Trump Withdraws US From ‘One-Sided’ Iran Nuclear Deal
May 9, 2018 by admin
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As a result, the United States is now preparing to reinstate all sanctions it had waived as part of the nuclear accord — and impose additional economic penalties as well, according to another person briefed on Mr. Trump’s decision.
How the Nuclear Deal Slowed Iran Down
What could happen if President Trump withdraws?
The withdrawal fulfills one of Mr. Trump’s oft-repeated campaign promises, and came despite intense personal lobbying by European leaders and frantic attempts to craft fixes to the deal that would satisfy him. In part, Mr. Trump was driven by the conviction that taking a tough line with Iran would help an upcoming negotiation with the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, whom he plans to meet in the next several weeks.
He also announced that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was headed to North Korea to continue discussions with Mr. Kim about the meeting. Asked if the three Americans who are detained in North Korea would return with Mr. Pompeo, the president signaled that was a real possibility.
The president’s own aides had already persuaded him three times not to dismantle the Iran deal.
But Mr. Trump made clear that his patience with the deal had worn thin, and with a new, more hawkish set of advisers — led by Mr. Pompeo and the national security adviser, John R. Bolton — the president faced less internal resistance this time.
He said the United States and its allies could not stop Iran from building a nuclear weapon “under the decaying and rotten structure of the current deal.”
“The Iran deal is defective at its core,” he said.
Mr. Trump’s decision capped a frantic four-day period in which American and European diplomats made a last-ditch effort to bridge their differences and preserve the agreement.
On Friday, Mr. Pompeo called his counterparts in Europe to tell them that Mr. Trump was planning to withdraw, but that he was trying to win a two-week reprieve for the United States and Europe to continue negotiating.
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Mr. Pompeo, people familiar with the talks said, suggested that he favored a so-called soft withdrawal, in which Mr. Trump would pull out of the deal but hold off on reimposing some of the sanctions.
On Saturday, the State Department’s chief negotiator, Brian Hook, consulted with European diplomats to try to break a deadlock over the so-called “sunset provisions,” under which the restrictions on Iran’s ability to produce nuclear fuel for civilian use expire after 15 years.
The Europeans had already agreed to a significant compromise: to reimpose sanctions if there was a determination that the Iranians were within 12 months of producing a nuclear weapon. But officials said that still did not satisfy Mr. Trump, and the Europeans were not willing to go any farther.
By Monday, the White House began informing allies that Mr. Trump was going to withdraw from the deal and reimpose oil sanctions and secondary sanctions against the Central Bank of Iran.
Mr. Trump has also instructed the Treasury Department to develop additional sanctions against Iran, a process that could take several weeks.
Under the financial sanctions, European companies will have between 90 days and 180 days to wind down their operations in Iran, or they will run afoul of the American banking system. The oil sanctions will require European and Asian countries to reduce their imports from Iran.
For all the frenzied maneuvering, Mr. Trump seems to have made up his mind several weeks ago. When Mr. Macron visited him two weeks ago, officials said, Mr. Trump told the president that he planned to pull out of the deal on May 12, adding, “I haven’t told Melania yet.”
[Read more about President Trump’s risky calculus in withdrawing from the deal.]
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Happening Today: Iran Deal, Schneiderman, George Zimmerman, Calories, Met Gala
May 8, 2018 by admin
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Trump to Reveal Iran Deal’s Fate Amid Low Hopes for Survival
President Trump is preparing to tell the world whether he plans to follow through on his threat to pull out of the landmark nuclear accord with Iran and almost surely ensure its collapse. There are no signs that European allies enlisted to “fix” the deal had persuaded him to preserve it. In a burst of last-minute diplomacy, punctuated by a visit by Britain’s top diplomat, the deal’s European members gave in to many of Trump’s demands, according to officials, diplomats and others briefed on the negotiations. Yet they still left convinced he is likely to re-impose sanctions and walk away from the deal he has lambasted since his days as a presidential candidate. As they braced for an expected withdrawal, U.S. officials were dusting off plans for how to sell a pullout to the public and explain its complex ramifications to the global financial world, said the officials and others, who weren’t authorized to speak ahead of an announcement and requested anonymity.
NY Attorney General Resigns Amid Allegations of Abuse
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who had taken on high-profile roles as an advocate for women’s issues and an antagonist to the policies of President Donald Trump, announced he would be resigning from office hours after four women he was romantically involved with accused him of physical violence in accounts published by The New Yorker. Schneiderman, who had been running for re-election, said he contested the women’s accounts, but “while these allegations are unrelated to my professional conduct or the operations of the office, they will effectively prevent me from leading the office’s work at this critical time.” He said he would resign at the close of business today. Two women had spoken to The New Yorker on the record, saying Schneiderman repeatedly hit them during the course of their relationships with him in recent years, and never with their consent. Neither woman filed any police complaints, but both said they sought out medical attention and confided in people close to them about the abuse. A third woman who also was involved with him told her story to the other two women, but said she was too frightened to come forward. A fourth woman said Schneiderman slapped her when she rebuffed him, but also asked to remain unidentified. The New Yorker said it vetted the third woman’s allegations, and saw a photo of what the fourth woman said was her injury.
Zimmerman Charged With Stalking Trayvon Film Investigator
Authorities say George Zimmerman threatened a private investigator working for a documentary filmmaker. Court records show Zimmerman was issued a summons for a May 30 arraignment on a charge of misdemeanor stalking. A sheriff’s report says the investigator contacted Zimmerman in September on behalf of Michael Gasparro, who is making a documentary on Trayvon Martin. The series is being produced by rapper Jay-Z. Court records show the private investigator received 55 phone calls, 67 text messages, 36 voicemails and 27 emails from Zimmerman in December. The records don’t list an attorney for Zimmerman. The former neighborhood watch volunteer fatally shot the 17-year-old Martin in 2012 in the central Florida city of Sanford. He was acquitted of all charges.
Obama-Era Calorie Rules Finally Come Into Force for U.S. Restaurants
After years of delays, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has introduced a law requiring restaurants and other food outlets with 20 or more locations to post calorie counts. In anticipation of the law, big firms like McDonald’s and Starbucks have already introduced the calorie information on their menus and menu boards. For example, a Big Mac Meal at McDonald’s with regular fries and a full-sugar coke contains 1,120 calories, and that information is now posted clearly in the chain’s restaurant locations. According to the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, women are likely to need between 1,600 and 2,400 calories a day, and men from 2,000 to 3,000. The food labeling rule had an original compliance date of 2015, but that was extended three times to help the industry understand and prepare for the rules.
Holy Haute Couture: Divine Designs Grace Carpet at Met Gala
Divine designs floated up the red carpet at the religion-themed Met Gala in shimmering golds, reds and fuchsia, in crowns and in crosses, and even a pair of giant wings. One lesson of the night: If anyone can make a mitre modern, it’s Rihanna. The Grammy-winning artist — never one to shy away from a grand entrance — arrived dripping in pearls and crystals in a Maison Margiela by John Galliano minidress, ornate robe and beaded papal headgear. The annual fundraising fete in New York brings out Hollywood’s elite for an evening of fashion and charity and to celebrate the spring exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute — this year, “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination.” Along with Rihanna, who reigned supreme, other standouts included supermodel Gigi Hadid in a one-shouldered, beaded Versace gown seemingly inspired by stained-glass windows (or butterflies), and Zendaya, a fierce Versace warrior princess in armor-like layers and delicate chainmail fabric, inspired by Joan of Arc.