Judge restores Democrat to Federal Trade Commission, ruling her firing by Trump was illegal
U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan ruled late Thursday that federal law protects FTC commissioners from being removed by the president without cause, citing a key 1935 U.S. Supreme Court decision involving the FTC.
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Toronto Star
an hour ago
- Toronto Star
Police escort Texas Democrats to prevent new redistricting walkout as California moves to retaliate
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Democrats who ended a walkout found themselves shadowed by law enforcement officers to keep them from repeating the protest that stalled Republican efforts to redraw congressional districts and fulfill President Donald Trump's desire to reshape U.S. House maps. Republicans in the Texas House forced returning Democrats to sign what the Democrats called 'permission slips,' agreeing to around-the-clock surveillance by state Department of Public Safety officers to leave the floor. However, Democratic Rep. Nicole Collier, of Fort Worth, refused and remained on the House floor Monday night.
CBC
3 hours ago
- CBC
Zelenskyy is back in Trump's good books as the U.S. pushes for peace in Ukraine
Social Sharing The last time Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was in the Oval Office he endured one of the most humiliating diplomatic disputes ever captured on camera as he was chewed out by his American counterpart and dressed down for not dressing up. Monday's encounter between Zelenskyy and U.S. President Donald Trump was a vast improvement over that last Oval Office thrashing, which every foreign leader who's passed through that space since then, including Prime Minister Mark Carney, has tried desperately to avoid. At a pre-meeting media event with the two men seated in the same places where things previously went off the rails, Trump played nice. The president's message to the Ukrainian people? "We love them." Trump will be at peace talks 'if you both want me there' Trump acknowledged Ukraine's suffering after more than three years of Russian atrocities and invoked his wife's pain and sorrow at seeing the country's children being butchered by the Russian war machine. "She loves children and she hates to see something like this happening. She sees the heartbreak. We want to see something other than funerals," Trump said of the first lady, who wrote a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin over the weekend saying "it is time" to bring the conflict to a close. During his visit, Zelenskyy brought a letter from his own wife for Melania Trump to acknowledge her peace-making efforts. Trump also floated American security guarantees to protect Ukraine from further hostilities if a peace deal materializes — a longtime Ukrainian demand that the Americans have rejected outright in the past. WATCH | Zelenskyy says security guarantees key to ending war: Zelenskyy says security guarantees key to ending war 12 hours ago Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he hoped Monday's meeting at the White House with several European leaders and U.S. President Donald Trump would lead to trilateral talks with Russian President Vladamir Putin and a permanent end to Russian aggression against Ukraine. Trump said he wasn't all that keen on participating in an expected meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin in the near future to discuss the terms of a peace deal. But the U.S. president said he's willing to do it, if that's what's required. "If you both want me there, I'll be there," he said. Zelenskyy assured him that "Ukraine will be happy" to have him at such a meeting. The wartime Ukrainian leader, who at times looked visibly relieved as he basked in his much-improved fortunes seven months after the last disastrous showing, said the bilateral discussion "really was the best one" they have ever had. "Or maybe the best one will be in the future." "We spoke about very sensitive points," Zelenskyy said after Monday's Oval Office meeting, making it known that Trump's about-face on protecting Ukraine from any further Russian incursions would be a major breakthrough — if it comes together. "We are very happy," he said. Zelenskyy suits up, offers his thanks In February, Zelenskyy was attacked by Vice-President JD Vance for wearing his ubiquitous military-style outfit to meet with his American benefactors. This time, Trump said the black suit-clad leader looked "fabulous" and approved of his sartorial choices. "I love it," Trump said as he admired Zelenskyy's collared shirt while greeting him at the West Wing portico on arrival. Trump pointed out the conservative reporter who criticized Zelenskyy's previous outfit choice. "That's the one who attacked you the last time," Trump said. "I remember," Zeleneskyy said, while taking a dig at the scribe for supposedly wearing the same suit he had on in February. "You see, I changed and you didn't," he joked. That wasn't the only thing Zeleneskky remembered from that shellacking. The Breakdown | Trump and Zelenskyy Oval Office fight 6 months ago Criticized for supposedly not being appreciative enough of American efforts to backstop part of the Ukrainian war effort — "You have to be thankful, you don't have the cards," Trump said while hectoring him on live television — Zelenskyy uttered thank yous throughout. "Thank you very much for the invitation," he said. Later, he said he was "thankful" for the Americans supplying cutting-edge military technology to hold back the advancing Russians. "Thank you very much for your efforts, personal efforts, to stop the killings and stop this war. Thank you," he said at another point. Ukraine may get U.S. protection guarantees More importantly, Trump, who has made it no secret he's growing weary of this lengthy war, backed off from some of his more pugilistic remarks about ending American support. "You either make a deal or we are out," Trump barked at Zelenskyy the last time they met in that space, suggesting he would pull U.S. resources if the conflict dragged on any longer. WATCH | Ceasefire not necessary for peace between Ukraine, Russia, Trump says: Trump says ceasefire not necessary to get peace in Ukraine 14 hours ago U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday ahead of a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and key European leaders that he can negotiate an end to the war without a ceasefire that would first bring a temporary pause in the fighting. Asked today if he'd end U.S. involvement if Zelenskyy balks at the terms Trump discussed with Putin last week in Alaska, Trump said: "It's never the end of the road." "People are being killed and we want to stop that. I would not say it's the end of the road. No, I think we have a good chance of doing it," Trump said of getting a peace deal. Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, said the U.S. and its European partners may offer "Article 5-like protection" to Ukraine, a reference to NATO's collective defence mandate. "We're going to help them out," Trump said. Trump rules out Ukraine joining NATO, taking back Crimea Still, Trump hasn't changed his tune on everything. In a social media post before the meeting, Trump flatly ruled out Ukraine joining NATO on his watch. The president also said Ukraine has to give up taking back Crimea, Ukrainian territory that was annexed by Russia in 2014. Those are two major concessions that will please Putin, who Trump insists is open to a deal to bring the conflict to a close. Zelenskyy may also have to cede other territory to cut a deal with the Russian president, who has his eyes set on the Donbas in Ukraine's east. Part of that region, which includes many native Russian speakers, is occupied by Putin's forces and ruled by his proxies — but not all of it. Giving away too much land in that crucial industrial area would be devastating for the country's future, said Inna Sovsun, a member of Ukraine's Parliament. "That is the worst case scenario that I think everybody is very much concerned about. I very much hope that that's not going to happen," she said in an interview. But that's for another day. Avoiding another Oval Office showdown was a promising first step. The finer details of a potential peace deal are what could derail everything the next time these two leaders meet.
Japan Forward
5 hours ago
- Japan Forward
US-China Trade War: How Long Can the CCP Hold On?
It has now been over four months since the second round of the United States-China trade war began. Both countries have released much of their economic data for the first half of 2025, giving a clearer view of the battle. The overall conclusion is sobering. President Donald Trump's return and the renewed trade war have disrupted Beijing's long-term plan. That plan aimed to transform China into a "super-sized North Korea" through prolonged social and economic suppression — what some have called a policy of "intentional depression." And this disruption could trigger a brittle economic fracture beyond the Chinese Communist Party's control. Simultaneously, however, it could create opportunities for ordinary Chinese. Those who previously saw little hope of organized resistance might now find ways to push back against the system. According to official data, China's GDP grew 5.3% in the first half of 2025, reaching about 62% of the US economy. But few believe Beijing's numbers. The truth lies elsewhere, in data that is harder for the regime to manipulate. One such metric comes from China's National Bureau of Statistics, showing the percentage of "industrial enterprises above designated size" that are operating at a loss. In China, this category refers to industrial legal entities with annual main business revenue of 20 million yuan ($2.8 million USD) or more. It covers sectors from manufacturing to energy supply. While Beijing does not directly publish a "loss rate," it does report the total number of above‑scale firms and the number that are loss‑making. Dividing the latter by the former yields the percentage of above‑scale industrial enterprises that are losing money. It's a relatively reliable indicator. From the above chart, the percentage of loss‑making firms among above‑scale industrial enterprises remained around 11.9% through 2017. In 2018, when the first US-China trade war began, that percentage started to rise sharply. By 2024, it had doubled to 22.8%. After the second trade war erupted in April 2025, economic pressure intensified. By May, the percentage of loss‑making firms jumped to 30.4%. On this trajectory, it could approach 40% by year's end. It's a level economists consider macroeconomically unsustainable, where nationwide cash flow breakdowns and disruptions to production are a real risk. A brittle fracture now seems close at hand. A parallel warning signal comes from industrial capacity utilization rates. In 2016, this rate hit a historic low of 73.8%, prompting Beijing to inflate a property bubble to prop up related industries. From 2017 to 2021, utilization stabilized around 78%. But after the property market collapsed in 2021, utilization dropped again, holding around 76% from 2022 to 2024. In the second quarter of 2025, under escalating tariffs, it slipped to 74%. That put it back near the historic low of 2016. This means more than a quarter of China's industrial enterprises have no work to do, and over a third are losing money. The picture is bleaker than the Great Depression of the 1930s. Even fixed asset investment, the last pillar of economic stability, has begun to shrink. Official investment data in China is notoriously unreliable, but even manipulated figures are now grim. China's National Bureau of Statistics claims a 2.8% year-on-year rise in fixed asset investment for the first half of 2025. However, simple division of their own published numbers shows the real increase was just 1.3%. Monthly trends are worse. Growth fell from 3.5% in January to February to –1.2% by June. This suggests local statistics offices can no longer fully falsify figures as the real Chinese economy deteriorates. More trustworthy indicators confirm the decline. Ministry of Transport data show road and waterway investment fell 7.7% year-on-year in the first five months. Cement production, an indirect gauge of construction activity, fell 4.1%. This came even after a massive $320 billion USD special bond issuance, which temporarily blunted what could have been a 15% drop. With the real economy in decline, China's financial system has increasingly funneled funds toward government debt. In the first half of 2019, government bonds made up 16.8% of total social financing growth. By the same period in 2024, that share had risen to 18.4%. The real shift came in 2025. With restrictions on bond purchases lifted, local governments unleashed unprecedented issuance. In the first half of 2025, government bond growth hit $1 trillion, up 129% from 2024. It accounted for 33.5% of total new financing. This excludes the "rollover" of existing debt. Total bond issuance in the first half reached $1.89 trillion, meaning $890 billion was simply borrowed to repay old loans. Economists now warn the Chinese financial system could lose liquidity entirely by early 2026, triggering a second "cash crunch" far worse than the one in 2013. Faced with looming collapse, Beijing has done little to revive the economy. Its only real move has been to scrap all real estate restrictions, encouraging citizens to buy homes in a last-ditch effort to extract funds from the public. Most government energy has instead been put into tightening social control and extracting money by force. In one shocking case, police in Zigong, Sichuan province, froze 14 million yuan ($1.5 million USD) in bank deposits belonging to 79 people, most of whom had no connection to the city. "Property Freeze Assistance Notices" issued by Zigong Public Security: No 295 (January 11, 2025) freezing assets January 22–July 21, 2025, and No 346 (July 4, 2025) extending the freeze to January 19, 2026. No evidence was presented, and no charges were filed. Victims were told to "prove the legitimacy" of every deposit to have their accounts unfrozen. Many only learned of the freeze when trying to make withdrawals, including some elderly pensioners. Police renewed the freeze after six months without notifying them. This "long-distance fishing," a term once used to describe police targeting private entrepreneurs' assets, has now expanded to ordinary citizens. From macroeconomic indicators to this disturbing case in Zigong, the picture is clear. China's economy is accelerating toward systemic collapse. Unfortunately, this trajectory would drive countless ordinary people into hardship. Yet, paradoxically, it could also open a rare window for resistance in a society long stifled by the Chinese Communist Party's security apparatus. When the brittle fracture comes, it may be sudden. But its impact will be felt far beyond China's borders. Author: Jennifer Zeng Find Jennifer Zeng's articles on JAPAN Forward . Follow her on X (formerly Twitter) and on her blog page, Jennifer's World . Keywords/tags:
