “peril”, because the blockade of the travel ban would supposedly result in terrorists from those seven Muslim countries “pouring in” to the country, endangering all.

However strange this contention, it was his primary peg for hanging his travel ban on the wall. That was what gave him the courage to declare, at a gala at the Mar a Lago resort in Florida (where he was holidaying): “We’ll win. For the safety of the country, we’ll win.”

It wasn’t surprising that Trump was quiet (till the time of writing this he has not spoken against the court order), while leaving a hapless Vice-President Mike Pence to cover for him, that too on the administration’s favourite Fox News. Pence has been quoted as saying: “We’re going to continue to use all legal means at our disposal to stay that order and move forward to take the steps necessary to protect our country.”

But The Donald has not been able to take the Mickey out of Pence, it seems. He still possesses a mind that can think. About the district judge’s order Pence has not called it “ridiculous”, like Trump has, but has been quoted as saying: “He (the judge) certainly does (have the authority to block the ban), and that’s why the administration is complying with that order as we speak.”

The fight will continue, and this time the Justice Department and the administration will surely be more careful.

One part of the order of the appellate bench says: “…The necessary connection can be drawn in at most two logical steps: (1) the executive order prevents nationals of seven countries from entering Washington and Minnesota; (2) as a result, some of these people will not enter state universities, some will not join those universities as faculty, some will be prevented from performing research, and some will not be permitted to return if they leave.”

If you read this carefully, probably the fight will not be just about the travel ban. It could well evolve into an avatar against the new anti-H1B acts that are progressing through the law-making processes even as we speak.

That will be another story.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Kremlin denies US media reports on Donald Trump’s phone call with Vladimir Putin

Donald Trump said on the campaign trail that he could end the fighting within hours and has indicated he would talk directly with Russian President Putin.

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2 weeks ago

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November 11, 2024

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Kremlin denies US media reports on Donald Trump’s phone call with Vladimir Putin

The Kremlin today denied a US media report that Russian President Vladimir Putin and US president-elect Donald Trump had spoken on the phone last week about the Ukraine conflict.

Earlier on Sunday, The Washington Post reported that Donald Trump spoke to Vladimir Pution on call, urging him not to inflame the conflict. Speaking on the matter, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the media that the report was completely false information, and denied any phone call took place.

It was reported that US President-elect Donald Trump has spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin and urged him not to escalate the war in Ukraine. It said that Donald Trump held the call from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Thursday, just days after his stunning election victory over Democratic rival Kamala Harris. The report also mentioned that both the leaders expressed an interest in further conversations to discuss the resolution of Ukraine’s war soon.

Notably, Donald Trump said on the campaign trail that he could end the fighting within hours and has indicated he would talk directly with Russian President Putin. However, the US President elect has not said how he intends to strike a peace deal or what terms he is proposing.

Donald Trump’s election is seen as carrying the potential to upend the almost three-year Ukraine conflict, as he insists on a quick end to the fighting and casts doubt on Washington’s multi-billion dollar support for Kyiv.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke with Trump on Wednesday, with the Republican’s billionaire backer Elon Musk also notably joining them on the call. Volodymyr Zelensky described the call as excellent, adding that he and Trump had agreed to maintain close dialogue and advance our cooperation.

Additionally, the outgoing Democratic administration of President Joe Biden has confirmed that it will send as much aid as possible to Ukraine before Trump’s inauguration on January 20.

Joe Biden’s National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said the White House aims to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position on the battlefield so that it is ultimately in the strongest possible position at the negotiating table.

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India calls out Canada’s move to ban Australia Today for airing S Jaishankar’s press conference

The MEA said that these actions yet again highlight the hypocrisy of Canada towards freedom of speech.

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2 weeks ago

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November 7, 2024

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India calls out Canada’s move to ban Australia Today for airing S Jaishankar's press conference

A few hours after Australia Today aired External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s press conference in Australia, Canada banned the outlet. The External Affairs Minister gave remarks on the India-Canada diplomatic standoff. 

Reacting to this, India on Thursday said it was surprised by Canada’s move to ban the outlet and emphasized that it highlighted Ottawa’s hypocrisy towards freedom of speech. Australia Today, which is an important outlet for the Indian community in the country, had aired the joint press conference of S Jaishankar and his Australian counterpart Penny Wong in Canberra.

In a weekly media briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that they understand that the social media handles, pages of this particular outlet, which is an important diaspora outlet, have been blocked and are not available for viewers in Canada. He continued that this happened just an hour or a few hours after this particular handle carried the press conference of S Jaishankar with Penny Wong. He called out the incident, mentioning that they are surprised, and the matter looks strange to them.

He further underlined that these are the actions which yet again highlight the hypocrisy of Canada towards freedom of speech. He noted that the External Affairs Minister spoke about three things: Canada making allegations and a pattern had developed without any specific evidence, surveillance of Indian diplomats in Canada, which he termed as unacceptable, and  the political space which has been given in Canada to anti-India elements. 

With this one can draw conclusions, why Australia Today channel was blocked by Canada, the spokesperson said. Australia Today focuses on news and analytical pieces related to the Indian community in Australia and elsewhere across the world.

This incident follows days after devotees were attacked by pro-Khalistani at a Hindu temple in Canada’s Brampton, with S Jaishankar calling it deeply concerning. Furthermore, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also condemned the attack and said that there were cowardly attempts to intimidate Indian diplomats.

The diplomatic standoff between India and Canada began in September last year when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged that Indian government agents might have been involved in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a claim outrightly rejected by New Delhi.

Later in October 2024, ties between both the countries nosedived when Canada termed the Indian High Commissioner a person of interest in its investigation into Nijjar’s murder. Issuing a strongly worded statement, India dismissed the fresh charge and recalled the envoy and some diplomats, while expelling six Canadian officials, including Canada’s acting High Commissioner.

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PM Modi congratulates Donald Trump on winning US President election

The Prime Minister urged Trump to work for the betterment of the people and to promote global peace, stability and prosperity.

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2 weeks ago

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November 6, 2024

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday congratulated Donald Trump on winning the 2024 US Presidential election and said he is looking forward to renewing their collaboration to further strengthen the India-US partnership.

The Prime Minister urged Trump to work for the betterment of the people and to promote global peace, stability and prosperity.

“Heartiest congratulations my friend @realDonaldTrump on your historic election victory. As you build on the successes of your previous term, I look forward to renewing our collaboration to further strengthen the India-US Comprehensive Global and Strategic Partnership. Together, let’s work for the betterment of our people and to promote global peace, stability and prosperity,” PM Modi posted on his X handle.

With the results being announced for the 2024 US election on November 6, Trump became the 47th President of the United States.

Former US President Trump appeared to be on track for a remarkable political comeback in the White House race. Projections suggested that he was poised to secure the necessary 270 electoral college votes, effectively blocking Democratic candidate Kamala Harris from winning the election.

The relationship between Trump and Modi has been characterised by robust diplomatic ties, strategic collaboration, and a noticeable personal rapport. Their friendship was prominently displayed during major events such as “Howdy, Modi” in Houston in 2019 and “Namaste Trump” in Ahmedabad in 2020, where they addressed large audiences and expressed their mutual respect.

On a strategic level, Trump and Modi found common ground in matters of defense and security, both adopting a strong stance against terrorism, which reinforced their alliance, particularly concerning threats from Pakistan.

As he approaches a notable victory in the US election, Republican Presidential candidate Trump expressed gratitude to his supporters today, calling it a magnificent victory for the American people. He also referenced the assassination attempt on July 13, stating, “God spared my life for a reason.”

The 78-year-old candidate is currently projected to secure 267 electoral college votes, just three shy of the decisive 270, while his opponent, incumbent Vice President Kamala Harris, holds 224 electoral votes.

Trump described the Republican campaign as the greatest political movement of all time, asserting, “We are going to help our country heal, secure our borders, and we made history for a reason tonight. This is an incredible political victory. I want to thank the American people. I will fight for you and your family with every breath I have.”

He noted that Democrats are now looking at a projected total of 315 electoral votes.

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