WASHINGTON, July 9: President Donald Trump is promoting a robust federal response to the devastating Texas floods, despite months of promises to overhaul or eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency. A former agency leader believes this event is a defining event that can help nations realize the importance of a Federal Emergency Management Agency. Trump has also teased that he will declare more tariffs against US trading partners ahead of his latest Aug 1 deadline for negotiations. The 27-member European Union hopes to seal a trade deal ahead of that date, and is preparing retaliatory measures against American products, from beef to Boeing jets.
Trump’s “multilateral lunch” with West African leaders includes economic development, security, infrastructure, and democracy. The surprise meeting comes as Trump takes radical steps to reshape the US relationship with Africa, dissolving the US Agency for International Development and shifting from a charity-based foreign aid model to partnerships with nations that have the ability and willingness to help themselves. A study published in the Lancet medical journal projects Trump’s shift will lead to more than 14 million additional deaths globally by 2030, including 4.5 million children.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry accused the US of hinting at potential tariffs against the trade alliance of Brazil, Russia, India, and China as a form of political pressure. She accused Washington of “hiding” behind principles such as fair competition and national security, and said Trump’s threat “grossly violates the rules of the WTO and the principles of free trade,” which Washington insisted on as a universal truth until recently.
Trump has teased more letters on trade being sent to US trading partners, but deals with only two countries – the United Kingdom and Vietnam. He has avoided talking about his plan to scrap the federal disaster response agency after the Texas flash flood, saying it wasn’t the right time to talk about it. (AP)
