US House's focus on Pakistan's democratic gaps must not be ignored
Farhan Bokhari is an Islamabad-based foreign correspondent who writes on Pakistan and the surrounding region.
It would be a mistake by Pakistan's rulers to simply ignore the targeting of their country by the U.S. Congress, which has introduced a bipartisan bill calling for sanctions, citing democratic and human rights gaps in the South Asian country.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yomiuri Shimbun
3 hours ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
California Gov. Gavin Newsom Says Trump Is Stepping toward Authoritarianism
Joshua Lott/The Washington Post National Guard soldiers stand in front of a federal building as protests continue on Monday following raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. LOS ANGELES – The relationship between the leader of the United States and the country's most populous state reached a near-breaking point Monday, as President Donald Trump said that he thought California Gov. Gavin Newsom should be arrested, a claim that Newsom described as an unmistakable step toward authoritarianism. The back-and-forth came as Trump stepped up the military's presence on the streets of Los Angeles, against Newsom's will, as the two men traded recriminations. Trump repeatedly ridiculed Newsom, a Democrat, saying that he is 'grossly incompetent' and had done 'a terrible job.' Asked about a threat made by his border czar Tom Homan to arrest the governor, Trump said, 'I would do it if I were Tom.' 'I think it's great,' Trump added, without specifying any alleged criminal wrongdoing or charges. 'Gavin likes the publicity, but I think it would be a great thing.' 'That's an American president in 2025, threatening a political opponent who happens to be a sitting governor,' Newsom said in an interview Monday. 'That's not with precedent in modern times. That's what we see around the globe in authoritarian regimes.' Newsom's comments reflected a broader frustration for Democratic leaders, who have been unable to counter what they see as an escalation of Trump's antidemocratic actions in his emboldened second term. Newsom has tried all methods: He was a face of the resistance in the first term and a welcoming greeter during Trump's initial visit to California in his second term. All the while, he continued suing Trump, while keeping up a cordial back-channel relationship. On Monday, he sounded like he was at his end with Trump, calling him 'unrestrained' and 'unhinged.' 'Trump is a very different president than his first foray in office,' Newsom said Monday. 'You've seen that as it relates to how he has completely obliterated any oversight from Congress; how he seeks to obliterate oversight from the judicial branch by threatening impeachment of judges and running up to the edge as it relates to court orders.' The newest break in the historically tumultuous relationship between Newsom and Trump unfolded over a chaotic 72-hour period that began with raids by federal immigration officials in Los Angeles on Friday that led to the arrests of 44 people, including two people whom state officials believe to be minors. Trump, who had arrived at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, for the weekend, left a message for Newsom on his cellphone Friday night. The two had spoken intermittently since Trump's inauguration, including during a meeting in the Oval Office in February as Newsom sought tens of billions of dollars in federal funding to help L.A. rebuild after the January wildfires. While they sparred publicly, their interactions in private during both Trump terms were more productive. On Friday, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests had triggered protests, with the Los Angeles Police Department reporting that agitators had hurled chunks of concrete at law enforcement officers. The Democratic governor assumed that was why Trump was calling. He was hoping to reassure him when they spoke after 1:30 a.m. Eastern time that state and local officials had protests under control. But he could scarcely get in a word. Trump talked about trivial subjects, according to people familiar with the call who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss details of a private conversation. Newsom unsuccessfully tried to steer the president toward serious subjects, including reports that the administration was preparing to terminate California's federal funding. In an interview Monday, Newsom said Trump was 'gracious' but never warned that he was about to federalize the National Guard, as the president later claimed, and never asked about the law enforcement response to that night's protests. Risking complaints from some Democrats that he had been too accommodating, the California governor had been restrained in the months since inauguration, avoiding personal attacks. But by Sunday, when Newsom arrived in Los Angeles, crowds of protesters in the city's downtown had swelled to thousands. California Highway Patrol officers under Newsom's command were arresting people who had blocked the southbound lanes of the 101 Freeway, a major artery through the city, and throwing objects at local law enforcement officers as several Waymo vehicles were set on fire. The gripping and chaotic scene in a Democratic-run city was, in Newsom's view, the kind of made-for-television crisis that Trump had always hoped to manufacture. Newsom, who blamed Trump for the escalation, said Sunday on social media that Trump's actions had diverged into those of 'a dictator, not a President.' 'This is an act of recklessness that quite literally puts people's lives at risk,' Newsom said of Trump's decision to federalize the National Guard. From Trump's perspective, the situation in Los Angeles County had gotten out of control – leaving him no choice but to step in. A White House official briefed on the administration's response to the protests, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly, said that the president had hoped that calling Newsom would compel him to take more aggressive law enforcement action – something Trump stressed in the phone call, the official insisted. Throughout Saturday, according to White House officials, the president and his advisers were being briefed about what was happening on the ground – and watching provocative images on social media and television. They saw images of agents with lacerations, and of rocks being thrown at law enforcement vehicles. By around 9 p.m., Trump had signed a memorandum authorizing the National Guard. That decision was announced in the early evening in Los Angeles, a time that a White House official said was designed to deter further protests that evening. 'You watch the same clips as I did. Cars burning all over the place, people rioting,' Trump said on Monday afternoon. He cast himself as the savior of the state, and said he had no choice but to intervene, mocking those who disagreed as 'politically correct.' 'If we didn't do the job, that place would be burning down, just like the houses burned down,' he said, comparing it to other protests like those in Minneapolis in the aftermath of George Floyd's killing. 'There's so many different places where we let it burn. We want to be politically correct. We want it to be nice. We want to be nice to the criminal. And what you're doing is destroying the fabric of our life in this country.' He said that he should be credited. 'And I think Gavin, in his own way, is probably happy I got involved,' Trump said. Later on Monday, a senior administration official said that about 700 active-duty U.S. Marines would be deployed from Camp Pendleton to Los Angeles on Monday night 'in light of increased threats to federal officers and federal buildings.' Newsom called the act 'un-American.' 'U.S. Marines have served honorably across multiple wars in defense of democracy. They are heroes,' Newsom wrote on X. 'They shouldn't be deployed on American soil facing their own countrymen to fulfill the deranged fantasy of a dictatorial President.' While Trump expressed support for arresting Newsom, he did not have an explanation for what crime he thinks the governor committed. 'I think his primary crime is running for governor, because he's done such a bad job,' he said. 'What he's done to that state is like what [Joe] Biden did to this country. And, that's pretty bad.' White House officials later suggested that Trump was serious about his threats to have Newsom arrested. 'No one, regardless of status as elected official is above the law,' a White House official said. 'If Gavin Newsom is obstructing federal law enforcement, he may face consequences.' The relationship between Newsom and Trump, never strong, has long seemed headed this way, according to observers. 'This is a symbiotic relationship right now,' said David Axelrod, a former adviser to Barack Obama, noting that both Trump and Newsom are 'improvisational politicians who are habitually trying to read the room.' 'But at the end of the day, Newsom clearly wants to run for president. And to be president, he has to be the Democratic nominee,' Axelrod said. 'And when this kind of provocation takes place – when the president of the United States is sending Marines to L.A. – yeah, you damn well better have something to say.' Newsom said he would have a hard time keeping up the cordiality. 'He just threatened my arrest. One would assume, or presume, that's the point of no return,' Newsom said. 'I'm constitutionally capable of working with people, even those that call for my arrest. So I remain resolved in that respect, as I remain resolved to have the backs of kids, whose lives are being threatened by his authoritarian tendencies.'
Yomiuri Shimbun
a day ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Mike Johnson Downplays Musk's Influence and Says Republicans Will Pass Trump's Tax and Budget Bill
The Associated Press Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., wraps up a news conference on President Donald Trump's bill of tax breaks and spending cuts, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, June 4, 2025. With an uncharacteristically feistiness, Speaker Mike Johnson took clear sides Sunday in President Donald Trump's breakup with mega-billionaire Elon Musk. The Republican House leader and staunch Trump ally said Musk's criticism of the GOP's massive tax and budget policy bill will not derail the measure, and he downplayed Musk's influence over the GOP-controlled Congress. 'I didn't go out to craft a piece of legislation to please the richest man in the world,' Johnson said on ABC's 'This Week.' 'What we're trying to do is help hardworking Americans who are trying to provide for their families and make ends meet,' Johnson insisted. Johnson said he has exchanged text messages with Musk since the former chief of Trump's Department of Government Efficiency came out against the GOP bill. Musk called it an 'abomination' that would add to U.S. debts and threaten economic stability. He urged voters to flood Capitol Hill with calls to vote against the measure, which is pending in the Senate after clearing the House. His criticism sparked an angry social media back-and-forth with Trump, who told reporters over the weekend that he has no desire to repair his relationship with Musk. The speaker was dismissive of Musk's threats to finance opponents — even Democrats — of Republican members who back Trump's bill. 'We've got almost no calls to the offices, any Republican member of Congress,' Johnson said. 'And I think that indicates that people are taking a wait and see attitude. Some who may be convinced by some of his arguments, but the rest understand: this is a very exciting piece of legislation.' Johnson argued that Musk still believes 'that our policies are better for human flourishing. They're better for the US economy. They're better for everything that he's involved in with his innovation and job creation and entrepreneurship.' The speaker and other Republicans, including Trump's White House budget chief, continued their push back Sunday against forecasts that their tax and budget plans will add to annual deficits and thus balloon a national debt already climbing toward $40 trillion. Johnson insisted that Musk has bad information, and the speaker disputed the forecasts of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office that scores budget legislation. The bill would extend the 2017 Trump tax cuts, cut spending and reduce some other levies but also leave some 10.9 million more people without health insurance and spike deficits by $2.4 trillion over the decade, according to the CBO's analysis. The speaker countered with arguments Republicans have made for decades: That lower taxes and spending cuts would spur economic growth that ensure deficits fall. Annual deficits and the overall debt actually climbed during the administrations of Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush, and during Trump's first presidency, even after sweeping tax cuts. Russell Vought, who leads the White House Office of Budget and Management, said on Fox News Sunday that CBO analysts base their models of 'artificial baselines.' Because the 2017 tax law set the lower rates to expire, CBO's cost estimates, Vought argued, presuming a return to the higher rates before that law went into effect. Vought acknowledged CBO's charge from Congress is to analyze legislation and current law as it is written. But he said the office could issue additional analyses, implying it would be friendlier to GOP goals. Asked whether the White House would ask for alternative estimates, Vought again put the burden on CBO, repeating that congressional rules allow the office to publish more analysis. Other Republicans, meanwhile, approached the Trump-Musk battle cautiously. 'As a former professional fighter, I learned a long time ago, don't get between two fighters,' said Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin on CNN's 'State of the Union.' He even compared the two billionaire businessmen to a married couple. 'President Trump is a friend of mine but I don't need to get, I can have friends that have disagreements,' Mullin said. 'My wife and I dearly love each other and every now and then, well actually quite often, sometimes she disagrees with me, but that doesn't mean that we can't stay focused on what's best for our family. Right now, there may be a disagreement but we're laser focused on what is best for the American people.'
Japan Today
a day ago
- Japan Today
Mike Johnson downplays Musk's influence and says Republicans will pass Trump's tax and budget bill
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., wraps up a news conference on President Donald Trump's bill of tax breaks and spending cuts, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) By BILL BARROW With an uncharacteristically feistiness, Speaker Mike Johnson took clear sides Sunday in President Donald Trump's breakup with mega-billionaire Elon Musk. The Republican House leader and staunch Trump ally said Musk's criticism of the GOP's massive tax and budget policy bill will not derail the measure, and he downplayed Musk's influence over the GOP-controlled Congress. 'I didn't go out to craft a piece of legislation to please the richest man in the world,' Johnson said on ABC's 'This Week.' 'What we're trying to do is help hardworking Americans who are trying to provide for their families and make ends meet.' Johnson said he has exchanged text messages with Musk since the former chief of Trump's Department of Government Efficiency came out against the GOP bill. Musk called it an 'abomination' that would add to U.S. debts and threaten economic stability. He urged voters to flood Capitol Hill with calls to vote against the measure, which is pending in the Senate after clearing the House. His criticism sparked an angry social media back-and-forth with Trump, who told reporters over the weekend that he has no desire to repair his relationship with Musk. The speaker was dismissive of Musk's threats to finance opponents — even Democrats — of Republican members who back Trump's bill. 'We've got almost no calls to the offices, any Republican member of Congress,' Johnson said. 'And I think that indicates that people are taking a wait and see attitude. Some who may be convinced by some of his arguments, but the rest understand: this is a very exciting piece of legislation.' Johnson argued that Musk still believes 'that our policies are better for human flourishing. They're better for the US economy. They're better for everything that he's involved in with his innovation and job creation and entrepreneurship.' The speaker and other Republicans, including Trump's White House budget chief, continued their push back Sunday against forecasts that their tax and budget plans will add to annual deficits and thus balloon a national debt already climbing toward $40 trillion. Johnson insisted that Musk has bad information, and the speaker disputed the forecasts of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office that scores budget legislation. The bill would extend the 2017 Trump tax cuts, cut spending and reduce some other levies but also leave some 10.9 million more people without health insurance and spike deficits by $2.4 trillion over the decade, according to the CBO's analysis. The speaker countered with arguments Republicans have made for decades: That lower taxes and spending cuts would spur economic growth that ensure deficits fall. Russell Vought, who leads the White House Office of Budget and Management, said on Fox News Sunday that CBO analysts base their models of 'artificial baselines.' Because the 2017 tax law set the lower rates to expire, CBO's cost estimates, Vought argued, presuming a return to the higher rates before that law went into effect. Vought acknowledged CBO's charge from Congress is to analyze legislation and current law as it is written. But he said the office could issue additional analyses, implying it would be friendlier to GOP goals. Asked whether the White House would ask for alternative estimates, Vought again put the burden on CBO, repeating that congressional rules allow the office to publish more analysis. Other Republicans, meanwhile, approached the Trump-Musk battle cautiously. 'As a former professional fighter, I learned a long time ago, don't get between two fighters,' said Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin on CNN's 'State of the Union.' He even compared the two billionaire businessmen to a married couple. 'President Trump is a friend of mine but I don't need to get, I can have friends that have disagreements,' Mullin said. 'My wife and I dearly love each other and every now and then, well actually quite often, sometimes she disagrees with me, but that doesn't mean that we can't stay focused on what's best for our family. Right now, there may be a disagreement but we're laser focused on what is best for the American people.' —- Associated Press journalist Gary Fields contributed from Washington. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
