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TRUMP




POTUS is on Twitter this morning taking the by-now usual shots at NATO. In his own words: "The United States is spending far more on NATO than any other Country. This is not fair, nor is it acceptable. While these countries have been increasing their contributions since I took office, they must do much more. Germany is at 1%, the U.S. is at 4%, and NATO benefits.......[Tweet break]...Europe far more than it does the U.S. By some accounts, the U.S. is paying for 90% of NATO, with many countries nowhere close to their 2% commitment. On top of this the European Union has a Trade Surplus of $151 Million with the U.S., with big Trade Barriers on U.S. goods. NO!"
Note: The U.S. is not paying 90% of NATO — but it's a lie the president likes to repeat (he said it Thursday night, too, at a rally in Montana).
Also: "while it's true that many of the countries are upping their military funding, almost all of those increases were proposed in budgets created before his election." That's from Defense One last year. Read and see the charts, here. [The D Brief, July 9, 2018]




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WOMEN

On Authenticity

"You can’t be what you can’t see! As women leaders and feminists, we have to own our story, show up authentically and be the transformational, purpose-driven leaders that the world needs. We have to establish connections with other women as mentors and mentees, learn about each other’s struggles and support one another’s growth. There’s nothing more empowering than discovering the universality of our issues and our power to overcome them."

Lucina Di Meco
Global Fellow at The Wilson Center and Director of Girls' Education at Room to Read [Women Rule, June 29, 2018]



WHITE HOUSE



WHITE HOUSE SOFTENS PLAN TO RESTRICT CHINESE INVESTMENTS: The Trump administration confirmed Wednesday that it will use the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States to crack down on investments from China. The more moderate approach comes after concerns that Trump would invoke emergency presidential powers to bar Chinese investment in certain high-tech sectors.
"For those who want to say, 'Is this us being weak on China?' The answer is no," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told reporters. "On the other hand, this is not intended to target China. The president felt very strongly we should be protecting technology, if there are issues, no matter who we're dealing with."
Congress' part: Lawmakers are currently working on legislation to expand CFIUS's ability to block deals that could transfer critical technology to China or other potentially hostile nations. Trump said in a statement that his administration will "implement it promptly and enforce it rigorously," once it's enacted to ensure critical U.S. technology does not fall into the wrong hands.
Senate Republicans back Trump: Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch welcomed Trump's decision as part of a "joint commitment" to address China's unfair intellectual property practices and forced technology transfers.
"Both the president and Congress are determined to combat China's discriminatory and market-distorting activities, and today's action is another step in that joint commitment," Hatch said. "China must change the policies underlying its technology transfer regime."
Trump's tug-of-war: Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer expressed concern over the chaotic nature of the administration's trade policy toward China and frustration over Trump's decision to take the less confrontational course this time.
"Why are we waiting to impose real pressure on China for its efforts to undermine our nation's economic wellspring? It's another example of President Trump starting down a tough path with China, and then just veering off course for reasons unexplained, sometimes for whims," Schumer said on the Senate floor.
"It appears there is a tug-of-war in the administration over just how strong the president should be with China. One week he's pulled one direction, the next, the opposite. But if we're going to convince China's government we're serious, the United States must but strong, tough, and consistent," Schumer added.

Sigh of relief for business: Business groups were relieved to see the administration follow the CFIUS route rather than a China-specific approach. Still, any national security restrictions on investment "should be as narrowly applied as possible and tied to credible, identified security risks," U.S.-China Business Council President John Frisbie said. [Politico’s Morning Trade, June 28, 2018]


NYT'S ADAM LIPTAK and MAGGIE HABERMAN: "Inside the White House's Quiet Campaign to Create a Supreme Court Opening": "President Trump singled him out for praise even while attacking other members of the Supreme Court. The White House nominated people close to him to important judicial posts. And members of the Trump family forged personal connections.
"Their goal was to assure Justice Anthony M. Kennedy that his judicial legacy would be in good hands should he step down at the end of the court's term that ended this week, as he was rumored to be considering. Allies of the White House were more blunt, warning the 81-year-old justice that time was of the essence. There was no telling, they said, what would happen if Democrats gained control of the Senate after the November elections and had the power to block the president's choice as his successor. ...
"But they had a connection, one Mr. Trump was quick to note in the moments after his first address to Congress in February 2017. As he made his way out of the chamber, Mr. Trump paused to chat with the justice. 'Say hello to your boy,' Mr. Trump said. 'Special guy.'
"Mr. Trump was apparently referring to Justice Kennedy's son, Justin. The younger Mr. Kennedy spent more than a decade at Deutsche Bank, eventually rising to become the bank's global head of real estate capital markets, and he worked closely with Mr. Trump when he was a real estate developer, according to two people with knowledge of his role." https://nyti.ms/2yTl6uE  [POLITICO Playbook, June 29, 2018]



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