Newly released emails provide details in White House pause of Ukraine aid - NBC News

Newly released emails regarding Ukraine defense aid held by the White House show that a request to withhold funds came less than two hours after President Donald Trump's July phone call with the Ukrainian president that has served as the backbone of the impeachment proceedings against him.

The Center for Public Integrity obtained 146 pages of heavily redacted emails through a Freedom of Information Act request and court order.

The nonprofit released the emails late on Friday, revealing a discussion between the White House's Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Pentagon over the defense aid owed to Ukraine just hours after Trump spoke to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

"Based on guidance I have received and in light of the Administration's plan to review assistance to Ukraine, including the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, please hold off on any additional [Department of Defense] obligations of these funds, pending direction from that process," Mike Duffey, a political appointee serving as associate director for national security programs at the OMB wrote on July 25 to OMB and Pentagon officials.

Government officials raised concern over the much-discussed phone conversation as it appeared that Trump improperly asked Zelenskiy to investigate Hunter Biden, the son of former Vice President Joe Biden — one of Trump's chief political rivals in the 2020 election.

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The administration put a hold on critical defense aid for Ukraine as early as the week of July 18, one week before the phone call between Trump and Zelenskiy, at the direction of acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, two administration officials and a senior Democratic aide briefed by the State Dept. told NBC News in September.

The funds were eventually released on Sept. 11.

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In a statement to NBC News early Sunday the OMB sought to play down the significance of the new emails.

“It’s reckless to tie the hold of funds to the phone call," said spokeswoman Rachel Semmel.

"As has been established and publicly reported, the hold was announced in an interagency meeting on July 18. To pull a line out of one email and fail to address the context is misleading and inaccurate.”

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment by NBC News.

Dec. 21, 201902:11

It appeared that those involved felt the hold could be problematic, considering Duffey wrote to officials in his office and at the Pentagon to keep it all close their chest.

"Given the sensitive nature of the request," Duffey wrote on the afternoon of Trump's call with Zelenskiy, "I appreciate your keeping that information closely held to those who need to know to execute direction."

The emails also provide insight into administration officials' feelings once the funds are finally released, though their reasoning for distributing the aid suddenly appears to be redacted.

Elaine McCuskker, the Pentagon's comptroller, said there was "increasing risk of execution" in continuing to hold the funds.

Three House committees announced that they would launch a wide-ranging investigation into the allegations against Trump two days prior to the release.

On Sept. 11, Duffey shared his feelings of relief to McCusker a few hours after alerting her that he would be releasing all of the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative funds.

"Glad to have this behind us," he said.

Duffey is one of the officials at OMB who has steadfastly refused to comply with House subpoenas for deposition in the impeachment inquiry, along with his boss, Russ Vought, OMB’s Acting Director. However, another OMB official, Mark Sandy, did appear for a deposition after being subpoenaed.

The House voted to impeach Trump on Wednesday. He is only the third president in U.S. history to be impeached.

A trial in the Republican-controlled Senate to decide whether Trump will remain in office is expected to begin January, but Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Thursday that he has reached an “impasse” with Democratic leaders over moving forward with the rules governing the trial.

It is likely Trump will be acquitted, as it would require a two-thirds majority for a conviction.

Winston Wilde

Phil McCausland

Phil McCausland is an NBC News reporter focused on the rural-urban divide.

Hans Nichols contributed.

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2019-12-22 10:20:00Z
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Trump wanted Ukraine-aid details weeks before Zelensky call: documents - New York Post

President Trump prodded staffers for details about US military aid to Ukraine five weeks before his July 25 phone call with President Volodymyr Zelensky, a heavily redacted batch of internal administration documents reveal.

Emails sent between officials at the Pentagon and the Office of Management and Budget show that the hold on the aid was placed just hours after the two leaders spoke.

Michael Duffey of the OMB told the Pentagon to freeze the payments “in light of the Administration’s plan to review assistance to Ukraine.”

Democrats said the documents, posted online by the Center for Public Integrity late Friday, proved Trump’s “direct involvement” in the Ukraine matter.

“Frankly it’s just the 77th piece of evidence confirming the same thing,” Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) tweeted Saturday.

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2019-12-22 01:11:00Z
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'Catastrophic' Wildfires Continue To Rage Across Australia - NPR

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Rural Fire Service officers engage in property protection of a number of homes along the Old Hume Highway near the town of Tahmoor, New South Wales, as the Green Wattle Creek Fire threatens a number of communities in the southwest of Sydney. Dean Lewins/AP hide caption

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Dean Lewins/AP

A large portion of Australia is on fire after weeks of extreme heat, strong winds and drought have created ideal conditions for hundreds of bushfires to thrive across the country. Several fires have been burning since November, particularly in the Eastern state of New South Wales.

The fires threaten many of Australia's largest population centers, including Sydney, a city of more than 5 million, which has been cloaked in smoke. Blazes have destroyed hundreds of homes and almost 3 million acres of bushland, threatening the habitat of countless wildlife, including already endangered koalas. One fire in the state of Victoria has reportedly become large enough to generate its own weather.

The fires come after years of drought in parts of the country and record-breaking heat. Earlier this week, Australia had its hottest day on record — only to break that record the following day. And fire season has just begun, leaving many bracing for worse.

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Thick smoke from wildfires shroud the Opera House in Sydney, Australia, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2019. Hot dry conditions have brought an early start to the fire season. Rick Rycroft/AP hide caption

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Rick Rycroft/AP

Thousands of firefighters are currently deployed, many of whom are volunteers. Several have been injured and two died earlier this week when a fallen tree limb overturned their vehicle. Their deaths prompted Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison to return early from a family vacation to Hawaii — a vacation that was largely criticized as tone-deaf by much of the public as the country battled its worst fire season in recent memory.

"I deeply regret any offence caused to any of the many Australians affected by the terrible bushfires by my taking leave with family at this time," Morrison said in a statement released Friday. Morrison has previously been scrutinized for his unwillingness to link Australia's greenhouse gas emissions to extreme fire conditions last month.

The prime minister's return coincides with a new state of emergency issued for New South Wales, the country's most populous state, as "catastrophic" fire conditions were listed for the region, the highest fire danger rating possible in the country. Andrea Peace, a meteorologist for Australia's Bureau of Meteorology said Saturday could be the worst day for the area, as a front moves in from the south.

"What it's going to do is bring quite a strong, gusty southerly wind...(which) creates a really dangerous period for the fire grounds because it rapidly changes the directions of the fires there," Peace said.

She said there could be gusts of up to 100 kilometers per hour, or about 62 miles per hour.

The strong southerly winds are likely to have a significant impact on a number of #NSW fire grounds over nxt few hours, especially north & nth-west of #Sydney. Multiple #fires at #Emergency levels tonight & properties have been lost today. Keep monitoring https://t.co/o2h2Cyg7YZ pic.twitter.com/MFiLdip9lT

— Bureau of Meteorology, New South Wales (@BOM_NSW) December 21, 2019

Julia Holman, a reporter for Australian Broadcasting Corporation in Sydney, told NPR's David Greene earlier this week that the fires are already overwhelming the area.

"New South Wales is an enormous state. It's bigger than the size of Texas. And the fires literally go from the top of the state right down to the bottom," Holman said.

She said fires are very common in Australia, but not like this.

"The problem is that it's so dry that we cannot put out these fires. And that's what's different this time around," she said.

"These fires are also in very dense bushland. They cannot be put out by human effort," Holman continued. "We're waiting for rain. But we're in the midst of the worst drought on record here in New South Wales. So there is no possible way that these fires can be put out no matter the enormous human effort that is going into it."

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2019-12-21 16:42:00Z
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Russia vows to push ahead with natural gas pipeline to Europe despite Trump sanctions - NBC News

Russia vowed Saturday to press ahead with building a controversial natural gas pipeline to Europe in spite of new sanctions imposed by President Donald Trump.

"Russia has implemented and will continue to implement its economic projects regardless of anyone's sanctions," the country's foreign ministry said in a statement.

Trump enacted legislation Friday that will sanction companies and individuals involved in laying the Nord Stream 2 pipeline through the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany.

Dec. 21, 201903:30

The U.S. has long opposed the 750-mile pipeline, arguing it will leave Europe overly dependent on Russia for energy supply and extend President Vladimir Putin's influence over the continent.

Trump said last year that "Germany is a captive of Russia," in an apparent reference to the pipeline. The comments caused a stir at the start of a tense NATO summit.

Friday's legislation threatening U.S. sanctions had an immediate impact, with a company that operates ships laying sections of the undersea pipeline saying Saturday it had suspended activities relating to the project “in anticipation of the enactment of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)."

Switzerland-based Allseas said it will seek “guidance comprising of the necessary regulatory, technical and environmental clarifications from the relevant U.S. authority.”

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The participation of privately-held Allseas, a specialist in subsea construction and laying underwater pipeline, is integral to the completion of Nord Stream 2.Bernd W?stneck / AFP - Getty Images

However those behind the project insisted it would go ahead in spite of the U.S. efforts.

Construction of the pipeline is already well advanced, and it wasn't immediately clear what the impact will be.

"Completing the project is essential for European supply security," said Nord Stream 2 spokesman Jens Mueller in a statement.

"We together with the companies supporting the project will work on finishing the pipeline as soon as possible."

Russia provides about 37 percent of Europe's natural gas, and currently, the bulk of it moves through Ukraine's pipelines.

The Nord Stream 2 project would double the amount of gas Russia can send directly to Germany and allow it to bypass Eastern European nations like Poland and Ukraine.

But Russia doesn't have the capability to install undersea pipelines and is relying on the technological expertise of European companies.

Germany has been vehemently opposed to the sanctions but was unsuccessful lobbying against them.

“The German government rejects such extraterritorial sanctions,” spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer said in a statement.

“They affect German and European companies and constitute an interference in our domestic affairs.”

While the sanctions pose problems for some, Ukraine hoped it could be a game changer by giving Kyiv more leverage in negotiations with Moscow over the future use of its pipelines.

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In an interview with NBC News last week, the CEO of Ukraine's state-owned energy company Naftogaz, Andriy Kobolyev, said the sanctions would have a major impact on the stalled negotiations between Russia and Ukraine over the transport of natural gas to Europe.

"I believe the European gas market will benefit significantly, and Ukraine will benefit," he said.

On Saturday, the two countries' gas operators reached a new five-year deal in Vienna that would see Moscow pay $2.9 billion to Kyiv to maintain access to their pipelines. In exchange, Ukraine would drop outstanding legal claims against Russia by Dec. 29.

The transmission tariff for Russian gas will increase, however, Ukraine's energy minister said.

Linda Givetash

Linda Givetash is a reporter based in London. She previously worked for The Canadian Press in Vancouver and Nation Media in Uganda. 

Dan De Luce, Associated Press and Reuters contributed.

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2019-12-21 13:22:00Z
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Hundreds arrested in India during days of protests over citizenship law - Reuters

NEW DELHI/MUMBAI (Reuters) - More than 1,500 protesters have been arrested across India in the past 10 days, officials said, as police try to quell sometimes violent demonstrations against a citizenship law that critics say undermines the country’s secular constitution.

Additionally, some 4,000 people have been detained and then released, the officials said.

Those arrested and detained had been resorting to violence during the protests, said two senior federal government officials overseeing the country’s internal security who spoke on condition of anonymity.

At least 19 people have been killed in clashes between police and protesters since parliament passed the law on Dec. 11. Critics of the law say it discriminates against Muslims and threatens India’s secular ethos because it makes religion a criteria for citizenship.

The law aims to grant citizenship to minorities of the Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, Sikh, Jain and Parsi faiths from Muslim-majority Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh, deemed as suffering persecution there. The applicant should have entered India on or before Dec. 31, 2014.

Hundreds of protesters and police have been injured in the protests, the strongest show of dissent against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government since he was first elected in 2014.

Modi met his council of ministers on Saturday to discuss security measures related to the protests, government sources said.

Demonstrations continued on Saturday despite curfews and tough measures aimed at shutting down the protests.

Demonstrators attend a protest against a new citizenship law, outside the Jamia Millia Islamia University in New Delhi, India, December 21, 2019. REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis

India’s most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, has seen the worst violence with nine people killed and several more in critical conditions in hospital. The state, which has long seen clashes between majority Hindus and minority Muslims, is ruled by Modi’s nationalist party.

Rights activists in the state said police had raided their houses and offices to prevent them from planning fresh demonstrations. Authorities also shut schools across the state as fresh protests erupted on Saturday.

More demonstrations were planned in several parts of the country, including in the northeastern state of Assam. Resentment against illegal immigrants from Bangladesh has simmered for years in Assam, one of India’s poorest states, where some residents accuse outsiders, Hindus or Muslims, of stealing jobs and land.

“Women in Assam have shown that we can lead a movement from the front,” Garima Garg, a fashion designer, told Reuters. She was among thousands who took part in an all-woman protest across Assam on Saturday.

Critics of the law say it has struck a blow to a country that has long taken pride in its secular constitution. India has a population of 1.3 billion, with a majority of Hindus, a large minority of Muslims and several other smaller faiths.

“This piece of legislation strikes at the heart of the Constitution, seeking to make India another country altogether,” prominent historian Ramachandra Guha wrote in The Telegraph.

He was released from police custody on Thursday after being detained for protesting against the law in the southern city of Bengaluru.

Political opposition against the law has included state leaders from regional parties saying they will prevent its implementation in their states. The government has said there is no chance the law will be repealed.

Slideshow (6 Images)

On Saturday, right-wing Hindu organizations and academicians expressed support for the law. Over 1,000 professors and scholars congratulated the parliament and government for what they said was a progressive law standing up for forgotten minorities.

“We also note with deep anguish that an atmosphere of fear and paranoia is being created in the country through deliberate obfuscation and fear-mongering, leading to violence in several parts of the country,” they said in a statement.

Additional reporting by Rupam Jain in Mumbai, Saurabh Sharma in Lucknow, Zarir Husain in Guwahati; Writing by Rupam Jain; Editing by Edwina Gibbs, Stephen Coates and Frances Kerry

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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2019-12-21 05:18:00Z
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UK: MPs approve first stage of PM Johnson's Brexit legislation - Al Jazeera English

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2019-12-21 04:35:40Z
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Nord Stream 2: Trump approves sanctions on Russia gas pipeline - BBC News

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President Donald Trump has signed a law that will impose sanctions on any firm that helps Russia's state-owned gas company, Gazprom, finish a pipeline into the European Union.

The sanctions target firms building Nord Stream 2, an undersea pipeline that will allow Russia to increase gas exports to Germany.

The US considers the project a security risk to Europe.

Both Russia and the EU have strongly condemned the US sanctions.

Congress voted through the measures as part of a defence bill last week and the legislation, which described the pipeline as a "tool of coercion", was signed off by Mr Trump on Friday.

Why is the US against the pipeline?

The almost $11bn (£8.4bn) Nord Stream 2 project has infuriated the US, with both Republican and Democratic lawmakers opposing it.

The Trump administration fears the pipeline will tighten Russia's grip over Europe's energy supply and reduce its own share of the lucrative European market for American liquefied natural gas.

• Skateboarding protesters occupy gas pipeline in Germany
• EU agrees tighter rules for Russian pipeline

President Trump has said the 1,225km (760-mile) pipeline, owned by Russia's Gazprom, could turn Germany into a "hostage of Russia".

The US sanctions have angered Russia and the European Union, which says it should be able to decide its own energy policies.

Earlier this week German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was "opposed to extraterritorial sanctions" against the Nord Stream 2 project.

German foreign minister Heiko Maas struck a more combative tone, saying the sanctions amounted to "interference in autonomous decisions taken in Europe".

Allseas, a Swiss-Dutch company involved in the project, said it had suspended its pipe-laying activities in anticipation of the sanctions.

The US sanctions also target TurkStream, a Russia-Turkey pipeline, and include asset freezes and revocation of US visas for the contractors.

How have Russia and the EU reacted?

On Saturday, the EU voiced its clear opposition to the US sanctions.

"As a matter of principle, the EU opposes the imposition of sanctions against EU companies conducting legitimate business," a spokesman for the trading bloc told AFP news agency.

Russia's foreign ministry also strongly opposed the move, with ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accusing Washington of promoting an "ideology" that hinders global competition.

The consortium behind Nord Stream 2 confirmed that it would build the pipeline as soon as possible, despite the sanctions.

It said: "Completing the project is essential for European supply security. We, together with the companies supporting the project, will work on finishing the pipeline as soon as possible."

Why is Nord Stream 2 so controversial?

For years EU member states have been concerned about the bloc's reliance on Russian gas.

Russia currently supplies about 40% of the EU's gas supplies - just ahead of Norway, which is not in the EU but takes part in its single market. The new pipeline will increase the amount of gas going under the Baltic to 55 billion cubic metres per year.

Disagreements among EU nations were so strong that, earlier this year, they even threatened to derail the project entirely.

The bloc eventually agreed to strengthen regulations against Nord Stream 2, rather than stop it completely, and to bring it under European control.

Businesses in Germany, meanwhile, have invested heavily in the project. Chancellor Merkel has tried to assure Central and Eastern European states that the pipeline would not make Germany reliant on Russia for energy.

There is concern in other quarters, too. In May, climate activists opposing the use of fossil fuels occupied part of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in Germany.

The demonstrators, who said the project would be more detrimental to the environment than the authorities had claimed, began skateboarding inside the pipes.

Police said at least five people had occupied the pipes near Wrangelsburg in northern Germany.

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2019-12-21 03:17:07Z
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