Here’s your daily news briefs.
US responds with more tariffs
In the latest escalation of the U.S.-China trade war, President Donald Trump announced on Twitter Aug. 23 that he will balance the “very unfair trading relationship” with the Chinese regime by raising tariffs on $250 billion worth of Chinese goods from 25 percent to 30 percent.
The new rate will go into effect on Oct. 1.
“For many years China (and many other countries) has been taking advantage of the United States on Trade, Intellectual Property Theft, and much more. Our country has been losing hundreds of billions of dollars a year to China, with no end in sight,” Trump said Aug. 23
Trump’s decision came after China imposed an additional 10 percent of tariffs on roughly $75 billion worth of US goods.
Court supports Electoral College
The U.S. appeals court’s ruling in Denver Tuesday slowed efforts by progressives to eliminate the Electoral College and replace it with a simple popular vote.
The court said Electoral College members can vote for the presidential candidate of their choice and aren’t bound by the popular vote in their states.
The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held that the former Colorado secretary of state violated the Constitution in 2016 when he removed an elector and canceled his vote because the elector refused to cast his ballot for Democrat Hillary Clinton, who received the popular vote in that state.
The ruling applies only to Colorado and five other states in the 10th Circuit: Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah, and Wyoming.
CNN hires disgraced former FBI director
CNN announced on Aug. 23 that fired FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe has joined the network as a contributor, a decision that quickly drew backlash from critics.
McCabe was fired by former Attorney General Jeff Sessions in March last year after an internal FBI review found that he had “made an unauthorized disclosure to the news media and lacked candor−including under oath−on multiple occasions,” according to a statement. The FBI’s review began after a referral from Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz who discovered that McCabe lied about his involvement in authorizing a leak regarding the investigation of the Clinton Foundation.
The decision has been met with extensive criticism from many conservative figures. Many critics said the hiring decision would further damage the network’s credibility.
US aims to block Chinese takeover of European space company
U.S. Aims to Block Chinese Acquisition of Ukrainian Aerospace Company – U.S. national-security adviser John Bolton is seeking to scuttle the pending Chinese purchase of a Ukrainian aerospace company on grounds that it will give Beijing vital defense technology, according to senior U.S. administration officials familiar with the matter.
Israel airstrikes in Iraq confirmed
Israel was responsible for the bombing of an Iranian weapons depot in Iraq last month, U.S. officials have confirmed, an attack that would mark a significant escalation in Israel’s long campaign against Iranian military entrenchment in the region.
The confirmation comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is hinting strongly that his country is behind recent airstrikes that have hit bases and munitions depot belonging to Iran-backed paramilitary forces operating in Iraq.
–Metro Voice and wire services