Lawmakers want US tech CEOs to address concerns about submarine cables
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Time of India
26 minutes ago
- Time of India
'Weak attempt at distraction': Obama offers rare rebuke on Trump's ‘treason' claims; Democrats call it Epstein diversion
Former President Barack Obama 's office issued a rare public response to President Donald Trump 's accusations of "treason" and election manipulation in 2016 and 2020. "Out of respect for the office of the presidency, our office does not normally dignify the constant nonsense and misinformation flowing out of this White House with a response. But these claims are outrageous enough to merit one. These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction," said Obama spokesperson Patrick Rodenbush, as quoted by NBC News. This comes as Trump was questioned about Jeffrey Epstein but redirected the conversation alleging "criminality" by Obama. Trump stated that Obama had been directly implicated and claimed the actions in 2016 and 2020 were criminal at the highest level. Read more: Trump slams ex-US president; dodges Epstein question Trump's assertions stemmed from claims by National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, who suggested Obama administration officials had manipulated intelligence and undermined Trump's 2016 electoral victory. Gabbard initiated a criminal referral to the Justice Department on Friday. At a subsequent meeting with congressional Republicans, Trump continued his criticism of Obama and others, calling them "vicious, horrible people." by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like This Could Be the Best Time to Trade Gold in 5 Years IC Markets Learn More Undo Rodenbush countered that the administration was misrepresenting information. He noted that recent documents did not contradict the established conclusion about Russian influence in the 2016 election, as confirmed by the 2020 bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee report under then-Chairman Marco Rubio. "Nothing in the document issued last week undercuts the widely accepted conclusion that Russia worked to influence the 2016 presidential election but did not successfully manipulate any votes. These findings were affirmed in a 2020 report by the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee, led by then-Chairman Marco Rubio," Rodenbush further said. The controversy extends to various interpretations of a December 8, 2016, intelligence assessment regarding Russian cyber activities. Representative Gabbard alleges that documents demonstrate Russia did not seek to interfere in the 2016 election to benefit Donald Trump, contradicting multiple investigations that indicated otherwise. 'On December 8 2016, IC officials prepared an assessment for the President's Daily Brief, finding that Russia 'did not impact recent U.S. election results' by conducting cyber attacks on infrastructure. Before it could reach the President, it was abruptly pulled 'based on new guidance.' This key intelligence assessment was never published,' Gabbard wrote in a post. The Obama administration did not assert that Russian cyberattacks affected the election results. 'I can assure the public that there was not the kind of tampering with the voting process that was of concern … the votes that were cast were counted — they were counted appropriately,' President Obama said from the White House, days after receiving the December 2016 brief referred to by Gabbard. The Obama White House stated that Russia attempted to interfere in the campaign by leaking hacked documents and utilising bots and troll farms to disseminate misinformation about the election—a finding later supported by Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation and a Senate report. Meanwhile, Democratic officials characterised these developments as diversionary tactics. House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar suggested the focus on these matters was intended to deflect attention from the Epstein case. Recent activities include Trump's social media posts targeting political opponents and the Justice Department's release of files concerning Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination, alongside information about James Comey's investigation of Hillary Clinton's handling of classified information.
The Print
40 minutes ago
- The Print
Modi govt has ‘consistent policy of betrayal' for J&K: Cong
Also, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, along with Kharge, met and deliberated with party leaders from Jammu and Kashmir at Indira Bhawan here. His remarks came after Congress' Jammu and Kashmir unit staged a protest at Jantar Mantar here, demanding restoration of full statehood to the Union Territory. New Delhi, Jul 22 (PTI) Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday alleged that the Modi government has a 'consistent policy of betrayal' for Jammu and Kashmir, and asserted that people of J&K deserve full statehood. The Congress is fully dedicated to protecting the rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and their interests, Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on Facebook after addressing the gathering. Posting pictures on X from the gathering, Kharge said the people of Jammu and Kashmir deserve full statehood, and added that it is their constitutional right. 'We have written to the PM demanding the same. Modi Govt has a consistent policy of betrayal for Jammu and Kashmir,' he said. Kharge said the Pahalgam terror attack is a grim reminder of intelligence failure. 'We stand strongly with the people of J&K, demanding adequate compensation and protection for them, especially those families who have lost their loved ones in cross-border shelling. They are martyrs,' he said. Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee is on the streets fighting for the people, he said. 'It is the duty of every Congress worker to strengthen the organisation. Your determination can go a long way in changing the lives of the people in this beautiful border region,' the party chief said. Congress general secretary (organisation), K C Venugopal, AICC in-charge of J&K Naseer Hussain and J&K Congress chief Tariq Hameed Karra, among others, took part in the protest at Jantar Mantar. 'Jammu and Kashmir is the first instance of a state being downgraded into a Union Territory. Such democratic backsliding and insult to the people of a state is unacceptable,' Venugopal said in a post on X after the protest. 'J&KPCC is protesting at Jantar Mantar, to demand restoration of full statehood to J&K. I joined in the protest and spoke about the need to defend the Constitution and restore the dignity of the people of J&K. The promises made in Parliament must be fulfilled without delay,' he said. The Congress on Sunday said the party will raise the demand for restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir in the Monsoon session of Parliament. Kharge and Gandhi had last week written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to press for a legislation in the Monsoon session to grant full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. In their joint letter to Modi, Kharge and Gandhi had said that for the past five years, the people of the UT of Jammu and Kashmir have consistently called for the restoration of full statehood. This demand is both legitimate and firmly grounded in their constitutional and democratic rights, they had said. PTI ASK KVK KVK This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Mint
44 minutes ago
- Mint
Global markets today: Nikkei 225, Kospi trade higher after Trump announces ‘massive' trade deal with Japan
Global markets today: Asian markets opened on a positive note on Wednesday after U.S. President Donald Trump declared a 'massive Deal' with Japan, which included a 15% tariff on Japanese exports to the U.S. Japan's Nikkei 225 index jumped 1.71 per cent at the start of trading, while the Topix index was up 1.87 per cent. South Korea's Kospi gained 0.89 per cent, and the Kosdaq index edged up by 0.22 per cent. Meanwhile, Australia's S&P/ASX 200 index saw a 0.34 per cent rise. U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that he had finalised the 'largest deal ever' with Japan, which includes a 15 per cent tariff on Japanese exports to the U.S. Posting on Truth Social, Trump stated that Japan has committed to investing $550 billion in the United States, with the U.S. set to receive 90 per cent of the profits from the deal. He also mentioned that Japan has agreed to open its market to U.S. trade, covering sectors such as automobiles, trucks, rice, various agricultural goods, and more. The S&P 500 rallied to a record closing high on Tuesday, despite sharp losses in General Motors and gains in Tesla, as investors concentrated on the latest and upcoming earnings reports and monitored developments in U.S. trade talks. The S&P 500 inched up by 0.06 per cent to close at 6,309.62 points. Meanwhile, the Nasdaq slipped 0.39 per cent to 20,892.69 points, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 0.40 per cent to finish at 44,502.44 points. Tesla gained 1.1 per cent ahead of its quarterly earnings release, while Alphabet, which is also set to report results on Wednesday, rose 0.65 per cent. (With inputs from agencies) Disclaimer: This story is for educational purposes only. The views and recommendations above are those of individual analysts or broking companies, not Mint. We advise investors to check with certified experts before making any investment decisions.
