Tag: International News

Trump plays the inside game to stave off ’16-like convention chaos

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Cruz ended up performing better than expected in the state’s delegate fight. And after the imbroglio, Trump brought in veteran Republican strategist Paul Manafort as part of an effort to bring a level of professionalism to his delegate operation. In the years since, he has told advisers: “I won the primary but lost the delegates.” And when he sat down with the Louisiana Republican Party leaders, the story of that delegate fight with Cruz was among the topics discussed, according to a person familiar with the conversation.

Trump arrives at a campaign rally on Thursday, April 27, 2023, in Manchester, N.H.
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Charles Krupa/AP Photo
Now engaged in another delegate battle, Trump has been aggressively courting party leaders — in Louisiana and elsewhere — who are expected to be delegates at the party’s 2024 convention in Milwaukee. He’s been dining with them at Mar-a-Lago, chatting them up at party events and offering them endorsements. The effort will intensify in the weeks to come, with Trump expected to make appearances at state party events that will be filled with future national delegates.
The courtship illustrates Trump’s transformation as a presidential candidate — from the political newcomer of 2016 who oversaw a chaotic operation, to the experienced campaigner now playing the inside game.
“They’re very organized very early. They’ve been in touch with us a number of times,” said Rhett Davis, a consultant to the Louisiana GOP. “President Trump is in a much better position in Louisiana than he was in 2016. He’s extremely strong here.”
“No other presidential campaign or potential campaign has reached out to us,” Davis added.
Presidential primaries and caucuses don’t elect candidates, they elect delegates. Whichever candidate wins a simple majority of those delegates at the national convention next year will become the nominee.
While those delegates are bound to specific candidates at the beginning of the convention process, they can become unbound in the event of a contested convention or if their candidate releases them. That, in turn, makes them targets of wooing. State party leaders and others who are active in Republican politics typically become delegates — and Trump has lavished attention on them since leaving the White House.
During Trump-hosted rallies ahead of the 2022 midterm election, local Republican Party chairs were frequently given speaking time, and last year the former president spoke remotely to a meeting of the South Carolina GOP executive committee. He also has placed full-page ads in Iowa Republican Party publications. And when Trump launched his 2024 bid, his first campaign stop was at a meeting of the New Hampshire Republican Party.

Trump is also using the trappings of his gilded Mar-a-Lago estate to woo would-be delegates. In early March, the former president hosted roughly a dozen Nevada Republican Party leaders for a three-hour dinner. Over steaks and ice cream, Trump talked about the political landscape in the state, which traditionally hosts an early nominating contest.
When Trump isn’t with future delegates in-person, he is finding other ways to reach them. When the Missouri Republican Party met in February, Trump called the state party chair, Nick Myers, who put the former president on speakerphone so he could address the audience.
In Michigan, he has worked to ensure he is on smooth footing with Kristina Karamo, the state’s newly elected party chair. Trump had earlier endorsed a rival candidate in the February contest for Michigan Republican Party chair, but he personally congratulated Karamo when he saw her at the Conservative Political Action Conference in early March, according to a person familiar with the exchange.
Trump has used his much-coveted endorsement as a tool to win over would-be delegates. Early this year, the former president provided his support to Caleb Heimlich during his successful race for reelection as Washington State GOP chair. And, last month, the former president dove into a more local race — endorsing Bruce Parks in his ultimately successful bid for the chairmanship of Nevada’s Washoe County GOP.
Guiding Trump’s strategy is a team of advisers who are veterans of delegate fights. The group includes Brian Jack, Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita — all of whom played key roles in the 2016 national convention. Also on the team is Clayton Henson, who served in the Trump White House and on the former president’s 2020 reelection campaign. Much of Trump’s team was present at the Republican National Committee gathering in Dana Point, Calif. earlier this year, where they met with party officials from a number of states.
Trump advisers believe their early outreach will give them a head start over rival candidates, who lack Trump’s long-standing connections to party officials.
“The Trump campaign … has spent the last eight years fine tuning its unmatched operation,” said Steven Cheung, a Trump campaign spokesperson. “For any other campaign to think they can come even close to what President Trump has built is laughable and delusional.”
What Trump’s campaign is trying to avoid is a rerun of the 2016 national convention, when Cruz waged a last-ditch effort to stop Trump from winning the nomination. While it ended up being unsuccessful, it was embarrassing to Trump.
Many of Cruz’s top alum are now serving on a super PAC bolstering Trump’s chief primary rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. The group includes former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, who in 2016 helped spearhead the anti-Trump push at the convention and at one point threw his credentials on the floor in protest.
Erin Perrine, a spokesperson for the pro-DeSantis group, Never Back Down, declined to comment directly on the group’s plans to engage in delegate outreach, but accused Trump of taking part in “Washington insider games” that “show he’s become the swamp he once vowed to drain.”
Still, there is little question, many state party leaders say, that Trump has a massive organizational head start over other candidates when it comes to wooing future delegates.
Mike Brown, the chair of the Kansas Republican Party, said he has had extensive conversations with Trump advisers about the state’s political landscape.
“They have done quite a bit in the way of staying in touch,” Brown said of the Trump campaign. “When it comes to the other campaigns, candidly, I haven’t heard from anybody.”

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#Trump #plays #game #stave #16like #convention #chaos
( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

May 7, 2023
A Disaster the Size of Multiple Katrinas Is Building Off Washington’s Coast

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That was encouraging. But it was no guarantee that they’d be able to get there under actual quake conditions — escaping tumbled buildings, gathering personnel scattered around various facilities, crossing jumbled, sunken ground and roiling water. “It would take us 20 minutes to get underway,” says Ivan Carlson, the pilot association’s president — barring severe disruption. That leaves nearly no time to stop at the Coast Guard station’s docks on the way out; what would they do with injured personnel who couldn’t make it to the dock? Would they have room for any tourists and shoppers at the base exchange?
Practice makes better. The pilots and Coast Guard conducted their last evacuation drills in 2018, practicing both fleeing to deep water and ferrying passengers across the harbor to Port Angeles, where they would have to scramble on foot about half a mile uphill. “It went perfectly,” says vonBrandenfels, “because we planned it.” Then the pandemic hit, and drills and planning lapsed.
The Coast Guard’s rotation policy further gums up planning and communication, according to the pilots. Personnel and officers are routinely promoted and transferred to new posts around the country every two to four years, two for commanding officers. The Port Angeles station has had nearly as many COs in its 88 years as the United States has had presidents in 224. Cuttie, who spearheaded tsunami readiness at the Port Angeles station, went on to contend with hurricanes as the Coast Guard’s assistant operation commander in New Orleans, following a stint in Jacksonville.
The Coast Guard sees this rotation as necessary to build interoperability — a model developed in the early 2000s and first tested against Hurricane Katrina, which drew resources from across the country. With interoperability, “commanders can request assets from all over the Coast Guard,” says Lt. Stephen T. Nolan, the public affairs officer for Coast Guard District 13, the regional command for four Northwest states. “That’s the beauty of the standardization model.” Under it, “you don’t get pockets of operational culture,” Petty Officer Clark explains. “So everyone can work with everyone.”
But frequent rotations make it hard to build institutional memory and sustain focus on a unique local challenge like tsunamis. “Size really exacerbates the transfer schedule” noted Cuttie. “If 40 percent of 1,500 people at a large base transfer, you still have lots of continuity. But the Coast Guard’s so small” — and Port Angeles is a small base within it — that transfers have much more effect. “It’s really hard for them to keep up with the plan,” sighs vonBrandenfels. “We’ll get the new commander involved, at least get a reasonable communication schedule” — and then he or she is gone.

Cmdr. Joan Snaith, the commanding officer at Port Angeles until last summer, didn’t have a chance to get briefed on tsunami impacts and evacuation prospects by Ian Miller or another expert; she arrived in June 2020, in the depths of the pandemic. So it may not be surprising that when I reached out to her she expressed a relatively sanguine view of the information and evacuation options that will be available in the 45-plus minutes between the earthquake’s shaking and the tsunami’s arrival. “The size of the wave will determine how we’ll need to respond,” Snaith told me in March 2022. “If we can get people off safely by land, we’ll do that.”
A land exit might be a reasonable response for the more common sort of waves generated by a distant earthquake or volcanic eruption, most likely in Alaska. (A Jan. 15, 2022, eruption in Tonga produced a tsunami warning but only minor waves along Washington’s coast.) Coasties and others on Ediz Hook would have several hours to prepare and evacuate.
Not so for the much larger tsunami generated by a Cascadia Subduction Zone quake, which would arrive an hour or less after the shaking starts. “Any official tsunami alert bulletins that come out before the wave arrives will likely not be based on the actual event because they won’t have time to compute actual wave arrival times or amplitudes,” Corina Allen, the state Geological Survey’s chief hazards geologist, explained via email.

And no one knows exactly how big tsunami waves will be until they land; multiple variables, including bathymetry, tides, and the location and character of the quake, influence wave height. Still, “for a local-source tsunami, the ground shaking will be the warning,” says Maximilian Dixon, who manages the state Emergency Management Division’s Earthquake Program. How long that shaking continues will give some indication of the quake’s severity, but it’s hardly a precise gauge of the tsunami to follow.
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#Disaster #Size #Multiple #Katrinas #Building #Washingtons #Coast
( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

May 7, 2023
JKDMA Issues Avalanche Alert In North Kashmir

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SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Disaster Management Authority (JKDMA) on Sunday issued an avalanche warning over Baramulla district for next 24 hours.
The DMA, said that a ‘low’ danger level avalanche is likely to occur above 3000 metres above sea level over Baramulla district.
People living in these areas are advised to take precautions and avoid venturing in the avalanche prone areas till further orders. GNS)

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#JKDMA #Issues #Avalanche #Alert #North #Kashmir
( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

May 7, 2023
Youth injured while installing CCTV for Army in Sopore, family alleges negligence

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Sopore, May 07: A 26-year-old youth was critically injured due to electrocution while installing CCTV cameras for a local army unit in Sopore area of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district on Sunday even as family of the youth alleged negligence on part of the Army. Police have filed an FIR in this regard, while further investigation is going on.
Family members of the youth identified as Danish Khazir son of Khazir Mohammad Bhat of Badam Bagh Sopore told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that he was called by Army to install CCTV cameras nearby an Army camp in Sopore town today afternoon.
They said that Danish was working in a nearby complex outside the Army located near GDC Sopore and in the meanwhile some Army personnel from the camp came to him and took him away to install CCTV cameras for them near crossing.
They alleged that Danish got electrocuted due to the negligence of Army personnel while installing CCTV cameras as they (Army) had not snapped electricity supply.
Meanwhile, family members and locals held a protest demonstration demanding action against the Army personnel.
They alleged that as Danish got electrocuted, army personnel accompanying him left him there and fled from the spot.
Soon after the incident, Danish was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment, where from he has been referred to Srinagar in a critical condition.
Meanwhile, Senior Superintendent of Police Sopore, Shabir Nawab, while confirming the incident, told KNO that the youth is critically injured and has been taken to Srinagar hospital.

He said FIR has been registered in this regard and further investigation is going on—(KNO)
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#Youth #injured #installing #CCTV #Army #Sopore #family #alleges #negligence
( With inputs from : roshankashmir.net )

May 7, 2023
FCIK Congratulates JK Bank For Making All-Time High Profit

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SRINAGAR: The Federation of Chambers of Industries Kashmir (FCIK) congratulated JK Bank for making an all-time high net profit of 1197 Crores in the last financial year besides improving significantly upon all other banking parameters.
In a statement FCIK while attributing the remarkable achievement of the bank to its dedicated and hardworking management and staff, the apex industrial body said that the bank has improved its outlook towards accelerated regrowth of the J&K economy and high-end sustainability.
FCIK equally attributed the success and achievement of J&K Bank to its loyal depositors from Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh whose deposits accounted for 88.20% of total deposits of Rs.122038 Crores with 6% growth from the last year. FCIK observed that this deposit profile has played an important role in maintaining the margins of the bank as the cost of these deposits stood at one of the lowest rates amoung the Indian scheduled commercial banks, implying lower than peers’ deposit costs @ 3.67%.
“Such a gesture depicted and displayed an emotional bonding of the people of UTJKL with the bank since its inception in 1938 which needed to be respected, maintained and enhanced further.
“The achievement is also attributed to the borrowers of the bank who have obtained loans from the bank and returned the same with one of the highest interest rates among the Indian scheduled commercial banks” observed FCIK adding that the bank might have been within its right to cover prevalent risk factors while overcharging their borrowers during turbulent times when all other banks had backed out from flowing credit to various economic sectors including MSMEs.
“Although the improvement upon Credit-Deposit ratio to 67.43% by the bank was fair yet it was much below the national average of 75%” observed FCIK adding that J&K Bank needed to fully concentrate on the increased credit flow to all economic sectors in UTJKL as it was observed that out of total advances of Rs.82285 a significant portion has been advanced to large corporate and other enterprises outside the Union Territory.
“The recoveries made from the NPA account holders after the launch of OTS-2022, Karz Mukti Scheme etc. have also aided in the increased profit earning of the bank”, observed FCIK adding that the profit could have increased further had the bank authorities conceded to the demand of FCIK and other business chambers for modification of the OTS schemes.
FCIK said that it was gratifying that the net NPA of J&K Bank stood just at 1.62% to net advances probably one of the lowest in the banking industry and that all borrowers of UTJKL were anxious to repay every penny of their loans borrowed from the bank on launch of a uniform, non-discriminatory OTS with trouble-free provisions and repayment schedule in consultation with the UT government and stakeholders. FCIK hoped that J&K Bank now initiated necessary steps towards launching such a policy which, among other things, could surely enable them to increase the current year’s profits to an all-time high by surpassing the profit figures of the previous year.

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#FCIK #Congratulates #Bank #Making #AllTime #High #Profit
( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

May 7, 2023
Militant Associate Arrested With IED, Major Tragedy Averted: Police

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[ad_2] #Militant #Associate #Arrested #IED #Major #Tragedy #Averted #Police( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

May 7, 2023
Militant associate arrested with 5-6 Kg IED in Pulwama, major tragedy averted: Police

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Srinagar, May 07 : Jammu and Kashmir police on Sunday claimed to have averted major tragedy by arresting a militant associate along with 5 Kg Improvised Explosive Device in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district.
Kashmir zone police in a Tweet, as per the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) informed that based on the disclosure of apprehended militant associate 5-6 Kg IED was recovered, thereby a major tragedy was averted.
Police said a case has been registered in this regard and further investigation has been taken up.
“Pulwama Police averted a major tragedy by apprehending a #terror associate Ishfaq Ahmed Wani R/O Arigam #Pulwama and recovering an #IED (approx 5-6Kgs) on his disclosure. Case registered and investigation started,” police tweeted—(KNO)
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#Militant #associate #arrested #IED #Pulwama #major #tragedy #averted #Police
( With inputs from : roshankashmir.net )

May 7, 2023
JK Tourism Department To Establishment Helpline Facility For Tourists

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SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir tourism department on Saturday said a dedicated helpline line cum grievance redressal facility at TRC Srinagar /Jammu will be set up for tourists visiting the UT.
Secretary of Tourism and Culture, Dr Abid Rasheed Shah chaired a meeting with the stakeholders of the tourism industry to discuss and evaluate the existing facilities, identify areas for improvement as well as address any issues affecting the sector.
Shah also announced a regular monthly stakeholder consultation with the office bearers of various trade bodies of the tourism sector to identify areas for improvement and devise strategies to overcome any challenges.
Dr Abid highlighted the need for continuously upgrading facilities and services at tourist locations to meet evolving traveler expectations and attract more tourists to Jammu & Kashmir.
He emphasized the significance of maintaining world-class facilities and services at tourist destinations to attract more domestic and international visitors to the region.
Shah also highlighted the role played by tourism in economic growth and employment generation and said that there is a need for constant evaluation and improvement in facilities at tourist destinations to stay competitive in the global tourism landscape.
Examining different issues and problems faced by the sector, the Secretary specifically directed strict enforcement of rates and tariffs for the tourism services at tourist destinations for which he directed the Enforcement wing of the Department to carry regular and routine checks to look into any kind of overcharging, touting or cheating by any service provider. He also directed the installation of display boards at prominent tourist destinations regarding rates and rules of different tourism services.
During the meeting, the Tourism Secretary also spoke about the Government’s commitment to develop and promote the tourism sector as a vital contributor to the local economy adding that the tourism sector is poised to achieve new heights and contribute significantly to the region’s economy in coming days. He also emphasized on the significance of collaboration and cooperation between the stakeholders and the Department to create a vibrant and inclusive tourism industry that benefits both the tourists and the local community.

Referring to the upcoming G20 event in Kashmir, Dr Abid said that the upcoming Tourism Working Group meeting under the aegis of G20 will get the local tourism industry a big boost and it would position J&K’s tourism industry appropriately on the global canvas.
The meeting brought together key players from the tourism industry, including representatives from hotels, tour operators, and other related organizations associated with the travel trade and hospitality sector besides senior officers of the Tourism Department.

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#Tourism #Department #Establishment #Helpline #Facility #Tourists
( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

May 7, 2023
JK Tourism Department To Establishment A Helpline Facility For Tourists

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SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir tourism department on Saturday said a dedicated helpline line cum grievance redressal facility at TRC Srinagar /Jammu will be set up for tourists visiting the UT.
Secretary of Tourism and Culture, Dr Abid Rasheed Shah chaired a meeting with the stakeholders of the tourism industry to discuss and evaluate the existing facilities, identify areas for improvement as well as address any issues affecting the sector.
Shah also announced a regular monthly stakeholder consultation with the office bearers of various trade bodies of the tourism sector to identify areas for improvement and devise strategies to overcome any challenges.
Dr Abid highlighted the need for continuously upgrading facilities and services at tourist locations to meet evolving traveler expectations and attract more tourists to Jammu & Kashmir.
He emphasized the significance of maintaining world-class facilities and services at tourist destinations to attract more domestic and international visitors to the region.
Shah also highlighted the role played by tourism in economic growth and employment generation and said that there is a need for constant evaluation and improvement in facilities at tourist destinations to stay competitive in the global tourism landscape.
Examining different issues and problems faced by the sector, the Secretary specifically directed strict enforcement of rates and tariffs for the tourism services at tourist destinations for which he directed the Enforcement wing of the Department to carry regular and routine checks to look into any kind of overcharging, touting or cheating by any service provider. He also directed the installation of display boards at prominent tourist destinations regarding rates and rules of different tourism services.
During the meeting, the Tourism Secretary also spoke about the Government’s commitment to develop and promote the tourism sector as a vital contributor to the local economy adding that the tourism sector is poised to achieve new heights and contribute significantly to the region’s economy in coming days. He also emphasized on the significance of collaboration and cooperation between the stakeholders and the Department to create a vibrant and inclusive tourism industry that benefits both the tourists and the local community.

Referring to the upcoming G20 event in Kashmir, Dr Abid said that the upcoming Tourism Working Group meeting under the aegis of G20 will get the local tourism industry a big boost and it would position J&K’s tourism industry appropriately on the global canvas.
The meeting brought together key players from the tourism industry, including representatives from hotels, tour operators, and other related organizations associated with the travel trade and hospitality sector besides senior officers of the Tourism Department.

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#Tourism #Department #Establishment #Helpline #Facility #Tourists
( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

May 7, 2023
Sopore man jumps into river Jhelum, rescued by locals – Kashmir News

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Srinagar, May 07 : An Aged Man was rescued after he allegedly jumped into river Jhelum in a bid to end his life at Sopore Chankan Bridge area in north Kashmir’s Sopore on Sunday
Reports reaching Kashmir Scroll that elderly man was found by locals attempting to jump into river Jhelum at Chankhan bridge in Sopore.
“After noticing the movement as doubtful, locals rushed towards him, however, in the meantime, the man jumped into the river, but was immediately rescued,” reports said.
Meanwhile, officials while confirming the incident said, that the man was rescued and hails from village.
He has been shifted to the SDH hospital for necessary medical treatment, the official said—(KS)

Post Views: 993

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#Sopore #man #jumps #river #Jhelum #rescued #locals #Kashmir #News
( With inputs from : kashmirnews.in )

May 7, 2023