Do Not Mess with Merkel or May!

For those of you struggling to understand other viewpoints, an important lesson on why we humans might resist new facts or information.  

Merkel Grills Putin Over Chechnya, Syria, and Ukraine: Although twelve years in office have made German Chancellor Angela Merkel somewhat crisis-proof, her first visit to Russia in two years has been delicate so far. In joint press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Merkel did not refrain from directly addressing LGBTQ rights in Russia and Chechnya. For months, local and international human rights groups have been reporting flagrant human rights abuses against LGBTQ people in Chechnya, including organized imprisonment, and beatings and torture by officials of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov.

The Chancellor went on to discuss the protection of other minority rights in Russia and the crises in Ukraine and Syria. Merkel, who is up for re-election in September, also brought up reports of alleged Russian hacking into the Bundestag’s computer system. She stated that Germany would take “decisive measures” if there was any indication of foreign interference ahead of the election.   

May Says She Can Be a “Bloody Difficult Woman”: British Prime Minister Theresa May is known for her reserved nature and her distinct coldness regarding issues of power. Thus her comments to the press about how European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker would be the next person to find out she could be a “bloody difficult woman” came as a surprise to many. Having fought hard for her conservative party’s leadership last year, May is known to be tenacious. That is a trait she will need as she heads into June’s snap election and, if re-elected as Prime Minister, to Brussels for negotiations over Brexit. We imagine that in the latter case, Juncker will be just the first of many to see how bloody difficult she can be.  

…And Brexit Minister Says UK Will Not Pay 100 Billion Euro “Divorce Bill”: Brexit Secretary David Davis said the UK will pay what is legally due, “not just what the EU wants,” amid reports from the Financial Times that the settlement sought by the EU had risen from 60 billion euros. “We are not supplicants,” he said. “This is a negotiation. They lay down what they want and we lay down what we want.” The EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier said it would “put all its efforts” into reaching an agreement, but that it was wishful thinking to think negotiations would be concluded “quickly and painlessly,” with “no material impact.”

Does the White House Want to “Let Girls Learn” … or Not?: In yet another head-spinning turnaround, the White House has said the global educational initiative “Let Girls Learn” was not ending and would “remain unchanged.” The reversal came just hours after CNN reported Monday it had obtained an internal agency document confirming the Trump administration was shutting down the program Michelle Obama started in 2015 to address the issue of girls education (or lack of) around the world. The former First Lady not only raised awareness, but also obtained funding pledges of one billion dollars to support the program’s current and future work in more than 50 countries.

A State Department spokesperson said Monday: “There have been no changes to the program. [The administration is] committed to empowering women and girls around the world.” No explanation was given for the email sent by Peace Corps acting director Sheila Crowley notifying employees that the program, run primarily by the Peace Corps and the US Agency for International Development (USAID), was ceasing operations immediately.

Hillary Clinton Reappears: In an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, Hillary Clinton spoke out about her loss to Donald Trump and stated: “I take absolute personal responsibility. I was the candidate, I was the person who was on the ballot.” Does she really mean that? Because she immediately went on to say that she “was on the way to winning, until a combination of Jim Comey’s letter on 28 October and Russian WikiLeaks raised doubts in the minds of people who were inclined to vote for me but got scared off.”

Hmm, Trump Thinks China Listened to Him on Currency Complaints: Despite long months of campaigning during which President Trump continually claimed China was manipulating its currency by driving down the value of the yuan, President Trump said on Monday that China has now stopped the practice “out of respect to me and my campaign.” Trump had promised that on day one of his presidency he would instruct the Treasury Department to label China a “currency manipulator,” and just a month ago he dubbed China “world champions” of currency devaluation.

In 2014, after China’s economy had slowed to its lowest rate in 24 years, Beijing propped up the yuan over the next two years to the tune of a trillion dollars. Many economists say the government’s intervention likely forestalled dangerous panic in global markets. The yuan’s recent stabilization against the dollar might have led Trump to believe the pressure he exerted on China was responsible. But that’s not the case: “[T]here is no evidence of any shift in China’s exchange rate policy since Trump’s election.”

Please support Daily Pnut!