US President Donald Trump’s historically low approval ratings is leading to a growing movement against his administration and the ruling class in America, says Daniel Shaw, an analyst in New York. Trump has set a new record low for second quarter job approval rating, becoming the least popular president early in a White House term since World War ll, according to a Gallup poll.

He averaged 38.8 percent job approval during his second quarter in office, which spanned from April 20 through July 19, Gallup’s daily tracking average shows. “You can really feel these low approval ratings playing out across the United States as the American people are extremely displeased with his attacks on healthcare,” Shaw, a university lecturer, told Press TV on Sunday. “He is trying to gut every social program that exists.”

That is why, the analyst argued, a “movement” is taking shape against Trump and the way the country is being run. “Trump is an individual who personally is worth $4 billion, so he is not representative in any way of the electorate who voted for him,” Shaw added.

No other president has had a worse second-quarter average approval since Gallup began assessing approval ratings in 1945. Former US President Bill Clinton’s second quarter approval rating was 44 percent, the only other president aside from Trump whose approval fell below 50 percent early in his administration.

The average approval rating for US presidents in their second quarter is 62 percent, meaning Trump’s support is 23 percentage points below the historical norm, Gallup said. Shaw said the low 55 percent voter turnout — the lowest in the past two decades– played a key role in Trump’s rise to the presidency.

Trump was able to defeat his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton through Electoral College votes, despite losing the popular vote to Clinton. However, the analyst said the mainstream media should also take some of the credit.

“The media that represents the most powerful sections of this country and this ruling class comes out against the president,” he noted, pointing to examples of anti-Trump media headlines that revolve around his unpopular policies as well as his alleged “collusion” with Russia. Shaw said the “resistant movement” against Trump was separate from the “fake” one led by Clinton and aimed at fighting racist, Islamophobic and other divisive policies.

Source: Presstv

Russian President Vladimir Putin says he has not yet decided whether to stand for re-election in 2018, promising not to change the constitution so as to allow him to keep on running for Russia’s political leadership indefinitely.

“I have not decided yet if I should continue my work in this capacity. I will see. The election will take place in 2018. There is still time ahead of the election race. We will see,” Putin said during a Q&A session with school children at a school in the Black Sea resort of Sochi on Friday.

The 64-year-old Russian leader first became president in 2000, before most of the audience in the Friday program was even born. In 2008, he concluded his second term in office after winning another term in the 2004 election, and became Russia’s prime minister for a second time under President Dmitry Medvedev from 2008 to 2012.

Presidential terms were extended from four to six years in 2011, only a year before Putin emerged victorious in the presidential race. The next election is scheduled to be held in March 2018, and the Russian leader, who has dominated Russia’s political landscape for the past 17 years and boasts massive popularity ratings, is widely expected to seek to secure another six-year term in office.

Putin stepped down in 2008 as the president of the Russian Federation in order to avoid a constitutional ban on running for a third consecutive term. Some political commentators at the time suggested that he could change the constitution so as to allow himself to stay on as president for a third consecutive term. Some still say he might pursue changing the constitution to run for another term after 2024. The Russian leader, however, has ruled out the possibility.

“I had an opportunity, I was even asked to change the constitution at some time. I did not do it, and I don’t intend to do it in the future. Everything is written in the constitution,” Putin said.Back in December last year, Forbes named Putin the most powerful man on the planet for the fourth consecutive year.

Source: Presstv

White House spokesman Sean Spicer has resigned, barely six months after US President Trump gave him the post. It is now evident that America needs credible liars and that Spicer was not fit for the job.

According to The New York Times, Spicer stepped down on Friday after Trump appointed Anthony Scaramucci his new communications director.

Trump requested that Spicer stay on, but he declined to do so and told the president that hiring Scaramucci was a big mistake, the Times reported. Spicer is a former spokesman and strategist from the Republican National Committee.

Camcordnews Desk with files from Presstv

US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin had a second and previously undisclosed meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Germany earlier this month, US officials say. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer confirmed on Tuesday that the two held an informal talk during the dinner at the summit in the German city of Hamburg on July 7, hours after their first formal bilateral sit-down.

US National Security Council spokesman Michael Anton also acknowledged that a second meeting had taken place at the world leaders’ dinner, with Trump leaving his seat to occupy an empty chair next to Putin.

“There was a couples-only social dinner at the G20. Toward the end, the President spoke to Putin at the dinner,” Anton said in an interview with CNN. “No staff or Cabinet were at the dinner at all, for any of the countries,” with the exception of translators. The two leaders did not go to a separate room for their conversation, but remained in the main room where the dinner was being hosted, according to Anton. The official declined to provide further details on the Trump-Putin conversation, citing the fact that no staff were present at the time.

During their first formal and face-to-face meeting on that day, the two presidents exchanged viewpoints on a host of international problems and bilateral issues such as the ongoing crises in Syria and Ukraine, anti-terrorism campaign and cyber security. News of the second encounter came as Trump was struggling at home with a deepening scandal over alleged Russian efforts to help him defeat his rival Hillary Clinton in the last year’s White House race.

The scandal has now entangled his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr, who last week released emails purportedly showing he embraced Russia’s efforts to support his father’s presidential campaign, and admitting he would “love” to get dirt from Moscow on Clinton. Trump later defended his son, praising his “transparency” for releasing the email chain and again condemning the investigation about whether Moscow helped him win the White House last November.

Source: Presstv

US President Donald Trump’s six-month approval rating is the lowest of any president in polls in 70 years, a new survey shows. An ABC News/Washington Post poll released on Sunday surveyed people’s opinion about Trump’s competence on the world stage, his effectiveness, the GOP healthcare plan as well as his handling of Russia’s alleged role in the 2016 election.

Only 36 percent of Americans approve of Trump’s job performance, down 6 points from his 100-day mark, which itself was a low. The previous president, whose approval rating was very close to this level at or near six months, was Gerald Ford, who received 39 percent in February 1975.

Sixty-three percent of Americans polled believe it was not appropriate for Trump’s son, son-in-law and campaign manager to have meetings with a Russian lawyer during the campaign for the presidential election last year. Also, 6 in 10 believe Russia sought to influence the campaign, and among those who believe so, 67 percent say Trump’s aides helped, similar to results released in April.

Nonetheless, the Russia controversy is only one of Trump’s troubles. Just 38 percent say he is making significant progress toward his goals, while 55 percent believe otherwise. Two-thirds do not trust his ability to negotiate with other world leaders specifically with Russian President Vladimir Putin on America’s behalf. And about half argue that the US leadership has become weaker under Trump, whereas just 27 percent say it has grown stronger. With regard to his party’s signature campaign issue which is to replace Obamacare, Americans by a 2-1 margin prefer it over the Republican plan, 50-24 percent.

Overall, Trump’s job approval rating, after six months in office, is 4 points lower than his predecessor Barack Obama’s career low, which came in his sixth year, according to the poll. Forty-eight percent “strongly” disapprove of Trump’s job performance, again slightly surpassing the strongest disapproval of Obama’s career, in his fifth year. The president’s 58 percent overall disapproval is 7 points higher than the next-highest disapproval rating at six months which belongs to President Bill Clinton in 1993, the poll shows.

Source: Presstv

Russia says the US is sheltering “too many” spies at its embassy in Moscow, warning that it may expel some American diplomats amid a deepening diplomatic row between the two countries. “There are too many CIA and Pentagon intelligence employees under the roof of the American diplomatic mission whose activities do not correspond to their status,” Russia’s Tass news agency quoted Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova as saying on Friday.

She also reminded that the public must have heard about the “adventures” of some of the US spies, adding that “everything was available to the public – wigs, disguises and installations with performances.” Zakharova was apparently referring to the January remarks by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who said Moscow had foiled several intelligence activities involving US nationals working under diplomatic cover while wearing disguises, among them men dressing as women.

In one of the incidents, a disguised diplomat wearing a wig and false eyebrows penetrated into the US embassy after hitting the security officer and refusing to show his ID card. Elsewhere in her comments, Zakharova said Russia is prepared to expel US diplomats and shut down some American compounds if Washington fails to reopen two Russian recreational estates that were closed in the US.

In December 2016, former US president Barack Obama expelled 35 Russian officials from the US and seized two pieces of property belonging to the Kremlin. Washington said the measure was taken in response to Russia’s alleged hacking of US political groups during the 2016 presidential election, an accusation flatly denied by Moscow.

The Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman warned that his country “will have to take reciprocal measures” if the issue of the confiscated compounds is not resolved. She further complained that US officials were not issuing visas to Russian diplomats to allow Moscow to replace the expelled employees.

Zakharova also expressed hope that the US will take “a more constructive approach” to resolve the dispute over the seized properties after Russian President Vladimir Putin and his American counterpart, Donald Trump, met face-to-face for the first time on the sidelines of the G20 summit in the German city of Hamburg last week.

On Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says Moscow may retaliate Washington’s measures. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also said Moscow’s patience was running out in its diplomatic row with the US, saying Washington should either correct its 2016 decision to expel Russian politicians and “illegally” seize Russian compounds or wait for “measures of reciprocity.”

Source: Presstv

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on Wednesday suspended negotiations with Washington aimed at ending sanctions against Khartoum, after the United States extended its embargo for another three months, state media said.

US President Donald Trump prolonged a review period overnight to October 12 before his administration decides whether or not to permanently lift the decades-old sanctions.

His predecessor Barack Obama had eased the sanctions in January, but kept Sudan on review for six months, a period that ended on Wednesday. Obama had made the permanent lifting of the sanctions dependent on the East African country’s progress in five areas of concern at the end of the review period.

In his executive order issued on Tuesday, Trump extended the deadline, saying “more time is needed” for the review. And on Wednesday, Bashir decided to suspend the talks between Washington and Khartoum.

Bashir “issued a presidential decree ordering the suspension of the committee that was negotiating (the lifting of the sanctions) with the United States until October 12,” the official news agency SUNA said, quoting a presidential decree. The committee has been negotiating for more than a year with US officials on lifting the American trade embargo in force against Khartoum since 1997.

(Source: AFP)

US President Donald Trump says his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin would have been more comfortable with his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, as the president. “If Hillary had won, our military would be decimated. Our energy would be much more expensive. That’s what Putin doesn’t like about me,” Trump said in an interview with Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) on Wednesday.

He also commented about the ceasefire in southwestern Syria, announced after his two-hour meeting with the Russian president on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Hamburg, Germany.

“Well he wants what’s good for Russia, and I want what’s good for the United States. And I think in a case like Syria where we can get together, do a ceasefire, and there are many other cases where getting along can be a very positive thing, but always Putin is going to want Russia and Trump is going to want the United States and that’s the way it is,” Trump said. “Sometimes you’re not going to get along on things and sometimes you will. But we had a good meeting, it was a face to face meeting, it was a long meeting. It was two hours and 15 minutes. Everyone was surprised by the amount of time but that was a good thing and not a bad thing. Yeah, I think we get along very well and I think that’s a good thing, that’s not a bad thing. People said, ‘Oh they shouldn’t get along.’ Well, who are the people that are saying that? I think we get along very, very well. We are a tremendously powerful nuclear power, and so are they. It doesn’t make sense not to have some kind of a relationship.”

His comments came as the FBI as well as congressional committees were investigating whether the Russian government coordinated with Trump associates during the 2016 campaign and transition. Since the 2016 presidential campaign, Trump has adopted a positive stance towards Russia and its leader. During the interview, he asserted that the ceasefire in Syria was a manifestation of forging better ties with Moscow.

“I think we had an excellent meeting. One thing we did is we had a ceasefire in a major part of Syria where there was tremendous bedlam and tremendous killing. And, by the way, this is now four days. The ceasefire has held for four days. Those (previous) ceasefires haven’t held at all. That’s because President Putin and President Trump made the deal, and it’s held. Now, I don’t know what’s going to happen. Maybe as we’re speaking they start shooting again. But this has held unlike all of the other ceasefires that didn’t mean anything,” Trump said. “So, that was a great thing that came out of that meeting. I think a lot of things came out of that meeting but I do believe it’s important to have a dialogue and if you don’t have a dialogue, it’s a lot of problems for our country and for their country. I think we need dialogue. We need dialogue with everybody.”

Syria has been beset by conflict since March 2011. Numerous rounds of talks and three different UN special envoys have failed to resolve the crisis which has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. The UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura said Monday that there is a higher potential than we are seeing in the past for progress” following the new cessation of hostilities.

Source: Presstv

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says Moscow may retaliate moves by the United States last year to seize Russian diplomatic premises in America and eject a number of Russian diplomats.

The administration of former US president Barack Obama expelled 35 Russian diplomats and ordered the seizure of two Russian diplomatic compounds in December 2016 over allegations that Moscow had attempted to influence the US presidential election back then. Denying the allegations, Russia has previously called for the return of the premises.

During a visit to Austria on Tuesday, Lavrov told Russian media that the situation had lingered and was “outrageous.” “I believe that for such a great country like the United States of America, this advocate of international law, it’s just shameful to leave the situation in mid-air,” he said. The Russian foreign minister also said that Moscow was “now thinking of specific steps” to retaliate. He did not provide details, however.

When the Obama administration ejected the Russian diplomats and took over the premises, Russia did not take immediate reciprocal action and preferred to wait and see whether ties would improve under the administration of President Donald Trump, whose election victory Obama said had been aided by the alleged Russian meddling.

At a news conference with the European Union (EU)’s High Representative Federica Mogherini later in the day, Lavrov said once again that the US would face “retaliatory measures” if it did not heed Russia’s calls to return the diplomatic premises.

“If this does not happen, if we see that this step is not seen as essential in Washington, then of course we will take retaliatory measures,” he said. “This is the law of diplomacy, the law of international affairs, that reciprocity is the basis of all relations.”

According to Russia’s Izvestia daily, Moscow has been considering the expulsion of some 30 US diplomats and taking over two US diplomatic compounds near Moscow and St. Petersburg. A dacha complex owned by the US Embassy at Serebyany Bor outside Moscow may be one of those premises.

Citing Foreign Ministry sources, Izvestia said that the measures will take effect if the diplomatic row is not resolved at a meeting between Lavrov’s deputy Sergei Ryabkov and Thomas Shannon, a US under secretary of state, in St. Petersburg next week.

Source: Presstv

US President Donald Trump’s son met with a Russian lawyer linked to the Kremlin in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election, a report reveals. Donald Trump Jr., had been promised damaging information about his father’s opponent, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, ahead of meeting with Natalia Veselnitskaya, The New York Times reported on Sunday, citing US officials.

In a declassified report released in January, the intelligence community concluded that Russia helped with the New York billionaire’s campaign effort ahead of winning the White House, an allegation dismissed both by Moscow and Trump.

According to the Times, the meeting represents “the first public indication that at least some in the campaign were willing to accept Russian help.” Then-Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also took part in a meeting with the Russian lawyer. In a statement sent to the newspaper, Trump Jr. denied that he had received any information about the former secretary of state, asserting that the meeting had been held at the request of an acquaintance.

“After pleasantries were exchanged, the woman stated that she had information that individuals connected to Russia were funding the Democratic National Committee and supporting Ms. Clinton,” Trump Jr. said in his statement. “Her statements were vague, ambiguous and made no sense. No details or supporting information was provided or even offered. It quickly became clear that she had no meaningful information.”

He added that claims of helpful information by the lawyer were just an excuse to get him to attend the meeting over American adoptions of Russian children. “It became clear to me that this was the true agenda all along and that the claims of potentially helpful information were a pretext for the meeting,” he said.

Source: Presstv