Sharks are the stars of a splashy new exhibit at the New York Aquarium. The new exhibit is a major step in the beachfront facility’s recovery from the devastating impact of 2012’s Superstorm Sandy. Faith Lapidus reports.
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Month: June 2018
US, Russia to Address Differences in Helsinki Summit
U.S. and Russian leaders have agreed to meet July 16 to discuss long-standing disagreements on global issues such as conflicts in Ukraine and Syria, Russia’s interference in the 2016 U.S. elections and NATO’s expansion into Eastern Europe. The summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin comes on the heels of the NATO summit in Brussels, but the two leaders have chosen neutral territory to meet. VOA’s Zlatica Hoke has more.
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US, Russia to Address Differences in Helsinki Summit
U.S. and Russian leaders have agreed to meet July 16 to discuss long-standing disagreements on global issues such as conflicts in Ukraine and Syria, Russia’s interference in the 2016 U.S. elections and NATO’s expansion into Eastern Europe. The summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin comes on the heels of the NATO summit in Brussels, but the two leaders have chosen neutral territory to meet. VOA’s Zlatica Hoke has more.
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EU Leaders Reach Agreement on Migration
European Union leaders reached a deal early Friday morning on migration.
French President Emmanuel Macron said the agreement was “good news” and “European cooperation” prevailed over the talks that began Thursday evening and ended at dawn Friday.
EU Council President Donald Tusk said in a tweet early Friday that the 28 EU “leaders have agreed” on a compromise that was at the heart of their two-day summit.
The deal establishes reception centers for migrants and asylum seekers in EU member states that volunteer to have them.
Italy had blocked the adoption of any agreements at the European Union summit in Brussels, demanding that the bloc do more to help Rome’s migration crisis.
Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte said Italy will decide later whether it will host any reception centers.
Italy’s month-old populist government had refused to sign any joint agreements, instead holding out for action by other European countries to help deal with the migrants and refugees coming to Italy from North Africa.
“Italy doesn’t need any more verbal signs, but concrete deeds,’’ Conte said.
EU sources described the talks as “virulent,” according to the French news agency.
Summit participants are planning to set up screening facilities in North African countries to slow the stream of people crossing the Mediterranean Sea to get to the EU, often through Italy. While no countries have as yet agreed to host such screening posts, EU leaders hope to entice them with aid money.
Arrivals to the continent have dropped sharply since a 2015 crisis that drew sharp divisions among the bloc’s 28 members about how they should respond. Some countries promoted more open-door policies, while others set up barriers to prevent those who reached Europe from crossing their borders.
The EU said in 2015 there were more than 1.8 million illegal border crossings into member countries. EU President Donald Tusk wrote in a letter ahead of the summit that the number of illegal crossings has dropped by 96 percent since its peak.
Policies already enacted have helped push that number down, notably an agreement with Turkey for the Turkish government to help cut off migration routes and to accept the return of those who make the journey from Turkey to Greece. The EU also began work to tackle the root causes pushing people from their home country.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who was among the most open to accepting migrants during the height of the crisis, is under pressure at home from critics who say Germany has been too welcoming.
She told parliament Thursday before heading to Brussels that she made the right decision in an exceptional situation, but that with the current situation the EU should put in place tighter controls. Merkel said that while there is division among members, they are united in the need to reduce overall migration, stop smugglers and strengthen the EU’s external borders.
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EU Leaders Reach Agreement on Migration
European Union leaders reached a deal early Friday morning on migration.
French President Emmanuel Macron said the agreement was “good news” and “European cooperation” prevailed over the talks that began Thursday evening and ended at dawn Friday.
EU Council President Donald Tusk said in a tweet early Friday that the 28 EU “leaders have agreed” on a compromise that was at the heart of their two-day summit.
The deal establishes reception centers for migrants and asylum seekers in EU member states that volunteer to have them.
Italy had blocked the adoption of any agreements at the European Union summit in Brussels, demanding that the bloc do more to help Rome’s migration crisis.
Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte said Italy will decide later whether it will host any reception centers.
Italy’s month-old populist government had refused to sign any joint agreements, instead holding out for action by other European countries to help deal with the migrants and refugees coming to Italy from North Africa.
“Italy doesn’t need any more verbal signs, but concrete deeds,’’ Conte said.
EU sources described the talks as “virulent,” according to the French news agency.
Summit participants are planning to set up screening facilities in North African countries to slow the stream of people crossing the Mediterranean Sea to get to the EU, often through Italy. While no countries have as yet agreed to host such screening posts, EU leaders hope to entice them with aid money.
Arrivals to the continent have dropped sharply since a 2015 crisis that drew sharp divisions among the bloc’s 28 members about how they should respond. Some countries promoted more open-door policies, while others set up barriers to prevent those who reached Europe from crossing their borders.
The EU said in 2015 there were more than 1.8 million illegal border crossings into member countries. EU President Donald Tusk wrote in a letter ahead of the summit that the number of illegal crossings has dropped by 96 percent since its peak.
Policies already enacted have helped push that number down, notably an agreement with Turkey for the Turkish government to help cut off migration routes and to accept the return of those who make the journey from Turkey to Greece. The EU also began work to tackle the root causes pushing people from their home country.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who was among the most open to accepting migrants during the height of the crisis, is under pressure at home from critics who say Germany has been too welcoming.
She told parliament Thursday before heading to Brussels that she made the right decision in an exceptional situation, but that with the current situation the EU should put in place tighter controls. Merkel said that while there is division among members, they are united in the need to reduce overall migration, stop smugglers and strengthen the EU’s external borders.
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US Delegation Attends Kenya’s Inaugural Economic Summit
A U.S. delegation traveled to Kenya on Thursday to attend the inaugural economic summit of the American Chamber of Commerce, Kenya.
About 500 delegates, including Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and Gilbert Kaplan, U.S. undersecretary of commerce for international trade, other high-ranking government officials from both nations and representatives from nearly 30 major U.S. corporations, gathered at the summit, which was aimed at creating partnerships between the two nations’ public and private sectors in order to foster economic growth.
The Kenyan agenda was centered on advancing Kenyatta’s “Big Four” priorities — universal health care, manufacturing, food security and affordable housing — that he set out after his re-election to a second term last year.
American companies in attendance were looking for opportunities to expand and to increase trade and investment in Africa.
Kaplan told VOA that increasing business and economic development in Africa would benefit many Americans, which aligns with the promises of President Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” agenda.
“If we can export more and do more transactions here, do more investment here, that’s going to be incredibly helpful for the United States, for the people back home, because we’ll be making profitable ventures, and that will naturally help,” he said.
But the U.S. delegation also had a strong message for Kenya: Real, meaningful economic growth can’t happen unless Kenya commits to fighting corruption.
‘It’s got to stop’
“Corruption is undermining Kenya’s future,” said Robert Godec, U.S. ambassador to Kenya. “It’s clearly a major problem for the country. We welcome President Kenyatta’s commitment and the push recently to address this problem. Corruption is theft from the people, and it’s got to stop.”
In his speech to the delegation, Kenyatta pledged to “fight this animal called corruption and ensure that it is a beast that shall never infect or inflict future generations” of Kenyans.
Kaplan told VOA that the U.S. government was providing support and training to the Kenyan government to help tackle corruption.
“We’ve dealt with that — the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, rule of law and international standards,” he said. “I think we can convince Kenya that following those rules is ultimately to their benefit because it brings more businessmen and women into the system and being able to be successful.”
Part of the objective of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act is to make it illegal for companies and their supervisors to influence foreign officials with personal payments or rewards.
C.D. Glin, president and chief executive of the U.S. African Development Foundation, told VOA that the U.S. government’s and private sector’s support of businesses in Africa that had ramped up under the previous administration was being continued by Trump.
For instance, the President’s Advisory Council for Doing Business in Africa, begun under the Barack Obama administration and still in force, “really is looking at Africa from a business standpoint and from an opportunity standpoint so that Africans can benefit from U.S. support, but also can support the U.S.,” Glin said.
Major boost
Nicholas Nesbitt, chairman of the Kenya Private Sector Alliance, said the increased U.S. private sector investment had been hugely beneficial for the Kenyan economy.
“We see a lot more tourism coming to Kenya, a lot more trade and a lot more business,” he said. “We’re very excited to see the numbers of American companies — small, midsize and even large corporations — looking at Kenya as a destination. It’s also a gateway to east Africa, where there are 200 million potential consumers. So, the investments, the energy, the excitement is absolutely tremendous today at this summit between American and Kenyan business.”
Six commercial deals between Kenyan and American companies were signed at the summit. Maxwell Okello, chief executive of the American Chamber of Commerce, Kenya, called that a sign that significant economic change would be driven by private sector innovation.
“I think at the end of the day, with what we’re hearing today here, it’s really down to what the private sector wants to do from a commercial engagement,” he said. “And I believe conversations such as this is really where you spark that interest, where you create those linkages and the sort of engagement that you need. And the opportunities are there for anyone. They’re obvious.
“So, I think that various policies aside, from a commercial business engagement perspective, the sky is wide open.”
…
US Delegation Attends Kenya’s Inaugural Economic Summit
A U.S. delegation traveled to Kenya on Thursday to attend the inaugural economic summit of the American Chamber of Commerce, Kenya.
About 500 delegates, including Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and Gilbert Kaplan, U.S. undersecretary of commerce for international trade, other high-ranking government officials from both nations and representatives from nearly 30 major U.S. corporations, gathered at the summit, which was aimed at creating partnerships between the two nations’ public and private sectors in order to foster economic growth.
The Kenyan agenda was centered on advancing Kenyatta’s “Big Four” priorities — universal health care, manufacturing, food security and affordable housing — that he set out after his re-election to a second term last year.
American companies in attendance were looking for opportunities to expand and to increase trade and investment in Africa.
Kaplan told VOA that increasing business and economic development in Africa would benefit many Americans, which aligns with the promises of President Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” agenda.
“If we can export more and do more transactions here, do more investment here, that’s going to be incredibly helpful for the United States, for the people back home, because we’ll be making profitable ventures, and that will naturally help,” he said.
But the U.S. delegation also had a strong message for Kenya: Real, meaningful economic growth can’t happen unless Kenya commits to fighting corruption.
‘It’s got to stop’
“Corruption is undermining Kenya’s future,” said Robert Godec, U.S. ambassador to Kenya. “It’s clearly a major problem for the country. We welcome President Kenyatta’s commitment and the push recently to address this problem. Corruption is theft from the people, and it’s got to stop.”
In his speech to the delegation, Kenyatta pledged to “fight this animal called corruption and ensure that it is a beast that shall never infect or inflict future generations” of Kenyans.
Kaplan told VOA that the U.S. government was providing support and training to the Kenyan government to help tackle corruption.
“We’ve dealt with that — the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, rule of law and international standards,” he said. “I think we can convince Kenya that following those rules is ultimately to their benefit because it brings more businessmen and women into the system and being able to be successful.”
Part of the objective of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act is to make it illegal for companies and their supervisors to influence foreign officials with personal payments or rewards.
C.D. Glin, president and chief executive of the U.S. African Development Foundation, told VOA that the U.S. government’s and private sector’s support of businesses in Africa that had ramped up under the previous administration was being continued by Trump.
For instance, the President’s Advisory Council for Doing Business in Africa, begun under the Barack Obama administration and still in force, “really is looking at Africa from a business standpoint and from an opportunity standpoint so that Africans can benefit from U.S. support, but also can support the U.S.,” Glin said.
Major boost
Nicholas Nesbitt, chairman of the Kenya Private Sector Alliance, said the increased U.S. private sector investment had been hugely beneficial for the Kenyan economy.
“We see a lot more tourism coming to Kenya, a lot more trade and a lot more business,” he said. “We’re very excited to see the numbers of American companies — small, midsize and even large corporations — looking at Kenya as a destination. It’s also a gateway to east Africa, where there are 200 million potential consumers. So, the investments, the energy, the excitement is absolutely tremendous today at this summit between American and Kenyan business.”
Six commercial deals between Kenyan and American companies were signed at the summit. Maxwell Okello, chief executive of the American Chamber of Commerce, Kenya, called that a sign that significant economic change would be driven by private sector innovation.
“I think at the end of the day, with what we’re hearing today here, it’s really down to what the private sector wants to do from a commercial engagement,” he said. “And I believe conversations such as this is really where you spark that interest, where you create those linkages and the sort of engagement that you need. And the opportunities are there for anyone. They’re obvious.
“So, I think that various policies aside, from a commercial business engagement perspective, the sky is wide open.”
…
UN: 10,000 Children Killed, Maimed in Conflicts Worldwide in 2017
More than 10,000 children were killed or maimed last year in armed conflicts around the world, a U.N. report said this week.
More than 21,000 “grave violations” of children’s rights were reported in 2017, a sharp increase from the year before, according to the annual Children and Armed Conflict report that was released Wednesday.
“Despite some progress, the level of violations remains unacceptable,” said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
The report covers 20 countries, including hot spots such as Yemen, Syria and Afghanistan.
According to the report:
— The Saudi Arabia-led coalition was responsible for at least half of the more than 1,300 child deaths in Yemen. It was also responsible for injuring more than 300 children.
— Nigeria and Iraq imprisoned 2,200 and 1,000 children, respectively, because their families were allegedly associated with terrorist groups.
— Al-Shabab extremists in Somalia abducted more than 1,600 children to use as soldiers or sex slaves.
— In South Sudan, more than 1,200 children were recruited as soldiers.
— In Yemen, there were more than 840 cases of boys as young as 11 being recruited and used as soldiers.
“The point is, these kids should not be treated like children of a lesser God; they deserve the same rights as every kid to live their lives at least meaningfully and to be given a chance at recovery,” said Virginia Gamba, the U.N. special representative for children and armed conflict.
Gamba said crises in the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen were the main reasons for the “serious increases” in violations reported.
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UN: 10,000 Children Killed, Maimed in Conflicts Worldwide in 2017
More than 10,000 children were killed or maimed last year in armed conflicts around the world, a U.N. report said this week.
More than 21,000 “grave violations” of children’s rights were reported in 2017, a sharp increase from the year before, according to the annual Children and Armed Conflict report that was released Wednesday.
“Despite some progress, the level of violations remains unacceptable,” said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
The report covers 20 countries, including hot spots such as Yemen, Syria and Afghanistan.
According to the report:
— The Saudi Arabia-led coalition was responsible for at least half of the more than 1,300 child deaths in Yemen. It was also responsible for injuring more than 300 children.
— Nigeria and Iraq imprisoned 2,200 and 1,000 children, respectively, because their families were allegedly associated with terrorist groups.
— Al-Shabab extremists in Somalia abducted more than 1,600 children to use as soldiers or sex slaves.
— In South Sudan, more than 1,200 children were recruited as soldiers.
— In Yemen, there were more than 840 cases of boys as young as 11 being recruited and used as soldiers.
“The point is, these kids should not be treated like children of a lesser God; they deserve the same rights as every kid to live their lives at least meaningfully and to be given a chance at recovery,” said Virginia Gamba, the U.N. special representative for children and armed conflict.
Gamba said crises in the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen were the main reasons for the “serious increases” in violations reported.
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At UN, South Sudan Cease-fire Welcomed With Cautious Optimism
African countries on the U.N. Security Council welcomed Thursday the signing of a permanent cease-fire between South Sudan’s president and his former vice president, but they expressed concern that, like previous agreements, it may not last.
President Salva Kiir and his rival and former vice president, Riek Machar, signed the framework on Tuesday in Khartoum.
South Sudan’s U.N. ambassador, Akuei Bona Malwal, said the declaration includes other warring parties, and they have all pledged to work together to bring peace to the country.
“While the document signed is a framework for peace, we are hopeful and very optimistic that a final agreement will be concluded in the very near future,” Malwal said. “At this juncture, I would like to announce that in the next few hours President Salva Kiir will decree a comprehensive cease-fire all over South Sudan.”
Security Council members welcomed the sign of progress after more than four years of a bloody civil war that has seen thousands killed and more than 4 million displaced from their homes or made refugees. The fighting has caused a humanitarian catastrophe, with 7 million South Sudanese requiring humanitarian assistance this year.
Equatorial Guinea’s deputy U.N. ambassador, Job Obiang Esono Mbengono, said the peace declaration is a step on the right path.
“However, we are cautious when comes to optimism, since it is not first time the parties have reached agreements and not respected them,” Mbengono said through an interpreter. “Hence, we call on leaders to show responsibility.”
Ethiopian envoy Tekeda Alemu said the coming days would be critical.
“What matters now is, of course, for the parties to honor this commitment and implement the cease-fire,” Alemu said.
Cote d’Ivoire’s envoy also urged the parties to honor their commitments and said his government supports deploying a joint IGAD and African Union force to enforce the cease-fire.
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At UN, South Sudan Cease-fire Welcomed With Cautious Optimism
African countries on the U.N. Security Council welcomed Thursday the signing of a permanent cease-fire between South Sudan’s president and his former vice president, but they expressed concern that, like previous agreements, it may not last.
President Salva Kiir and his rival and former vice president, Riek Machar, signed the framework on Tuesday in Khartoum.
South Sudan’s U.N. ambassador, Akuei Bona Malwal, said the declaration includes other warring parties, and they have all pledged to work together to bring peace to the country.
“While the document signed is a framework for peace, we are hopeful and very optimistic that a final agreement will be concluded in the very near future,” Malwal said. “At this juncture, I would like to announce that in the next few hours President Salva Kiir will decree a comprehensive cease-fire all over South Sudan.”
Security Council members welcomed the sign of progress after more than four years of a bloody civil war that has seen thousands killed and more than 4 million displaced from their homes or made refugees. The fighting has caused a humanitarian catastrophe, with 7 million South Sudanese requiring humanitarian assistance this year.
Equatorial Guinea’s deputy U.N. ambassador, Job Obiang Esono Mbengono, said the peace declaration is a step on the right path.
“However, we are cautious when comes to optimism, since it is not first time the parties have reached agreements and not respected them,” Mbengono said through an interpreter. “Hence, we call on leaders to show responsibility.”
Ethiopian envoy Tekeda Alemu said the coming days would be critical.
“What matters now is, of course, for the parties to honor this commitment and implement the cease-fire,” Alemu said.
Cote d’Ivoire’s envoy also urged the parties to honor their commitments and said his government supports deploying a joint IGAD and African Union force to enforce the cease-fire.
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UK Committee Says Brits Knew of US Prisoner Mistreatment
A U.K. parliamentary committee concluded Thursday that it is beyond doubt that British intelligence agencies knew the United States was mistreating people detained after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
A report by Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee found Britain knew of the mistreatment at an early stage and that “more could have been done” by authorities to attempt to influence American behavior.
The report showed that in 198 cases, British authorities received intelligence obtained from detainees whom they knew —or should have suspected — had been mistreated.
In 232 cases, UK personnel continued to supply questions or intelligence to allies after they knew or suspected mistreatment, the report said.
The committee acknowledged that British authorities didn’t want to risk losing access to vital intelligence during frenetic efforts at the time to prevent another attack. But the seriousness of Britain’s position was “slow to dawn,” it said.
The agencies appeared to be “deliberately turning a blind eye so as not to damage the relationship and risk the flow of intelligence; if the agencies started raising concerns, the U.S. could have refused U.K. officers access to the detainees and stopped passing on any intelligence they obtained,” it said.
The committee, which took 50 hours of oral evidence and reviewed 40,000 documents, rejected the agencies’ claims that the cases cited were “isolated incidents.”
“It is difficult to comprehend how those at the top of the office did not recognize the pattern of mistreatment by the U.S,” it said.
Human rights campaigners have called for a judge-led inquiry into detentions and renditions in the so-called war on terror, describing the parliamentary report as too limited to give a full picture. Their concern was born out when the committee — chaired by Conservative Party lawmaker Dominic Grieve — underscored it was denied access to “those who had been on the ground at the time.”
“The committee has therefore concluded – reluctantly – that it must draw a line under the inquiry,” the report said. “This is regrettable.”
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UK Committee Says Brits Knew of US Prisoner Mistreatment
A U.K. parliamentary committee concluded Thursday that it is beyond doubt that British intelligence agencies knew the United States was mistreating people detained after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
A report by Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee found Britain knew of the mistreatment at an early stage and that “more could have been done” by authorities to attempt to influence American behavior.
The report showed that in 198 cases, British authorities received intelligence obtained from detainees whom they knew —or should have suspected — had been mistreated.
In 232 cases, UK personnel continued to supply questions or intelligence to allies after they knew or suspected mistreatment, the report said.
The committee acknowledged that British authorities didn’t want to risk losing access to vital intelligence during frenetic efforts at the time to prevent another attack. But the seriousness of Britain’s position was “slow to dawn,” it said.
The agencies appeared to be “deliberately turning a blind eye so as not to damage the relationship and risk the flow of intelligence; if the agencies started raising concerns, the U.S. could have refused U.K. officers access to the detainees and stopped passing on any intelligence they obtained,” it said.
The committee, which took 50 hours of oral evidence and reviewed 40,000 documents, rejected the agencies’ claims that the cases cited were “isolated incidents.”
“It is difficult to comprehend how those at the top of the office did not recognize the pattern of mistreatment by the U.S,” it said.
Human rights campaigners have called for a judge-led inquiry into detentions and renditions in the so-called war on terror, describing the parliamentary report as too limited to give a full picture. Their concern was born out when the committee — chaired by Conservative Party lawmaker Dominic Grieve — underscored it was denied access to “those who had been on the ground at the time.”
“The committee has therefore concluded – reluctantly – that it must draw a line under the inquiry,” the report said. “This is regrettable.”
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Contentious Confirmation Process Looms After Supreme Court Justice Retirement
The retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy, the key swing vote on the U.S. Supreme Court, gives President Donald Trump a coveted opportunity make the second high court appointment of his term and sets the stage for one of the most contentious confirmation battles in decades.
During his 30 years on the bench, Kennedy, an 81-year old, Republican appointee, has often broken ranks with his conservative colleagues to cast the decisive vote in a string of consequential cases, including those involving abortion, gay rights and voting rights.
His retirement becomes effective at the end of July and whoever Trump picks to replace him could push the bench further to the right.
While conservatives see a rare opening for another right-leaning high court appointment, liberals, are vowing to stop it, fearing a conservative-dominated court could reverse precedents on abortion and gay rights, among other decisions.
Abortion ruling
Among his most noteworthy decisions, Kennedy co-authored a 1992 ruling that reaffirmed women’s constitutional right to abortion, and in 2015 he wrote the majority opinion in a landmark decision that legalized same-sex marriage in the United States.
Sarah Warbelow, legal director with the Human Rights Campaign, a Washington-based LGBTQ advocacy organization, said Kennedy “was really the architect behind some of the most critical decisions impacting our lives.”
President Trump has called Kennedy a man of “tremendous vision” and said he’d “immediately” begin the search for a replacement.
The minimum number of votes required for a Supreme Court justice nomination used to be 60. But Republicans changed the rules last year to reduce the minimum to a simple majority of 51, the number of members they have in the Senate.
Gorsuch nomination
Last year, Trump nominated conservative judge Neil Gorsuch to replace the late Antonin Scalia, reinstating the court’s 5-4 conservative majority and winning a string of favorable rulings.
Democrats fear that Trump may try to force a nomination through the Senate before the November Congressional election, which could decide which party gets to control the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer urged Republicans on Wednesday not to consider a vote for Trump’s next Supreme Court pick before the elections, reminding them of their refusal to hold a vote in 2016 for then President Barack Obama’s nominee, Merrick Garland.
“Millions of people are just months away from determining the senators who should vote to confirm or reject the president’s nominee, and their voices deserve to be heard now, as Leader (Mitch) McConnell thought they deserved to be heard then. Anything but that would be the absolute height of hypocrisy,” Schumer said in a statement.
Deciding vote
In recent years, the Supreme Court has decided about 20 percent of cases by a 5-4 vote, with the outcome often turning on Justice Kennedy’s vote, according to Charles Geyh, a professor at the Indiana University Maurer School of Law.
Justice Kennedy “was at the center of many of those decisions and many of those decisions are among the most important decisions that the Supreme Court has made,” Geyh, who is an expert on judicial selection, said.
Whoever ends up joining the court, he said, Chief Justice Roberts is likely to serve as a force of moderation.
“Roberts is concerned about the legacy of the court, he’s concerned about a court that is perceived as upholding the court of law, and he’s concerned about a public perception that court is just a group of politicians in robes,” Geyh said.
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Contentious Confirmation Process Looms After Supreme Court Justice Retirement
The retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy, the key swing vote on the U.S. Supreme Court, gives President Donald Trump a coveted opportunity make the second high court appointment of his term and sets the stage for one of the most contentious confirmation battles in decades.
During his 30 years on the bench, Kennedy, an 81-year old, Republican appointee, has often broken ranks with his conservative colleagues to cast the decisive vote in a string of consequential cases, including those involving abortion, gay rights and voting rights.
His retirement becomes effective at the end of July and whoever Trump picks to replace him could push the bench further to the right.
While conservatives see a rare opening for another right-leaning high court appointment, liberals, are vowing to stop it, fearing a conservative-dominated court could reverse precedents on abortion and gay rights, among other decisions.
Abortion ruling
Among his most noteworthy decisions, Kennedy co-authored a 1992 ruling that reaffirmed women’s constitutional right to abortion, and in 2015 he wrote the majority opinion in a landmark decision that legalized same-sex marriage in the United States.
Sarah Warbelow, legal director with the Human Rights Campaign, a Washington-based LGBTQ advocacy organization, said Kennedy “was really the architect behind some of the most critical decisions impacting our lives.”
President Trump has called Kennedy a man of “tremendous vision” and said he’d “immediately” begin the search for a replacement.
The minimum number of votes required for a Supreme Court justice nomination used to be 60. But Republicans changed the rules last year to reduce the minimum to a simple majority of 51, the number of members they have in the Senate.
Gorsuch nomination
Last year, Trump nominated conservative judge Neil Gorsuch to replace the late Antonin Scalia, reinstating the court’s 5-4 conservative majority and winning a string of favorable rulings.
Democrats fear that Trump may try to force a nomination through the Senate before the November Congressional election, which could decide which party gets to control the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer urged Republicans on Wednesday not to consider a vote for Trump’s next Supreme Court pick before the elections, reminding them of their refusal to hold a vote in 2016 for then President Barack Obama’s nominee, Merrick Garland.
“Millions of people are just months away from determining the senators who should vote to confirm or reject the president’s nominee, and their voices deserve to be heard now, as Leader (Mitch) McConnell thought they deserved to be heard then. Anything but that would be the absolute height of hypocrisy,” Schumer said in a statement.
Deciding vote
In recent years, the Supreme Court has decided about 20 percent of cases by a 5-4 vote, with the outcome often turning on Justice Kennedy’s vote, according to Charles Geyh, a professor at the Indiana University Maurer School of Law.
Justice Kennedy “was at the center of many of those decisions and many of those decisions are among the most important decisions that the Supreme Court has made,” Geyh, who is an expert on judicial selection, said.
Whoever ends up joining the court, he said, Chief Justice Roberts is likely to serve as a force of moderation.
“Roberts is concerned about the legacy of the court, he’s concerned about a court that is perceived as upholding the court of law, and he’s concerned about a public perception that court is just a group of politicians in robes,” Geyh said.
…
Trump-Putin Summit Set for Helsinki on July 16
U.S. President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin will hold their first formal summit July 16 in Helsinki.
The summit confirmation by both sides came a day after Trump’s National Security Advisor John Bolton met with top Russian officials, including Putin, to lay the groundwork for the summit.
“President Trump asked me to come and speak to Russian authorities about the possibility of a meeting between him and President Putin,” said Bolton, speaking at a press briefing with international journalists in Moscow on Wednesday.
“There are a wide range of issues despite the differences between us where both President Trump and President Putin feel they can find constructive solutions,” added Bolton. “I’d like to hear someone say that’s a bad idea.”
Hawk becomes dove?
Appointed as a White House National Security Advisor just last March, Bolton — observers noted — made for an odd messenger for friendship with Moscow.
The former Bush administration official has long been regarded as a Russia ‘hawk’ and one of the Kremlin’s harshest critics over election interference, arms control, and other issues.
Yet challenged by reporters over his past statements — including calling President Putin a “liar” — Bolton claimed his past statements had no place in his current role as National Security Advisor.
“Right now I’m an advisor to President Trump. It’s his agenda that we’re pursuing and that’s the agenda I intend to advance,” said Bolton.
‘Political noise’
Wherever and whenever it occurs, the summit is all but certain to intensify scrutiny of the White House’s relationship with Russia amid ongoing U.S. federal investigations into contacts between Trump’s presidential campaign and Kremlin-linked officials on the road to Trump’s 2016 election win.
While the White House and the Kremlin have repeatedly denied those charges as a “witch hunt,” both sides recognized the shadow the investigation has cast over attempts at detente.
Bolton, who last year called Russian election interference “a true act of war,” seemed to comply with the Trump administration Wednesday, at least as far as any possible collusion between the president’s 2016 campaign and Russian operatives.
“A lot of the president’s critics have tried to make political capital out of theories and suppositions that have turned out to be completely erroneous,” said Bolton, adding that Trump had decided to disregard the “political noise.”
Indeed, that point was stressed by Putin in brief comments before cameras as talks got underway.
“From the beginning, it, unfortunately, must be said that Russian-American relations are not in the best shape,” said Putin in addressing Bolton.
“I’ve already said publicly more than once, and want to repeat again in our meetings, that this is mostly due to internal political struggles within the States themselves. Your arrival in Moscow instills hope that we can make at least initial steps towards the restitution of full relations between our governments.”
So many topics, so little time
Hovering over the next few weeks will be questions over what concrete deals can be worked out given the summit’s short notice.
Observers note that most presidential summits take months of planning and negotiations to present the right ‘optics’ and ‘deliverables’ worthy of a meeting at the highest level.
Bolton said he expected follow-on discussions between Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov to address those issues in the coming days.
The two sides will certainly have ample topics to choose from.
Both Washington and Moscow have expressed a desire to find common ground on issues such as arms control and combating terrorism. More vexing have been the fallout in relations over such issues as Ukraine, Syria, Western sanctions, and allegations the Kremlin was responsible for the poisoning of a former Russian spy on British soil last March.
But Bolton eschewed concerns that the summit would produce little of substance: “I think the fact of the summit itself is a deliverable and I don’t exclude that they will reach concrete agreements,” said Bolton.
Atlantic Council senior fellow Robert Manning told VOA the best case scenario for the summit would be progress on Ukraine and Syria, while maintaining current arms control agreements.
“I think Putin so far has been willing to accept Ukraine as another frozen conflict. I think there’s efforts afoot to try to find a way back to the Minsk agreement and to find a solution to the Ukrainian issue,” Manning said. “And it’s always easier to get into an intervention to get out of it, and I think probably Putin’s looking for an exit strategy in Syria as well.”
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