Trump picks onetime critic JD Vance, now a fierce defender, as his running mate - CNA

FRAUGHT SELECTION PROCESS

Vance's anti-corporate rhetoric and his opposition to Ukraine aid gave some donors pause, and four donors told Reuters in the moments after the selection that they felt let down. Many contributors to the campaign were hoping for a moderate or business-friendly nominee, who would embrace free-market economics and expand the electoral map.

"Of all the choices he had, I think he chose the worst one," said donor and metals businessman Andy Sabin, who had been waiting for Trump's pick for running mate to see whether he would donate to the campaign.

"Vance is going to hurt Trump more than help him," Sabin said, citing Vance's Ukraine stance. "Now I definitely won't donate."

At least some senior campaign advisers were partial to Rubio, according to a source with direct knowledge of the matter. Rubio has significant political experience and might have helped boost the former president's support among Latinos.

Trump's vice presidential selection process was drawn out and calibrated for maximum suspense.

While the former president started with an informal long list of at least a dozen people, he had whittled down his options over the course of 2024, with Vance, Burgum and Rubio emerging as the most serious contenders.

Many of Trump's closest advisers did not know until Monday who the former president would pick.

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2024-07-15 19:36:00Z
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China convenes third plenum with focus on reforms and advancing modernisation - CNA

WHAT’S ON THE AGENDA?

For this session, observers are not anticipating drastic policies. Instead, expectations are for a scaling up of existing reform measures.

As China battles economic headwinds on many fronts, including the ongoing property crisis, analysts believe the leadership may not want to rock the boat too much.

“The key words would be consistency and stability for this session because China is now in an uphill battle, dealing with economic development and also global pressure,” said Dr Liu Baocheng, director of the University of International Business and Economics’ Center for International Business Ethics.

“To keep the central leadership of Xi Jinping and on top of that, push more of the leadership of the Communist Party at different institutions, would be the desired outcome of this meeting,” he added.

Policymakers are banking on the development of new and cutting-edge technologies to drive growth. Experts said this includes biotechnology, green energy, artificial intelligence and the aerospace industry.

This marks a shift from its old growth model that relied on real estate and infrastructure, which raises questions over how much support China's property sector will receive.

Measures so far have failed to revive the crisis-hit sector, with latest home price data still logging a decline.

EXPECTATIONS FOR REFORMS

The world’s second-biggest economy is also grappling with a declining population, shrinking labour force, and weakened business confidence.

While China is expected to hit its growth target of around five per cent this year, economists say Chinese policymakers need to ramp up structural changes to focus on long-term economic policy.

They have been calling on the central government to cover more expenses, as localities are saddled with debt made worse by the property crisis.

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2024-07-15 09:05:00Z
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Biden asks Americans to 'cool it down' after Trump shooting - CNA

Trump was hit in the ear and left with a bloodied face by the attack, which also killed a bystander while two other people were wounded, but he managed to raise a defiant fist to the crowd as Secret Service agents bundled him away.

He landed later Sunday in Milwaukee for the Republican National Convention, where he will be anointed as the party's presidential nominee, with supporters believing the attack will swing voters behind him in November.

The US Secret Service insisted the agency is "fully prepared" to maintain security at the huge Republican gathering, and that it was not changing its protocols even after the attempt to kill Trump.

But the agency faces searching questions about how the shooter was able to climb onto a rooftop around 150m from where Trump was speaking and fire multiple rounds.

The FBI was "looking at it as a potential domestic terrorism act," the bureau's assistant director of counterterrorism Robert Wells said.

The shooter's father was believed to have bought the semi-automatic weapon used in the attack but it was unclear how the shooter accessed it. Investigators also found a "suspicious device" in the shooter's car.

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2024-07-15 08:30:14Z
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Trump rally shooting victim was a firefighter and 'superhero' who died shielding family from bullets - CNA

Shapiro called Saturday's shooting, in which Trump was bloodied but survived and two other spectators were wounded, "shocking, for this Commonwealth (state) and the country".

The other victims were identified as David Dutch, 57, and James Copenhaver, 74, according to Pennsylvania State Police on Sunday.

Both were also from Pennsylvania and said to be "in stable condition".

The shooter, identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of nearby Bethel Park, was killed by a Secret Service sniper.

A GoFundMe page created to raise money for the Comperatore family had received donations of nearly US$650,000 as of 7pm.

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2024-07-15 00:59:00Z
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Wary Filipino fishermen continue to fish in disputed waters, despite China’s maritime detention rule - CNA

RUN-INS WITH CHINESE COAST GUARD

At the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, some Filipino fishermen – including Mr Freddie Legaspi – have continued fishing there despite China’s new regulation threatening to detain maritime trespassers.
 
Both the Philippines and China lay claim to Scarborough Shoal, a chain of reefs and rocks famed for its rich waters and marine resources.
 
A landmark 2016 ruling on the South China Sea by an arbitral tribunal convened under the auspices of the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled that China's blockade of the shoal violated international law. The court noted that the area was a traditional fishing ground for several countries.
 
But China has ignored the judgement.
 
"Sometimes, when we are near Scarborough, we are shooed away by the China coast guard, so we are forced to travel further,” Mr Legaspi told CNA.
 
“We're somewhat worried now because of China's new trespass rule. But our fish aggregating device is near Scarborough, so we need to go there.”
 
Such a device, which is used to attract fish, can cost at least US$1,300. They usually consist of buoys or floats tethered to the ocean floor.
 
It is considered a steep investment for local fisherfolk and boat owners, who refuse to abandon such devices out at sea despite possible run-ins with China’s coast guard.
 
In late June, the engine on the boat that Mr Legaspi was on exploded 17 nautical miles southwest of Scarborough. He suffered second-degree burns, but had to wait two hours before he was rescued.
 
The Philippine coast guard has accused China's coast guard of initially blocking its rescue mission that was heading to help the crew.
 
Mr Legaspi's wife, Laurence, is worried about the medical costs for his burn injuries.
 
“It's better if the government has funds for accidents at sea faced by fisherfolk,” she said.
 
“Many of us rely on fishing as our main source of living. I hope the government continues to patrol Scarborough.”

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2024-07-15 02:50:00Z
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Trump, Biden call for unity after assassination bid stuns US - CNA

Investigators are now trying to figure out what drove the shooter, with the FBI saying it believed that Crooks acted alone and had no known ideology.

"We are investigating this as an assassination attempt, but also looking at it as a potential domestic terrorism act," Robert Wells, assistant director of the FBI counterterrorism division, told reporters.

The FBI said the AR-style 556 rifle was believed to have been bought by the shooter's father, but do not yet know how he accessed the weapon or whether he took it without his father's knowledge.

Investigators also found a "suspicious device" in the shooter's car that was inspected by bomb technicians, while they are searching his phone for hints to his motive.

"BULLIED"

Crooks' former schoolmates described him as a quiet student who often came across as lonely.

"He was quiet but he was just bullied. He was bullied so much," Jason Kohler, who said he attended the same high school as Crooks, told reporters.

Biden meanwhile praised the victim, named as firefighter Corey Comperatore, saying he "was protecting his family from the bullets".

The attempt on Trump's life sent shock waves around the world, but the effects on a tight US presidential race in a deeply divided country are uncertain.

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2024-07-14 23:58:00Z
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‘Strength and defiance’: Trump’s raised fist during assassination attempt will sway voters, say analysts - CNA

Analysts said that in the absence of hard facts from authorities and the media, fake news and misleading claims will rush in to fill the gap.

“There’s a large number of conspiracy theorists in the US and conspiratorial thinking has gone mainstream. Trump himself has encouraged some of this thinking over the years,” said Reilly.

“Unfortunately, this is the tenor of the times that we're in. The internet and social media have a lot to do with this. But as more details come out about the gunman, some of those conspiracies will die down.”

COULD THIS CHANGE GUN LAWS?

Gun control laws are already a contentious issue in the presidential race. Biden has firmed up legislation and wants to ban assault weapons, while Trump says he will unravel all of that if he is back in power.

Analysts said they believe the incident is unlikely to convince the Republicans to embrace stricter gun laws.

“It would be naive to say that there’s no tradition of political violence at all in the US … we just don’t think of (it) as happening very much in the modern era,” said Neiheisel.

“This is an issue that is perpetually a problem in the US and it doesn’t tend to be one that has an easy resolution,” he added.

Reilly, however, pointed out that high-profile incidents in history have led to successful reforms of gun laws. For instance, a dozen firearm Bills were introduced in the wake of the 1963 assassination of John F Kennedy, the US' 35th president.

He added that Trump, who up until now has been opposed to restrictions on gun laws, could have a change of heart, having been a victim himself and surviving a gunshot by a whisker.

“We’ll have to see … what having a near-death experience does to a man like Trump,” he said.

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2024-07-14 15:14:00Z
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