4, September 2016
President Obama says US and Russia deeply divided over Syria 0
President Barack Obama has said the US and Russia remain deeply divided over the Syria crisis, adding it is difficult to “get to the next phase.” “We have grave differences with the Russians in terms of both the parties we support but also the process that is required to bring about peace in Syria,” Obama said in a joint press conference with UK Prime Minister Theresa May in Hangzhou, China, on the sidelines of the Group of 20 economic summit. “We’re not there yet,” he said. “I think it’s premature for us to say there’s a clear path forward, but there’s the possibility at least for us to make some progress.”
His remarks come as US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov are negotiating a deal to boost military cooperation between the two countries in the fight against Daesh in Syria. According to a senior US State Department official, Washington is close to a deal with Russia, but some issues remain to be resolved.
The inability to achieve a deal will bring another missed deadline for the UN special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, to get the Syrian government and “moderate” militants back to the negotiating table. Moscow maintains its airstrikes have targeted “legitimate” terrorist targets, while Washington says they have hit “moderate” US-backed militants.
During the press conference, Obama said the US and the UK must cooperate to ensure that their ongoing trade links do not unravel after Britain leaves the European Union. “I’ve committed to Theresa that we will consult closely with her as she and her government move forward on Brexit negotiations to make sure we don’t see adverse effects in our trading and commercial relationship.”
Trade “is not going to stop,” Obama said. “We’re going to do everything we can to make sure that the consequences of the [Brexit] decision don’t end up unraveling what is already a very strong and robust economic relationship.” “But first things first. The first task is figuring out what Brexit means with respect to Europe.”
The UK prime minister said she had used her first meeting with Obama to discuss the Brexit process and what it meant to the UK’s relationships with the US and European countries. “The UK has always been a strong partner for the US and that will remain to be the case. We have a thriving economic relationship,” May said. Nearly 52 percent of British voters opted to leave the EU in a referendum on June 23, in hopes of taking back control over their borders and having more economic freedom.
Presstv
5, September 2016
US: Hillary Clinton’s lead shrinks 0
US Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s lead over her Republican rival Donald Trump has slimmed in a new national poll. The Morning Consult poll, released Sunday, shows the former secretary of state has 42 percent of the votes as compared to the New York billionaire having a 40 percent support. The survey has the same — 2 percentage points — margin of error.
Clinton was leading Trump by 7 points in the same poll, 44 percent to 37 percent, only three weeks ago. Clinton maintained her 2 points lead over Trump in the poll in a four-way match-up that included Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson and Green Party nominee Jill Stein. She received 38 percent to his 36 percent. In that scenario, Johnson earned 9 percent, while Stein bagged 4 percent.
Approximately 13 percent of likely voters have not decided yet or say they prefer another candidate. The poll was conducted on September 1-2 of 2,001 registered voters. Clinton has led Trump throughout most of the 2016 presidential campaign. But her lead in recent polls has slimmed.
Rather, in the Rasmussen poll, released on Friday, Trump took over Clinton in terms of national support. The Rasmussen poll put Trump ahead of Clinton by a tiny 1-point lead, 40 percent to 39 percent. But according to the RealClearPolitics average of polls, Clinton still leads Trump by about 4 points nationally.
Trump has been trying to refocus his campaign over the past weeks, laying out in detail his immigration plans and economic policies. He has also directed fierce attacks against Clinton regarding an email fiasco, as well as her allegedly declining health.
Clinton, on the other hand, has been trying to fend off criticism about the lack of clarity surrounding the Clinton foundation. Trump’s campaign has accused her of engaging in “pay-for-play” with the family foundation’s donors.
The organization has come under bipartisan fire for its foreign funding and the suspicious nature of its activities over the past years. In early August, newly released emails from Clinton’s time as the former secretary of state raised questions about possible links between the department and the Clinton Foundation.
Presstv