China, North Korea and Venezuela Bump Up Against the People-first US President, Donald Trump

TODAY'S NEWS IS ABOUT THE DARKER PLACES IN THE WORLD. North Korea and Venezuela. • • • NORTH KOREA SUMMIT OFF? It didn't come as a great surprise when President Trump said on Tuesday that there's a "substantial" chance his summit with North Korea leader Kim Jong-un will not work out for June. The summit is scheduled for June 12 in Singapore, which is widely viewed as a neutral site. But, doubts continue to grow about whether the meeting will actually take place. • President Trump made the remark while he met with Moon Jae-in, South Korea's president, for pivotal discussions ahead of Trump's planned meeting with the North Korean dictator. Trump told reporters at an informal White House press conference : "Whether or not it happens, you'll be knowing pretty soon." He also said a summit could happen further down the road if it doesn't occur next month as planned. • Last week, North Korea said it would reconsider whether to hold the meeting after abruptly canceling talks with South Korea as joint military drills of SK and the US were ongoing on the Korean Peninsula. • NK also took issue with Trump's national security advisor, John Bolton, who suggested using a denuclearization model similar to one used with North African country Libya. The nation's dictator at the time, Muammar Qaddafi, agreed to give up nuclear weapons in exchange for relaxed U.S. sanctions. Eventually, however, the US -- and in particular, then Secretary of State Hillary Clinotn, who some say masterminded the Qaddafi overthrow -- supported a violent overthrow of Gaddafi. Of course, Bolton was talking about the fact that Libya's complete nuclear capability was dismantled and shipped to the US. But, Kim Jong-un jumped to the regime change and murder of Qaddafi. North Korea called any attempt to impose a Libya-style arrangement on the country "awfully sinister." Trump has said that the "Libyan model isn't a model that we have at all," trying to calm the waters, but the damage was done -- or, more likely, Kim and his Chinese patrons found it a useful way to back out of a meeting that Kim may have agreed to without Chinese input. • On Tuesday at the White House, the South Korean president struck a more optimistic note about the planned summit between Trump and Kim. Moon pushed back against US skepticism about the meeting and said he is confident that Trump will make the summit a success. In his remarks on Tuesday, Trump said that he believes Kim is "absolutely very serious" about denuclearization. The Trump administration has made it clear that North Korea must give up its nuclear-weapons program in order to enter inot a normal relationship with the US. Trump also promised the North Korean leader on Tuesday that : "He will be safe, he will be happy, his country will be rich. Kim will be extremely happy if it works out." • On Monday, Vice President Pence warned in an interview that talks between the US and North Korea could end like Libya's denuclearization process if Kim Jong Un does not cooperate. Pence told Fox News : "You know, there was some talk of the Libyan model last week. And as the President made clear, this will only end like the Libyan model ended if Kim Jong-un doesn't make a deal. It would be a great mistake for Kim Jong-un to think he could play Donald Trump," Pence said, adding that there is no question Trump would be willing to walk away from the talks if they prove unproductive. "But we hope for better. We really hope that Kim Jong-un will seize the opportunity to dismantle his nuclear weapons program, and do so by peaceable means." he said. • Kim Jong-un and China ought to consider very carefully their currnet stand-off position. They are not dealing with Presidents Obama and Clinton. This time, the US President means what he says. • • • VENEZUELAN REFUGEE FLIGHT INCREASES. American Thinker reported on May 4, in a Monica Showalter article titled "Central America's fake refugees -- and Venezuela's real ones," that : "Nothing makes the middle finger-infused migrant drama at the Tijuana border look more plastic and phony than news of the real one, over in Venezuela, as real refugees pour over borders. It sounds harsh, and maybe there are a few valid sob stories among the handpicked group chosen to 'challenge' the mighty yánqui empire for the 'right' to open borders. Already, at least 158 have been let in, but if they are anything like previous refugees being let in, it's reasonable to be skeptical. What's really harsh is the horror of the real refugees from socialism out on the Brazilian (and undoubtedly Colombian) borderlands." Showalter quotes the New York Times article of May 4 about the Venezuelan refugees : "PACARAIMA, Brazil -- Hundreds turn up each day, many arriving penniless and gaunt as they pass a tattered flag that signals they have reached the border. Once they cross, many cram into public parks and plazas teeming with makeshift homeless shelters, raising concerns about drugs and crime. The lucky ones sleep in tents and line up for meals provided by soldiers -- pregnant women, the disabled and families with young children are often given priority. The less fortunate huddle under tarps that crumple during rainstorms. The scenes are reminiscent of the waves of desperate migrants who have escaped the wars in Syria and Afghanistan, spurring a backlash in Europe." • Showalter reports that 5,000 are pouring through into just Brazil each day now, "staggering miles across wilderness on foot, all of their savings burned up in Venezuela's now-18,000% inflation. One middle-class woman told the New York Times that quitting her longtime government job gave her a severance that paid for half a chicken, a bag of rice, and a small banana. She was utterly impoverished. • Showalter says these refugees are different from the ones coming up to the US border under the organized aegis of a left-wing non-government organization and the complicity of Mexican officials : "They aren't organized. Their move outward is genuinely spontaneous, it's desperate, and it's uncontrolled. The five thousand a day flooding across the Brazilian border are fleeing for their lives from the horror of socialism, not chronic poverty and gangs enabled by the society in general. They have no money, no food, no medical care, no medicine, no jobs, no voting rights (elections are rigged, Cuban-style...), no hopes for a military coup, and no aid (Venezuela's socialist government denies there is a crisis and refuses to permit any aid). Gigantic marches did nothing. And now no do-gooder group from the outside is organizing a caravan to teach Brazil a lesson from Venezuela. No NGO is going to be able to advance its left-wing ideas by bringing in people warning of the horrors of socialism. So people are just running, voting with their feet. What's more, they are running to their first country of refuge, Brazil, the first country outside their own, not country-shopping for the best welfare deals. They are just running for their lives to the first place that will take them. Brazil is not a place of prime economic opportunity, given its own socialist government, which is why the Venezuelans take up nuisance jobs that annoy Brazilians, such as squeegee men and hookers, out of desperation. But it's better than what they had, digging garbage dumps over in Venezuela. Axios, which has this horror story up in its list of top ten feature stories today, has a map that shows that the bordering countries are being overwhelmed by the refugees. First country of refuge, indeed." • Showalter also noted that : "the refugees interviewed by the Times actually had sympathy for the Brazilians, saying they understood that 'their country is being invaded,' as the headline quoting a refugee read, which you'll never hear from a Central American caravan migrant participant, all of whom view migration as just another entitlement owed to them for free and on demand by the gringo. The Venezuelans are normal people, thrown into an abnormal situation by socialism and its inevitable results, and their plight is genuinely worthy of sympathy." ALso, notes Showalter, the New York Times never mentions the socialism. But what we see from it is probably the world's worst refugee crisis, as Axios notes, a very real one, that shocks the conscience in a way the organized, staged, politically charged, and phony Central American migrant caravan does not." • • • THE CYNICAL VENEZUELAN 'ELECTION.' A report of he election was provided at the venezuelanalysis.com online "news" site. It is a left social movement media perspective on the Bolivarian Revolution in the English language, whose editor is described as "perhaps the most prominent Chavista." In 2004, noting the Venezuelan government's use of Bolivarian propaganda, the United States government placed Venezuelanalysis.com on a list of websites that the Venezuelan government allegedly used to "spread its war on the oligarchy, neoliberalism, the United States government, and the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas." According to Brian Nelson, author of The Silence and the Scorpion, venezuelanalysis.com performs "damage control" for the Venezuelan government and "tried to discredit virtually every independent human rights study" while Hugo Chávez was in office as part of "an integral part of Venezuela’s propaganda complex," according to Venezuelan government sources. Now, however, the site says it is not supported by any government and is sustained only through reader donations. According to venezuelanalysis.com, the website has been endorsed by notable leftists and Chávez supporters such as John Pilger, Marta Harnecker, Noam Chomsky and Oliver Stone. Chomsky wrote that "venezuelanalysis.com has regularly provided very useful description, analysis, and commentary on developments in Venezuela, rarely available in the US or the West generally, and valuable for a balanced understanding not only of Venezuela but of Latin American generally in the current very exciting phase of its history.” • With that in mind, here is the venezuelanalysis.com report on the re-election of Nicolas Madura : "Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was elected to a second term Sunday with 6.2 million votes, beating out his closest rival Henri Falcon, who garnered just 1.9 million votes. Venezuela’s National Electoral Council (CNE) announced the result shortly after 10pm Sunday evening, revealing that Maduro had won with 67.79% of all votes cast, ahead of opposition contenders Henri Falcon, Javier Bertucci, and Reinaldo Quijada, who won 21.01, 10.82, and 0.39%, respectively. Despite a boycott by the main opposition parties of the right-wing Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) coalition, turnout was 46%, with 9,085,629 of Venezuela’s 20,527,571 registered voters casting ballots. Speaking Sunday evening, CNE President Tibisay Lucena called for respecting the outcome of the vote, which she said reflects "the will of Venezuelans." "The people have decided," she told the nation. On Monday an international observer mission led by the Council of Electoral Experts of Latin America (CEELA), comprised of former top electoral officials from throughout the region, said the election was clean. "Technically, up until today, we have not observed any element that could disqualify the electoral process," said CEELA President Nicanor Moscoso in a press conference. "We can emphasize that these elections must be recognized, because they are the result of the will of the Venezuelan people," he added. Prior to Sunday, CEELA observers participated in all fourteen of the pre-election audits conducted by the CNE in conjunction with all participating political parties, in addition to overseeing the "hot audit" of 54.4% of all voting machines mandatorily carried out on election day. Faced with a clear defeat at the polls on Sunday night, opposition presidential frontrunner Henri Falcon refused to recognize the results. Prior to the announcement of the official results, the former Lara State governor gave a press conference, in which he called the vote "illegitimate," demanding new elections in October. "We do not recognize this electoral process, and we brand it as illegitimate," he stated. In particular, Falcon accused the government of violating a series of electoral guarantees agreed to in March through the use of "red points", which are kiosks set up by United Socialist Party activists near electoral centers where pro-government voters are encouraged to check in after voting for the purposes of exit polling. The opposition candidate did not, however, specify how the use of "red points", which has been a standard feature of the ruling party’s mobilization strategy for years, affected the election result. Falcon did denounce abstention, which was being actively promoted by the MUD, as one of the causes of his defeat, saying that the boycott had "left behind an extraordinary opportunity." Evangelical candidate to the presidency Javier Bertucci likewise initially rejected the results "on account of the red points," which he said were "bribing people with food and money." For his part, Maduro called on his opponents to recognize the election result and join him in a dialogue for "national reconciliation." "I call on all of the presidential candidates who participated in the election of May 20...to a meeting for dialogue in order to establish a constructive agenda," he said on Monday. The call for dialogue was seconded by former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Zapatero, who offered to mediate any future talks. Zapatero, who facilitated the previous round of government-opposition dialogue in the Dominican Republic in January, said that Sunday’s vote had gone forward "peacefully" and opposition candidates should direct any complaints they have regarding the electoral process through the appropriate institution channels. Responding to the outcome on Monday, US Vice President Mike Pence called the election "a sham." "Venezuela’s election was a sham -- neither free nor fair. The illegitimate result of this fake process is a further blow to the proud democratic tradition of Venezuela," he stated. The vice president did not, however, cite evidence to support the allegations of fraud. Following Venezuela’s announcement of presidential elections this past February, the Trump administration has repeatedly made clear its refusal to recognize the vote, despite the Maduro government agreeing to a series of electoral guarantees with opposition parties, including moving up the date to May 20, among other agreements. Sunday’s result was similarly rejected by the bloc of regional right-leaning governments known as the "Lima Group," which includes Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, and Santa Lucia. In a statement released Monday, the group vowed to recall their ambassadors to Caracas for consultations and present a new resolution on Venezuela at the next meeting of the Organization of American States.The 14-member bloc additionally resolved to "coordinate actions in order that international and regional financial organisms do not grant loans to the Venezuelan government" in a bid to increase the pressure on the re-elected Maduro administration. Meanwhile, Maduro’s victory was recognized by a number of close Venezuelan allies, including Cuba, Bolivia, El Salvador, Iran, Russia, and Nicaragua. "The parties involved must respect the decision of the Venezuelan people," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang at a press conference in Beijing on Monday. Similarly, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Latin America director, Alexander Schetinin, called the outcome "irreversible" and denounced Washington and other governments "who openly called for a boycott of the vote." "The elections have been held and their results have an irreversible character: two-thirds of the votes went to the current president of the country, Nicolás Maduro," he concluded. Maduro will be formally sworn in on January 10, 2019, when his six-year term officially expires." • There could not be a more clear line-up of pro-democracy nations vs socialist and dictatorial regimes than is shown in this report of the re-election of Nicolás Madura. Will anything be done to try to save what is left of the Venezuelan people? Can any international effort provide relief for the refugees pouring out of Madura's socialist paradise? • • • NEW US SANCTIONS. Reuters has reported that : "In new sanctions, Trump bans buying Venezuelan debt for cash...US President Donald Trump on Monday put in place new economic sanctions aimed at Venezuela in an executive order banning US citizens from being involved in sales of that country’s accounts receivables related to oil and other assets. “Today’s executive order closes another avenue for corruption that we have observed being used : it denies corrupt Venezuelan officials the ability to improperly value and sell off public assets in return for kickbacks,” a senior administration official told reporters. • Reuters noted on Tuesday that the latest round of sanctions imposed by the United States on Venezuela will have a “more serious” effect on the South American country’s financial system, quoting Trade Minister Jose Vielma, who talked to Reuters in an interview Reuters said it was not immediately clear what Vielma was comparing the impact of the sanctions to. • And in a spearate report, Reuters said that Moscow will not comply with US sanctions on Venezuela's state debt : "Moscow has a negative view of US sanctions against Venezuela’s state debt and will not comply with them, Alexander Shchetinin, the head of Latin American department at Russia’s Foreign Ministry, was quoted as saying by Interfax news agency on Tuesday. Venezuela on Monday said new US sanctions restricting its ability to liquidate state assets and debt in the United States were 'illegal measures.' " Some experts warn that the new sanctions, coupled with earlier ones that prohibit the sale of new Venezuelan financial products to US citizens, will make it difficult or impossible for the South American nation to refinance its debt. “These sanctions that the US is imposing...are preventing the Venezuelan government from borrowing any additional funds on international markets...making it difficult for them to really fund any sort of economic recovery,” said Alexander Maine of the Center for Economic and Policy Research in an interview with RT, the Russian propaganda media outlet. • Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Minister Jorge Arreaza responded forcefully to the latest round of US sanctions, which follow on the heels of socialist candidate Nicolás Maduro’s Sunday electoral victory : “There is no unilateral measure, no pressure from any foreign power that can intimidate the Venezuelan people,” the top diplomat stated. “We are going to continue with our friends around the world opening paths for freedom.” he added. • Explaining the sanctions in a statement, President Trump said : “We call for the Maduro regime to restore democracy, hold free and fair elections, release all political prisoners immediately and unconditionally, and end the repression and economic deprivation of the Venezuelan people.” • UN Independent Human Rights Expert Alfred de Zayas called the measures a “crime against humanity” and encouraged Caracas to take Washington to the International Court of Justice. • • • DEAR READERS, as usual, in the Venezuelan political and humanitarian crisis, the UN sides with the socialist, globalist world against western democracies, without doing much either to bring Madura into some semblance of civil order or to help the fleeing refugees. • Meanwhile, US Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan warned of the possibility of an oil embargo against Venezuela. Speaking from Buenos Aires ahead of the G20 summit, he said oil sanctions would be a “significant step” and are under “active review.” An oil embargo could take the form of blocking the sale of Venezuelan oil to the US or preventing Venezuela from purchasing the lighter US oil that it needs to mix with it heavier crude, experts have said. • Also in Argentina for the upcoming summit, UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson echoed Sullivan in endorsing tougher measures against Venezuela, though he lamented, “It’s very sad because obviously the downside of sanctions is that they can affect the population that you don’t want to suffer.” But, Johnson concluded : “Things have got to get worse before they get better -- and we may have to tighten the economic screw on Venezuela.” In February, the Theresa May government in London imposed a far-reaching trade embargo on Venezuela, prohibiting UK citizens or companies from engaging in the “sale, supply, transfer, export or trading” of arms or goods “which may be used for repressive purposes” in the South American country. • Why is is that when people -- human beings with God-given rights -- are abused by tyrannical regimes, it is so often by and large the British and American governments, often with the support of their cousins in Australia and Canada, that take the side of people as opposed to regimes? It's because we "anglos" are the product of the greco-judeo-christian civilization that makes individuals and their liberties and freedoms the basis for human life in society. Israel is standing beside us, but it has its hands full combatting the tryannical regimes trying to exterminate it and its people. Europe sadly has enmeshed itself in an ill-thought-out open-door policy towards non-western migrants which has forced it to scale back its western cultural ideal of personal liberties to accommodate migrant damands. • As for North Korea and China, they had better take note that they are not dealing with a guy from Queens who lucked into the US presidency. Trump is a tough-minded conservative protector of personal liberties who does not accept any regime or group that tramples on them. The Pentagon made that clear on Wednesday when it announced that the US has un-invited China from participating in a major naval exercise, signaling mounting US anger over Beijing’s expanded military footprint in disputed areas of the South China Sea. Pentagon spokesman Lieutenant Colonal Christopher Logan said the Defense Department had reversed an earlier invitation to the Chinese Navy to the 2018 Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC), the world’s largest international naval exercise, over the decision to place anti-ship missiles, surface-to-air missiles, and electronic jammers in the Spratly Islands. Logan released a statement that read : “While China has maintained that the construction of the islands is to ensure safety at sea, navigation assistance, search and rescue, fisheries protection, and other non-military functions the placement of these weapon systems is only for military use.” He described the activities as a “violation of the promise that [Chinese] President Xi made to the United States and the world,” adding “We have called on China to remove the military systems immediately and to reverse course on the militarization of disputed South China Sea features.” The Washington Post, which made the first report of the Pentagon ammouncement, published a May 19 video still from China's CCTV showing a Chinese H-6K bomber aircraft flying along a runway in the South China Sea. The Chinese air force landed long-range bombers for the first time at an airport, a move that has further fueled concerns about Beijing's expansive claims over the disputed region. • President Trump is warming to the power of his unique position, and he is just beginnnig to make his people-first agenda felt. Stay tuned.