logo
Statue of Confederate General Albert Pike to be reinstalled in Washington

Statue of Confederate General Albert Pike to be reinstalled in Washington

WASHINGTON: A statue of Confederate General Albert Pike, which was overturned in 2020 during the "Black Lives Matter" protests after George Floyd's murder, will be reinstalled in Washington, the National Park Service said on Monday.
"The National Park Service announced today that it will restore and reinstall the bronze statue of Albert Pike, which was toppled and vandalised during riots in June 2020," it said in a statement.
The US saw nationwide protests in 2020 following the killing of Floyd, a Black man who died after a white police officer knelt on his neck for over eight minutes.
The National Park Service said reinstalling the statue was in line with recent executive orders signed by President Donald Trump, who has been a strident critic of renaming or removing Confederate statues and monuments.
An executive order that Trump signed in late March titled "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History" suggested that Trump sought to purge elements of what conservatives view as a revisionist history of the United States that places systemic racism at the heart of its narrative.
Rights advocates say such steps undermine the acknowledgement of critical phases of American history.
Earlier this year, Trump restored two US Army bases to their former names of Fort Benning and Fort Bragg despite a federal law that prohibits honouring generals who fought for the South during the Civil War. The Trump administration says the names honour different individuals, all former soldiers.
In 2017 during his first term, Trump defended white nationalists in Charlottesville, Virginia, who protested the city's decision to remove a statue of the Confederate commander Robert E. Lee. At the time, Trump said there were "very fine people of both sides" of the fight, sparking widespread outrage.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Trump scores major own goal with labour official firing
Trump scores major own goal with labour official firing

New Straits Times

time3 minutes ago

  • New Straits Times

Trump scores major own goal with labour official firing

US President Donald Trump's decision to fire a top labour official following weak jobs data obviously sends ominous signals about political interference in independent institutions, but it is also a major strategic own goal. Trump has spent six months attacking the Federal Reserve, and Chair Jerome Powell in particular, for not cutting interest rates. The barbs culminated in Trump branding Powell a "stubborn MORON" in a social media post on Friday before the July jobs report was released. The numbers, especially the net downward revision of 258,000 for May and June payrolls growth, were much weaker than expected. In fact, this was "the largest two-month revision since 1968 outside of NBER-defined recessions (assuming the economy is not in recession now)," according to Goldman Sachs. This release sparked a dramatic reaction in financial markets. Fed rate cut expectations soared, the two-year Treasury yield had its steepest fall in a year, and the dollar tumbled. A quarter-point rate cut next month and another by December were suddenly nailed-on certainties, according to rate futures market pricing. This was a huge U-turn from only 48 hours before when Powell's hawkish steer in his post-FOMC meeting press conference raised the prospect of no easing at all this year. Trump's constant lambasting of "Too Late" Powell suddenly appeared to have a bit more substance behind it. The Fed chair's rate cut caution centres on the labour market, which now appears nowhere near as "solid" as he thought. Trump could have responded by saying: "I was right, and Powell was wrong." Instead, on Friday afternoon he said he was firing the head of the Bureau of Labour Statistics, Commissioner Erika McEntarfer, for faking the jobs numbers. Trump provided no evidence of data manipulation. So rather than point out that markets were finally coming around to his way of thinking on the need for lower interest rates, Trump has united economists, analysts and investors in condemnation of what they say is brazen political interference typically associated with underdeveloped and unstable nations rather than the self-proclaimed 'leader of the free world'. "A dark day in, and for, the US," economist Phil Suttle wrote on Friday. "This is the sort of thing only the worst populists do in the worst emerging economies and, to use the style of President Trump, IT NEVER ENDS WELL." It's important to note that major – even historic – revisions to jobs growth figures are not necessarily indicative of underlying data collection flaws. As Ernie Tedeschi, director of economics at the Budget Lab at Yale, argued on X over the weekend: "BLS's first-release estimates of nonfarm payroll employment have gotten more, not less, accurate over time." It should also be noted that the BLS compiles inflation as well as employment data, so, moving forward, significant doubt could surround the credibility of the two most important economic indicators for the US - and perhaps the world. Part of what constitutes "US exceptionalism" is the assumption that the experts leading the country's independent institutions are exactly that, independent, meaning their actions and output can be trusted, whatever the results. Baseless accusations from the US president that the BLS, the Fed and other agencies are making politically motivated decisions to undermine his administration only undermine trust in the US itself. "If doubts are sustained, it will lead investors to demand more of a risk premium to own US assets," says Rebecca Patterson, Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. "While only one of many forces driving asset valuations, it will limit returns across markets." This furor comes as Fed Governor Adriana Kugler's resignation on Friday gives Trump the chance to put a third nominee on the seven-person Fed board, maybe a potential future chair to fill that slot as a holding place until Powell's term expires in May. Whoever that person is will likely be more of a policy dove than a hawk. Policy uncertainty, which had been gradually subsiding since the April 2 'Liberation Day' tariff turmoil, is now very much back on investors' radar.

South Korea pledges to help companies cope with higher US tariffs
South Korea pledges to help companies cope with higher US tariffs

New Straits Times

time3 minutes ago

  • New Straits Times

South Korea pledges to help companies cope with higher US tariffs

SEOUL: South Korea will prepare measures to help companies cope with higher US tariffs and expand into new markets, the Finance Ministry said on Tuesday, as it kicked off a task force to prepare the new administration's economic policy plans. On the domestic front, the government will come up with measures to boost short-term demand, as well as financial support for mid- to long-term technology development to enhance market competitiveness, it said in a statement. South Korea reached a trade deal with the US last week, just days before President Donald Trump's threatened 25 per cent tariff rate was due to come in on its exports to the United States. The trade deal set tariffs on exports from the Asian country at 15 per cent, still higher than a baseline 10 per cent rate and the near zero tariffs for exports under a Korea-US free trade agreement. Still, topics left unresolved by the deal provide scope for more disputes as the two countries prepare for a summit between Trump and new South Korean President Lee Jae Myung in the coming weeks. Trump may use the summit to try to squeeze more concessions on areas such as defence costs and corporate investments, left out of the deal, while non-tariff barriers and currency could prove thorny issues, experts said. South Korea's Finance Ministry, however, sought to give a positive spin on the agreement. The deal reduced uncertainty over the trade environment, while a US$350 billion investment package included in the deal will provide new business opportunities for companies, deepen economic cooperation between the two countries, and contribute to a more stable supply chain, the ministry said. The administration of President Lee also plans to prepare policy measures to foster new industries, such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors and "K-contents" and include them in economic growth strategies and budget plans due to be announced later this month. K-contents refers to a range of cultural and entertainment goods produced by the country ranging from K-pop to Korean dramas that have boomed globally. The ministry vowed to bring regulatory improvements to vitalise business activity, as it kicked off a meeting with the country's major business groups. Asia's fourth-largest economy grew in the second quarter at the fastest pace in more than a year on rebounding consumer spending and a surge in technology exports, but still faces headwinds from slowing global trade amid the sweeping tariffs. The International Monetary Fund last week raised its outlook for most advanced and emerging economies this year based on developments around US tariff negotiations, but South Korea was among the exceptions, with its 2025 growth forecast revised down to 0.8 per cent from 1.0 per cent.

US explores better location trackers for AI chips, official says
US explores better location trackers for AI chips, official says

The Star

time33 minutes ago

  • The Star

US explores better location trackers for AI chips, official says

Last week, Nvidia said it does not have backdoors in its chips. — AFP The US is exploring ways to equip chips with better location-tracking capabilities, a senior official said, underscoring Washington's effort to curtail the flow of semiconductors made by the likes of Nvidia Corp to China. Washington has espoused working with the industry to monitor the movements of the sensitive components, part of a broader plan to curtail smuggling and ensure American technology remains dominant. Last week, Beijing summoned Nvidia representatives to discuss US efforts around location-tracking and other alleged security risks related to its H20 chips. "There is discussion about potentially the types of software or physical changes you could make to the chips themselves to do better location-tracking,' said Michael Kratsios, one of the architects of a US AI action plan unveiled by Donald Trump last month. "That is something we explicitly included in the plan,' the White House Office of Science and Technology Director told Bloomberg Television. Trump's blueprint has provoked a backlash in Beijing, which for years railed against alleged US surveillance and Washington's efforts to curtail its tech sector. The Chinese government is particularly sensitive to semiconductor sanctions designed to counter Huawei Technologies Co or rising AI developers such as DeepSeek. Trump officials recently pledged to lift export restrictions on the H20 to China as part of a trade deal they say will secure sales of rare-earth magnets to the US. But Washington is also focused on curtailing the smuggling of chips. Kratsios said Tuesday he's not had conversations "personally' with either Nvidia or Advanced Micro Devices Inc about exploring location-tracking technology. Last week, Nvidia said it does not have "backdoors' in its chips. Kratsios, who was in South Korea to attend an APEC Digital Ministerial Meeting, took aim at China's own AI action plan, which involves forming a global organisation to devise governance and technology standards. "We believe each country should set their own destiny on how they think about regulating artificial intelligence,' he said. "The US model, which puts innovation first, will be the most attractive.' – Bloomberg

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store