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In an excerpt from his new book published yesterday in New York magazine, Joshua Green reveals that Ann Coulter helped to write the immigration plan that President Trump released during his campaign:

Although Trump didnt dwell on policy details, [Steve] Bannon pitched in there, too. When Trump came under fire because his campaign hadnt produced a single policy paper, Bannon arranged for [Sam] Nunberg and Ann Coulter, the conservative pundit, to quickly write a white paper on Trumps immigration policies. When the campaign released it, Coulter, without disclosing her role, tweeted that it was the greatest political document since the Magna Carta.

The similarities between Trumps anti-immigrant rhetoric and Coulters writings were noted throughout the campaign. Coulter told one reporter that the Trump campaign requested an advance copy of her book Adios America before he gave his infamous speech about Mexican rapists.

Coulter was thrilled with the immigration plan Trump released in 2015, which called for building a wall at the Mexican border, mass deportations and ending birthright citizenship. As we and others noted at the time, that plan had plenty of similarities to Adios America. On top of her Magna Carta comment, Coulter tweeted at the time, I dont care if@realDonaldTrumpwants to perform abortions in White House after this immigration policy paper. Her enthusiasm makes even more sense when you learn that she wrote the paper herself.

Coulter prides herself on saying the most outrageous things possible in order to get attention, but the core of her message is a corrosive one that helped driveTrumps campaign: stirring up fear of immigrants and nostalgia for a whiter America. Peter Beinart summarized Coulters view of Trumps candidacy in The Atlantic:

The secret of Trumps success, she argues, has been ideological. He recognized that Americans, by which she mostly means Republicans, are homesick. They dont just oppose immigration because they believe it depresses wages and strains government services. Theyre homesick for a whiter America, an America that was once truly free because its not in the Anglo-Saxon character either to take orders or to give them. (Never mind about slavery.) Since 1965, however, when Lyndon Johnson signed legislation allowing more immigration from Latin America, Asia, and Africa, the United States has been, according to Coulter inIn Trump We Trust, overrun by illiterate peasants who can be instructed to learn certain symbols and bloc-vote for the Democrats. In response, Democrats, along with rich Republicans, keep the doors open to non-European immigration, and thus America has grown browner and shorter. (Thats Coulters description fromAdios America). Corruption rises. So does terrorism and rape.

Coulters unabashed white nationalist ideas have endeared her to the white nationalist fringes. Last year, she attended a party hosted by the white nationalist website VDARE; on election night, she retweeted a VDARE message that undocumented writer Jose Antonio Vargas would now have to go back; she has credited VDARE editor Peter Brimelow for her interest in immigration politics.

While it should be shocking that someone like Coulter was shaping Trumps campaign immigration policies, that is now par for the course for the Republican Party. After all, it is Rep. Steve King of Iowa, who has his own lengthy record of white nationalist remarks, who has been driving the immigration policy of House Republicans.

See more here:
Ann Coulter Reportedly Helped Write Trump's Campaign ... - Right Wing Watch

The former Prime Minister stuttered through his answer when Sky News Sophy Ridge grilled him on his ambitions for the European Union and Labour Party reforms, which are now both dead in the water.

In their wide-ranging interview, Mr Blair covered his latest plans to thwart Brexit, his views on Jeremy Corbyns hard-left policy and his career as a politician.

But the arch Remoaner was left stumped when the journalist quizzed him on his failed ambition to have the UK at the forefront of the EU project.

Ridge said it had been unpicked, adding: Have you failed?

SKY NEWS

If Britain carries through Brexit, were going to diminish ourselves

Tony Blair

Mr Blair could only produce a nervous laugh in response as he formulated his answer.

I dont know whether so much Ive failed, he said. Has opinion moved against those two positions?

Im not sure about that, one of the things I think is important right now is to be aware enough to say, Look, politics has taken a turn in these last two or three years, and I didnt really anticipate.

For me, Im back almost like a student of politics Im studying and thinking about it, and trying to work it out.

But I think, if Britain carries through Brexit, if we really do this, were going to diminish ourselves.

Mr Blair also used his interview to claim he has held talks with key players in Brussels about how they could thwart Brexit.

He told Ridge he believes it absolutely necessary that Brexit doesnt happen because of the damage the divorce is doing the UK politically and economically

The former Prime Minister said: I think its possible now that Brexit doesnt happen.

AFP/Getty Images

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'It can be stopped, if the British people decide that having seen what it means, the pain-gain analysis doesnt stack up'

I think its absolutely necessary that it doesnt happen because every day is bringing us fresh evidence that its doing us damage economically, certainly doing us damage politically.

He even insisted that Brexiteers in Britain were changing their mind, with some even changing their mind about the split.

Mr Blair added: I think public opinion is moving on it. Look, this time last year we were the fastest growing economy in the G7, were now the slowest, our savings ratio is at the lowest for 50 years, the investment community internationally has gone really negative on us, our currency is down 10-12 per cent.

Investment in the motorcar industry, for example, is down 30 per cent. Living standards are stagnating.

Go here to see the original:
'Have you failed?' Blair left speechless after Ridge questions his European Union legacy - Express.co.uk

Monrovia - Last week, the Government of Liberia received a grant of EUR 10 million (USD 11.2 million) from the European Union (EU).

The EU disbursed the money directly into the treasury account of the Government to support the budget of the Republic of Liberia.

This is the third payment under the EU's budget support programme after a first payment of EUR 29.2 million (USD 33 million) in 2015 and EUR 16 million (USD 18 million) in 2016.

Disbursement of the third payment comes after the Government of Liberia made satisfactory progress in improving public financial management and toward specific targets relating to security and rule of law in line with the Agenda for Transformation, Liberias medium-term development strategy.

Ambassador Tiina Intelmann, Head of the European Union Delegation to Liberia, said:

"The EU gives this 10 million euro expecting that the Government will use it to provide Liberians with the vital public services they deserve and it has committed to provide: health, education, security and rule of law. I encourage the Government to continue improving the management of public finances and fight against corruption.

In particular, I applaud the operationalisation of four pilot county treasuries, the establishment of a Civilian Complaints Board for the Police and immigration services and improved access to justice through magistrates' courts and county courts for cases related to sexual and gender based violence.

I encourage Government and the Judiciary to continue their efforts to better plan procurement for entities in the security and rule of law sector and to ensure that spending takes place as planned."

The European Union withheld EUR 2 million due to the Government of Liberia's failure or partial failure to meet indicators related to the timely publication of procurement plans for the Ministry of Justice and the Judiciary and spending less money than planned through entities in the security and rule of law sector.

Background Information

The European Union's budget support programme for Liberia, known as a State-building Contract, was signed in May 2015.

It was initially intended to support reforms in the security and rule of law sector in the context of the drawdown of the UNMIL peace-keeping mission.

Due to the Ebola crisis, it was agreed with the Government of Liberia to modify the project so as to frontload much of the funds for the first payment in July 2015.

The State-building Contract has a total value of EUR 65 000 000 (USD 73 million) over three years. The EU contribution is allocated as follows:

EUR 62,000,000 General budget support;

EUR 2,690,000 EU contribution to Integrated Public Financial Management Reforms Programme, implemented through the World Bank;

EUR 300,000 Technical assistance to build capacities within the Ministry of Finance in the implementation of the State Building Contract, implemented by the Overseas Development Institute.

The current disbursement of EUR 10 million is made up of two parts - EUR 5 million is linked to four general conditions:

Payment of an additional EUR 5 million was triggered by the Government meeting the following performance indicators fully:

What is budget support?

Budget support is a way for donors to provide development assistance through a partner country's own budgetary processes.

It involves dialogue, financial transfers to the national treasury account of the partner country, performance assessment and capacity development, based on partnership and mutual accountability. Eligibility criteria have to be met before and during the programme and conditions need to be fulfilled before payments are made.

EU budget support involves the transfer of financial resources to the National Treasury of a partner country, provided the partner government has met the agreed conditions for payment.

Transfers are made in EURO to a Government account held at the Central Bank and then converted into local currency during transfer to the National Treasury Account.

Any transfer is always made after the agreed conditions for payment have been respected. Once this transfer has taken place, budget support funds are used in accordance with the partner countrys own public financial management (PFM) systems, and responsibility for the management of these transferred resources rests with the partner government.

Budget support is focused on development results and offers a platform for dialogue with the partner country (Government, national control bodies and civil society) on policies and their financing, objectives and results.

This is consistent with the aid effectiveness principles of ownership, transparency and accountability.

Originally posted here:
European Union Injects EUR10 Million into Liberia Budget - Front Page Africa

Wall Street Journal (subscription)

EU Set to Sanction Syria Scientists, Military Officers Over Chemical Attacks Wall Street Journal (subscription) BRUSSELSThe European Union is set to target 16 Syrian scientists and military officers in a new round of sanctions against the Assad regime on Monday, seeking to punish those responsible for chemical weapons attacks against civilians. The move is a ...

Originally posted here:
EU Set to Sanction Syria Scientists, Military Officers Over Chemical Attacks - Wall Street Journal (subscription)

This year at FIRST Global Challenge, a robotics competition in Washington, D.C., an international committee of judges will assess the creativity and collaboration of 163 teams from 157 nations focused on tackling the global water crisis. From Sunday through Tuesday, the teams will present robots designed to clean contaminated water, as represented in a simulation by colored balls.

One of the groups attending consists of six teenage girls from Herat, a city in western Afghanistan near the border with Iran. (They will present a device that can recognize and sort balls of different colors.) These young women, who range in age from 14 to 16, know the ravages of water crises firsthand. Indeed, Afghanistan and Iran, which share a border, are just now trading barbs about water usage.

That the girls are able to attend at all is a political miracle. Despite winning a spot in the event, they were turned down twice by the U.S. consulate when they sought visas to come to America, once in May and again in June. Even after traveling to Kabul to try to obtain them, the girls joined their Gambian counterparts as the only teams turned down by local U.S. consulates. This, even though nearly 10,000 U.S. soldiers remain in Afghanistanwith more likely heading there before the year is outin what has become Americas longest-ever war. As part of Americas presence in Afghanistan, it has invested heavily in girls education, maternal health, and the broader issue of womens rights. These investments are frequently cited by U.S. leaders as measures of the country's progress. Yet it took sustained pressure on and from Washington leaders to bring these six girls, who embody their nations forward movement over the past 16 years, to the United States.

On Tuesday, a congressional letter signed by more than 50 members of Congress urged Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to reconsider the decision to bar the girls. Then, on Wednesday, word broke that the Trump White House itself would intervene to get the visas approved. The State Department worked incredibly well with the Department of Homeland Security to ensure that this case was reviewed and handled appropriately, Deputy National Security Adviser for Strategy Dina Powell said in a statement issued on Wednesday. We could not be prouder of this delegation of young women who are also scientiststhey represent the best of the Afghan people and embody the promise that their aspirations can be fulfilled. (The Gambian team has also been cleared to attend.)

For the Afghans working to build this team, the high-profile attention and approval meant a great deal after several weeks of disappointment and dashed hopes. The team had worked for months, and come up against the challenges of the old and real world: the conservative society from which they came, and the security risks people representing the U.S. government viewed them as posing. And then, suddenly, the same government that denied them the chance to compete reversed itself.

The girls are very talented and we are very happy the U.S. didnt ignore us and they are giving us the option to come here, Roya Mahboob, an Afghan tech entrepreneur who serves as one of the teams sponsors told me. It will be an inspiration for other girls to follow these girls [into studying] mathematics and robotics.

Immigration, visas, and foreign visitors, have consumed a great deal of attention since Trumps election and subsequent anti-Muslim travel ban. But Afghans difficulty in securing visitor visas to America began well before the Trump administration, out of concerns stemming from people who came to the country and then either sought asylum in Canada or simply skipped out on their visas.

In late 2015, for example, the Thunderbird School of Global Managements Thunderbird for Good program, which has offered business training to Afghan women entrepreneurs since 2004, put forward 14 names for visas to attend its two-week program at the schools Phoenix campus. A few months later, they got their answer: zero yess, 11 nos, and three maybes. We were totally shocked, Kellie Kreiser, executive director of Thunderbird for Good, told me.

Eventually, she learned that visas had become more difficult to come byeven Fulbrighters were being turned down. Government officials didnt know who was going and who was staying, and they had so many people who were seeking asylum or skipping out that they had to ratchet [the administering of visas] down, she said. It was a legitimate response to something they couldnt get a handle on anymore. I cannot fault them for that. Kreiser and her team moved the session to India so that the women they selected would still have access to Thunderbirds training.

The entrepreneurs didnt lose out, as they still got the training they sought. But even fewer Americansincluding policy makersgot to meet them, to hear their stories, and to speak in person with these entrepreneurs working towards their countrys future.

Some see at least one bright spot in the Trump administrations reversal on the visas for the Afghan robotics team: Americans, long accustomed to a narrative that has bled into caricaturethat Afghanistan is a basket case which remains in the stone agecan now see for themselves a new generation of Afghans fighting for a different future. Young people who want to be connected to the world, who see something other than war as a possibility for their nation.

At 16 I [only] had the option [of knowing] what a computer is. But for these girls that are 16, they are building robots and they are coming to the States to compete with other countries, Mahboob said. It is huge compared to 12 years ago.

The abrupt policy change on the visa issue came about after sustained media attention. While Afghanistan was never part of Trumps travel ban, the questions about who can come and for what reason send a message as America prepares to send more troops back to Afghanistan.

For Americans who have worked to raise money for development programs in Afghanistan, there is some vindication in all this high visibility. It has shown that there are Afghan women who are advanced enough in technology to be able to compete that is a big reveal for a lot of people, that there has been progress, especially in education, in Afghanistan, Toni Maloney, CEO of Business Council for Peace, which since 2004 has supported and mentored small business owners in Afghanistan, told me. We do have to credit the past work of a lot of non-profits, the State Department and their own exchange programs, and USAID. There has been a lot of money invested and a lot of time. And so it is hard won by anybodys standards.

Mahboob echoed the idea that Afghanistan is changing, and said technology is a part of that shift. Technology gives us access to new realities, she said. It allows us to dream further.

Go here to read the rest:
The Young Robot-Builders of Afghanistan - The Atlantic