Trump's UN meeting with Ukraine president still on despite 'whistleblower' story: reports - Fox News

President Trump remains scheduled to meet with his Ukraine counterpart at the United Nations General Assembly in New York next week despite a media frenzy unleashed by Friday's report that a whistleblower complained about a “promise” the U.S. president allegedly made to the foreign leader in a July phone call.

The U.N.'s official schedule says Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and 16 other world leaders will attend a General Assembly meeting Tuesday. NBC News White House correspondent Kelly O’Donnell tweeted Friday that the White House confirmed Trump will meet with Zelensky on Wednesday.

It wasn't immediately clear if the second gathering would be a one-on-one meeting.

NEW DETAILS REPORTED ON TRUMP-UKRAINE CALL AS DEMS CLASH WITH WHITE HOUSE ON COMPLAINT

Zelensky will also take meetings with leaders of the Ukrainian community in the U.S., leaders of Jewish organizations based in the U.S. and representatives of the American business community, O’Donnell reported. He will also attend the Sustainable Development Summit.

A senior White House official told Axios that Trump will meet with Zelensky to congratulate him on his victory in the eastern European nation’s recent presidential election and his “energy and success" in battling corruption. The official said Trump will also voice "his concerns about predatory Chinese economic activity in Ukraine." Trump’s itinerary also says he’ll meet with the leaders of Pakistan, Poland, New Zealand, Singapore, Egypt, South Korea, the U.K., India, Iraq and El Salvador, Axios reported.

Trump will also host a summit Monday on religious freedom. His speech will present the U.S. as an alternative to authoritarianism and underline his "commitment to upholding democracy and protecting religious freedom," administration officials said Friday during a briefing call, according to Axios. Trump will not attend a U.N. meeting that same day that’s slated to focus on climate change.

A secret whistleblower filed a complaint with the intelligence community inspector general, Michael Atkinson, on Aug. 12, detailing a "promise" Trump reportedly made to an unnamed foreign leader. Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire so far has withheld the complaint from Congress. The Washington Post and the New York Times both reported Thursday that the complaint involved Ukraine.

The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that, in a July phone call, Trump repeatedly asked Zelensky to work with Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani on a probe into Hunter Biden. The call came a month before Trump put a hold on $250 million in military aid to Ukraine -- a hold that was eventually released after objections from the Senate.

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Trump called the whistleblower a partisan and dismissed the allegation as “another political hack job,” while Democrats in Congress accused the president of trying to intimidate whistleblowers and demanded the administration hand over the complaint and a transcript of the call. 2020 hopefuls used the controversy as a chance to renew calls for impeachment.

Joe Biden, now a Democratic presidential candidate, has faced scrutiny for months over his past role allegedly pressuring the country to fire its top prosecutor while he was leading a corruption investigation into a natural gas company that had ties to his son Hunter Biden. Giuliani has suggested that Biden, as VP, worked to protect the company from investigation.

Fox News’ Adam Shaw and Alex Pappas contributed to this report.

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2019-09-21 09:04:10Z
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Peter Schweizer says Hunter Biden worked in Ukraine despite lacking credentials: 'What is he being paid for?' - Fox News

Peter Schweizer on Hunter Biden's Ukraine connections

New questions surround Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden's son and his ties to the Ukraine; insight from investigative reporter Peter Schweizer, author of 'Secret Empires,' and Fox News legal analyst Gregg Jarrett, author of 'Witch Hunt: The Story of the Greatest Mass Delusion in American Political History.'

Author Peter Schweizer on Friday night addressed the questions surrounding Hunter Biden’s involvement with a Ukrainian natural gas company while his father, former Vice President Joe Biden, oversaw America’s Ukraine policy.

"The underlying story here involves Hunter Biden going around the world really collecting large payments from foreign governments and foreign oligarchs in the case of Ukraine," Schweizer, the author of "Secret Empires," said on Fox News' "The Ingraham Angle."

CONTROVERSY OVER TRUMP PHONE CALL CENTERS ON UKRAINE, AS PRESIDENT DECRIES 'PARTISAN' COMPLAINT

Joe Biden, now the Democratic presidential frontrunner for 2020, faced scrutiny for months over accusations that he pressured Ukraine to fire its top prosecutor, who at that time was leading a corruption investigation into a natural gas company that had ties to Biden's son.

Rudy Giuliani, a personal attorney for President Trump, has suggested that Biden worked to protect the company from investigation while in office. Biden said Friday that the claim has no credibility.

The issue involving the Bidens resurfaced Friday after The Wall Street Journal reported that, in a July phone call, Trump repeatedly asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to work with Giuliani on a probe into Hunter Biden's business activities in Ukraine.

Schweizer implied Hunter Biden's credentials didn't match with the position he held, and that the situation looked suspicious.

"He is supposed to be advising them on natural gas regulatory issues. He has no background in Ukraine. He has no background in energy or natural gas. So the question is, What is he being paid for? He's not being paid for his expertise, he has none," Schweizer said. "His father at this time is the point person on U.S. policy to Ukraine."

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The author said Trump was "right" to ask for an investigation and accused Hunter of lying.

"Donald Trump is right to ask the question and to ask that there be an investigation to see what Hunter Biden was being paid for. Joe Biden has offered no answers," Schweizer said. "Hunter Biden, when he's been asked about this, has lied repeatedly and they've been proven lies by ABC News and other outlets."

Fox News' Adam Shaw contributed to this report.

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2019-09-21 06:25:34Z
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Egyptians protest against President Fattah al-Sisi - BBC News

Tear gas has been fired to disperse demonstrators in Egypt, at some of the first protests since President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi took power in 2014.

Hundreds of Egyptians filled Tahrir Square in Cairo - a key site of the 2011 Egyptian Revolution - demanding his resignation.

Demonstrations also took place elsewhere around the country.

The protests were in response to corruption allegations against President Sisi's government.

• Paying the price for seeking freedom in Egypt
• Egypt country profile

At leave five people have been arrested, AFP news agency reports.

An Egyptian businessman and actor, Mohamed Ali, has posted a series of videos online accusing the country's leader of wasting millions on luxury residences and hotels while millions of Egyptians live in poverty. Egypt has pursued a policy of economic austerity in recent years.

President Sisi has dismissed the allegations as "lies and slander".

What happened on Friday?

"Sisi out" and "The people want to overthrow the regime" topped Egyptian Twitter's trending list late on Friday.

Hundreds of anti-regime protesters gathered in and around Tahrir Square despite efforts to disperse them.

Demonstrations were also reported in Egypt's second-largest city, Alexandria, as well as in Suez and the town of Mahalla el-Kubra which is north of Cairo.

Even a few days ago such scenes would have "unthinkable", BBC correspondent Sally Nabil tweeted.

Mr Ali, who lives in self-imposed exile in Spain, posted his first video on 2 September. In a video posted on Tuesday, he reportedly said that if President Sisi did not resign by Thursday "the Egyptian people will come out to the squares on Friday in protest".

In 2013, Mr Sisi led the military's overthrow of Egypt's first democratically elected president, Mohammed Morsi, following protests against his rule.

Since then, he has overseen what human rights groups say is an unprecedented crackdown on dissent that has led to the detention of tens of thousands of people.

Egyptians voted to approve constitutional changes in April that could extend Mr Sisi's term in office until 2030, on a turnout of 44%.

He won 97% of the vote in 2018's presidential election, when he faced no serious opposition.

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2019-09-21 06:21:37Z
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U.S. Imposes Sanctions on Iranian National Bank - The Wall Street Journal

President Trump and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison during an official visit by the Australian leader. Photo: nicholas kamm/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images

By

Rebecca Ballhaus

Rebecca Ballhaus
The Wall Street Journal
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• @rebeccaballhaus
• rebecca.ballhaus@wsj.com

Sept. 20, 2019 10:48 am ET

WASHINGTON—The U.S. has imposed sanctions on the Iranian national bank in the wake of attacks on Saudi oil facilities that the Trump administration has said were carried out by Iran, President Trump said Friday.

“We’ve never done it at this level,” Mr. Trump said of the sanctions. He was speaking to reporters in the Oval Office where he was meeting with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the new sanctions cut off the last remaining source of funds for Iran.

“It’s too bad what’s happening with Iran. It’s going to hell,” Mr. Trump said. “All they have to do is stop with the terror.”

Mr. Trump has declared the U.S. “locked and loaded" and ready to respond to the Saudi attacks, but, aside from the sanctions, the White House is pursuing an international coalition to exert pressure on Iran through the United Nations as its chief response.

(More to come)

Related

• Saudi Arabia Shows Damage to Oil Facilities
• What We Know About the Saudi Oil Attacks
• Saudi Oil Attacks Could End Natural-Gas Rally

Write to Rebecca Ballhaus at Rebecca.Ballhaus@wsj.com

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2019-09-20 14:48:00Z
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Kiribati cuts diplomatic ties with Taiwan, second Pacific island nation in a week - Fox News

The Pacific island nation of Kiribati cut diplomatic ties with Taiwan on Friday, becoming the second country to do so this week and strengthening Beijing's hand.

Taiwan's Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said that Kiribati had officially notified his government of the decision.

Kiribati is expected to recognize China, which has pledged billions of dollars in aid to help lure it and 6 other countries into switching allegiance since 2016, when Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen took office.

Taiwan "deeply regrets and strongly condemns the Kiribati government's decision, which disregards the multifaceted assistance and sincere friendship extended by Taiwan to Kiribati over the years," Wu said at a news conference.

TAIWAN PRESIDENT ACCUSES CHINA OF 'DOLLAR DIPLOMACY' AFTER COUNTRY LOSES RECOGNITION FROM LARGEST PACIFIC ALLY

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang commended Kiribati's switch, which comes 4 days after the Solomon Islands, once Taiwan's largest ally in the South Pacific, severed ties in favor of China.

"This fully testifies to the fact that the one-China principle meets the shared aspiration of the people and constitutes an irresistible trend of the times," he said.

China claims sovereignty over self-ruled Taiwan and wants the island to reunite with the mainland. The two split in 1949 during a civil war. Beijing resents Tsai for rejecting its precondition for dialogue that both belong to a single China. It has flown military aircraft near the island and pared back Taiwan-bound tourism to add pressure on her government.

Taiwan's Foreign Minister Joseph Wu explains that Kiribati has officially notified his government that they were severing diplomatic ties with the island, Friday, Sept. 20, 2019, in Taipei, Taiwan. Kiribati's severing of ties with Taiwan is the second such loss for the diplomatically isolated island in less than a week.  (AP)

Taiwan has 15 allies left, compared to about 180 countries that recognize China.

"China has made the point that it can snatch as many diplomatic allies of Taiwan as it wishes," said Fabrizio Bozzato, a Taiwan Strategy Research Association fellow who specializes in the Pacific.

Taiwan looks to its allies, mostly small, poor countries, for international legitimacy and a voice in the United Nations. Taiwan left the United Nations in 1971 as the international body recognized China.

A total loss of allies would cut all formal outside recognition of Taiwan's government, formally called the Republic of China, and make it easier for Beijing to claim it, said Chao Chien-min, dean of social sciences at the Chinese Cultural University in Taipei.

"Other countries will call you a non-state and then what happens?" he said. "Let's say the People's Liberation Army uses non-peaceful means for an activity in the Taiwan Strait. The United Nations can't do anything. If other countries get involved, what legitimacy do they have to help Taiwan?"

MARSHALL ISLANDS IN PACIFIC OCEAN TO DEVELOP OWN CRYPTOCURRENCY

The Chinese pressure is scaring ordinary Taiwanese, he said.

In the Solomon Islands, Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare said in a statement Friday that his country had recognized China to ensure stability and avoid uncertainty over what might happen if Taiwanese decide to unite with China.

Wu remained defiant, saying that Taiwan is not a province of the People's Republic of China, the Communist government that took power in 1949.

"China's international pressure will only consolidate the Taiwanese people's determination never to capitulate to the Chinese government," he said.

Some analysts believe Taiwan has built legitimacy by strengthening an informal alliance with the United States, its chief arms supplier, and joining the World Trade Organization and the inter-governmental Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.

"Taiwan is globally relevant economically, geopolitically and geo-strategically," Bozzato said. "It is indisputable that the Republic of China would continue to be independent, effectively exerting civil and military jurisdiction over a territory and a population."

Wu said China had used investments in fisheries and other industries to build up a presence in Kiribati, penetrating political circles and extending its influence."

Kiribati President Taneti Mamau requested "massive financial assistance" from Taiwan to buy commercial aircraft, he said, a request inconsistent with Taiwan's international aid law.

China's Geng said that "those used to dollar-diplomacy may not understand that certain principles cannot be bought with money, neither can trust."

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China and Taiwan competed for South Pacific allies before 2008, often using aid to motivate switches in recognition. The two sides observed an informal diplomatic truce from 2008 to 2016, during China-friendly Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou's term.

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2019-09-20 11:36:46Z
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China Detains FedEx Pilot Amid Rising U.S.-China Tensions - The New York Times

SHANGHAI — Authorities in southern China have detained an American pilot who works for FedEx, the latest in a series of difficulties for American travelers and companies in China.

The authorities seized the pilot on Sept. 12 in the city of Guangzhou after they found 681 air-gun pellets in his luggage, China’s Foreign Ministry said on Friday. The pilot was trying to take a commercial flight to nearby Hong Kong, a day after flying an air freighter into FedEx’s huge hub in Guangzhou.

The pilot has been released on bail but remains in China under investigation for weapons smuggling, said Geng Shuang, the ministry’s spokesman, at a regular daily news briefing. Under Chinese regulations, a person released on bail typically has little ability to move around and must remain at a local hotel or residence until officials have completed an investigation.

In a statement, FedEx said authorities had found an object in its pilot’s luggage, though it did not specify what the object was.

“We are working with the appropriate authorities to gain a better understanding of the facts,” the company said in a statement, declining to comment further.

The Wall Street Journal, which reported the detention on Thursday, said the pilot was a United States Air Force veteran named Todd A. Hohn who lives in Hong Kong but was being kept at a Guangzhou-area hotel.

The Air Line Pilots Association International, the union representing most American pilots, declined to discuss the case, as did Mr. Hohn’s lawyer. The municipal foreign affairs office in Guangzhou declined to comment and referred questions to the police, who did not answer telephone calls.

FedEx is one of a number of companies that have been caught between Washington and Beijing as their trade war has intensified. But it is not clear whether the pilot’s detention was related to the company’s problems in China.

Mr. Geng said that the Chinese authorities had become aware that the pilot worked for FedEx only after finding the pellets in his luggage.

As trade frictions and other disputes fester between the United States and China, and as China itself becomes more authoritarian, more Americans have found themselves stuck in China and unable to leave. A Koch Industries executive was held in southern China and interrogated for days in June before being allowed to exit the country.

The State Department issued a travel advisory for China in January, warning Americans, particularly those with dual Chinese-American citizenship, that they may not be allowed to leave China if they go there.

A growing number of foreign companies, particularly American companies but also Canadian and European businesses, have responded by scrutinizing but not prohibiting travel to China by executives and employees.

But the quick release of the pilot, though without allowing him to leave the country, may indicate that China is not eager to turn him into a bilateral issue, said James Zimmerman, a partner in the Beijing office of Perkins Coie, a global law firm.

“The fact that he was released is a critically important message and a positive sign — Beijing probably ordered his release to minimize the significance of the issue, and this is an indication that Beijing doesn’t want this case to be a huge distraction.” Mr. Zimmerman said.

The detention comes as the United States and China are trying to reach at least a partial truce in their 15-month trade war. Chinese officials have been eager to head off further tariffs that President Trump has planned to impose on Oct. 15 and Dec. 15, but are also loath to agree to the broad Chinese policy changes sought by the Trump administration.

The detention came as Chinese airports have visibly increased security measures in recent months. The authorities have paid particular attention to travelers going to or from Hong Kong, a semiautonomous Chinese territory where large and increasingly violent protests have taken place every weekend this summer.

China has strict laws not just against the possession of weapons, but also against the possession of any kind of ammunition.

FedEx has had a series of difficulties in China in recent months. China has accused FedEx of delaying shipments last May by Huawei, the Chinese telecommunications giant accused by American officials of working with Chinese intelligence — accusations that Huawei denies.

FedEx has also been working with Chinese authorities to investigate how one of its American clients was allowed to send a gun to a sporting goods store in southeastern China. The gun was also detected and stopped by Chinese authorities.

Chinese nationalists have called in recent weeks for FedEx to be included on a list of “unreliable entities” that the country’s Commerce Ministry has been drafting. The drafting has begun in response to the United States Commerce Department’s decision to begin putting Huawei on an “entities list” of foreign companies to which goods can only be exported from the United States with special licenses.

Cathay Pacific, a large airline based in Hong Kong, has separately come under heavy scrutiny by the Chinese government after some of its employees expressed support for pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong. China threatened to revoke the airline’s access to its airspace unless Cathay reined in its employees.

Cathay Pacific and FedEx are two of the largest airlines hauling Chinese exports to the United States. Much of China’s electronics exports, particularly higher-value items like iPhones, travel by air.

In addition to scrutinizing travelers to and from Hong Kong very closely, the Chinese government has also increased its medical checks on foreigners visiting or living in the country for any possession or recent use of drugs, using tests that can detecting drug use that may have taken place weeks or months before the foreigners came to China. The medical checks have also produced a series of detentions.

Travel experts now strongly advise anyone going to China to carry prescription medicines in their original containers, and not to carry any prescription medicines that may be illegal in China, like prescription cannabis.

FedEx is a well-known company in China as well as in the United States. By coincidence, HBO showed in China on Thursday night the Tom Hanks movie “Cast Away,” the fictional story of a FedEx manager marooned on a Pacific island for years.

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2019-09-20 09:58:00Z
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Attack on Saudi Arabia oil field would likely not have been stopped by any country: expert - Fox News

Saudi Arabia defended itself as well as possible from the recent massive attack on its oil facilities -- an attack that the U.S. has blamed on Iran, a military expert said.

"I don't think there is any country that could have defended any better than Saudi Arabia did, and that includes the United States," Peter Roberts, director of military sciences at the Royal United Services Institute, told The New York Times.

"I don't think there is any country that could have defended any better than Saudi Arabia did, and that includes the United States."

— Peter Roberts, director of military sciences, Royal United Services Institute

Eighteen drones and seven cruise missiles bombarded the facilities in an asault described as a “Pearl Harbor-type" attack. Defending against swarms of sophisticated unmanned drones has been an ongoing concern for militaries.

EXPERT ON WHY SAUDI ARABIA WON'T EXPLICITLY BLAME IRAN FOR ATTACKS: 'THEY WOULD BE TOAST'

But even though Riyadh has a capable military with air defense systems, its forces could do little to stop the onslaught, Roberts told the Times.

JACK KEANE SAYS US 'MUST CONDUCT A RETALIATORY STRIKE' IN WAKE OF SAUDI ARABIA OIL SITE ATTACKS

The Guardian, in an article titled,  “Middle East Drones Signal End to Era of  Fast Jet Air Supremacy,” called Sunday’s attack “the first full-blown drone attack on a strategic site of global significance.”

Countries are investing in laser technology to defend against drones. Companies like Boeing and Lockheed Martin are more than 10 years away from the technology, according to MarketWatch.

The U.S. and Saudi Arabia both placed blame on Iran for carrying out the attack. Iran denied responsibility. Yemen’s Houthi fighters claimed they were behind the attack. Military drone use in the region is not uncommon. Israel has employed them in Syria and Iran has a fleet.

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"The bottom line is that we are likely to see many more of these sorts of attacks, and in particular, coordinated attacks on multiple targets are likely, possibly in tandem with a cyber attack component," Milena Rodban, an independent risk consultant in Washington, told The Sydney Morning Herald.

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2019-09-20 09:25:34Z
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