Paul Brandus

Opinion: Millions of U.S. jobs depend on the Biden administration respecting America’s No. 1 trade partner — and it’s not China

Published: June 1, 2021 

By 

Paul Brandus

Canada is the top destination for U.S. exports and U.S. politicians should choose their trade battles carefully

U.S. President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (on screen) hold a virtual meeting in Feb. 2021.

 AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE/GETTY IMAGES

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If Canadians could have voted in the U.S. presidential election, Joe Biden would have beaten Donald Trump by an even bigger margin than he did. An October 2020 poll in Maclean’s, the respected Canadian newsmagazine, found that Canadians backed Biden by a 72% to 14% margin, a cavernous 58-point gap. 

Biden has pleased our neighbor to the north in several ways so far, including re-entering the Paris climate accord, attempting to re-engage with Iran and emphasizing the importance of trans-national alliances. Biden’s ditching of Trump-era belligerence and condescension has also earned points. 

Yet don’t think it’s all kumbaya between the two countries. Biden and others already have done a few things to irritate Canada — the biggest market for exports of U.S. goods and services, according to data from both the Census Bureau and office of the U.S. Trade Representative. 

Keystone XL Pipeline

The new drapes in the Oval Office had barely been hung when the president cancelled the construction permit for the Keystone XL oil pipeline, which would have transported up to 830,000 barrels of carbon-heavy oil from the Canadian province of Alberta to refineries along the U.S. Gulf Coast. The on-again, off-again project was killed by President Barack Obama and revived by Trump before being put on ice again by Biden.

Canadians knew this was coming; after all, Biden said during the campaign he would halt the Keystone pipeline dvelopment. Still, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said bluntly, “We are disappointed.” 

Enbridge’s ‘Line 5’

In another controversy over pipelines, Michigan’s Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer has stepped up her fight to shut down a key pipeline that serves much of the Midwest. 

Enbridge’s ENB, 0.75% “Line 5” transports more than half a million barrels a day of oil and natural gas liquids from Canada to the U.S. Great Lakes region. But 4.5 miles of that pipeline run across the Straits of Mackinac, between Michigan’s upper and lower peninsulas. 

Whitmer fears a “catastrophic oil spill in the Great Lakes that could devastate our economy and way of life,” and has sought a state court injunction to force Canadian-based Enbridge to “permanently decommission” the pipeline. But the U.S. regulator that oversees such things, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, has said that it is “presently aware of no unsafe or hazardous conditions that would warrant shutdown of Line 5,” and history tells us that pipelines are far safer to transport oil than, say, railroads. 

On top of a shutdown that would deprive refineries in Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania of crude — which could imperil thousands of jobs — Whitmer is causing a foreign policy stink by attempting to mess with a long-standing treaty between the U.S. and Canada that governs these matters. 

Lumber tariffs 

One reason why home prices are soaring? Lumber LB00, -3.19% shortages, which have added — get this — about $36,000 to the cost of a new U.S. home, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).

The pandemic is one reason for this; lumber mills have had to slow or curtail operations. But another reason has been U.S. tariffs on Canadian lumber. Trump slapped steep tariffs on softwood lumber in 2017, before lowering them in December 2020.  But not only has Biden not removed them, he’s now proposing to double them to more than 18%.  

Aside from irritating Canadian lumber producers, Biden’s proposal has caused the normally diplomatic NAHB Chairman, Chuck Fowke, to lash out at the administration. “The Biden administration’s preliminary finding on Friday to double the tariffs on Canadian lumber shipments into the U.S. shows the White House does not care about the plight of American home buyers and renters who have been forced to pay much higher costs for housing,” Fowke said in a statement.

Spilling milk

The Biden administration has launched a trade dispute against Canada’s dairy industry. U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai claims that American dairy producers aren’t getting proper access to Canadian markets, as defined by the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) trade agreement. The basic dispute concerns how Canada is using its tariff-rate quotas to determine how much milk, cheese and other dairy products can be imported at lower duty levels.

Some context is needed here. Biden is seen as a sigh of relief in Canada, which last year was full of “anybody but Trump” talk. Since Biden’s inauguration, the percentage of Canadians who have a favorable opinion of the United States has jumped 14 points, according to a recent Morning Consult poll. That’s the good news. 

The bad news: That approval rating is only 40%, meaning that most Canadians have a negative opinion of the U.S. We’re still in repair mode from the damage done by the Trump administration, and while some Americans might not care what other countries think about us, given that Canada is the No. 1 destination for U.S. exports— and linked to some nine million American jobs — they should care. And the Biden administration,and others should take care not to pick too many fights with them.

OPERATES IN ALBERTA

Meat-packing Giant JBS USA Shuts Down Systems Following Cyberattack

By Ionut Arghire on June 01, 2021

JBS USA, the US subsidiary of the world's largest meat processing company, said Monday that some operations were shut down following a cyberattack that affected its North American and Australian IT network.

Headquartered in Greeley, Colorado, JBS USA (JBS Foods) is a global food company wholly owned by Brazil-based JBS S.A., the largest meat processing firm in the world. In addition to the United States, JBS has operations in Australia, Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, and Europe.

In a statement, the company announced that an “organized cybersecurity attack” identified on Sunday impacted servers used in support of its North American and Australian IT systems.

The cyberattack does threaten the food supply chain and could lead to shorateds and price increases.

“The company took immediate action, suspending all affected systems, notifying authorities and activating the company's global network of IT professionals and third-party experts to resolve the situation,” JBS USA said.

[ Also Read: Cybersecurity Threats to the Food Supply Chain ]

AFP reported that the company’s Australian facilities have been “paralysed by the attack,” with up to 10,000 meat workers being sent home without pay.

The company claimed that its backup servers were not impacted by the incident and that it has already started the recovery operations, to have systems back online as soon as possible.

JBS USA also notes that it hasn’t found evidence that customer, employee, or supplier data might have been compromised or misused during the attack, but warns of possible delays in transactions.

“Resolution of the incident will take time, which may delay certain transactions with customers and suppliers,” the company said.

JBS has not shared any technical details regarding the incident, but it may be a ransomware attack.

SecurityWeek has contacted JBS for clarifications on the incident, but hasn’t received a reply yet.

President Joe Biden Tuesday morning issued an official White House LGBTQ Pride proclamation, the first since President Barack Obama.

David Badash, The New Civil Rights Movement
June 01, 2021

Joe Biden (AFP)

In his "Proclamation on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Pride Month," (below) President Biden says he is "particularly honored by the service of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, the first openly LGBTQ+ person to serve in the Cabinet, and Assistant Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine, the first openly transgender person to be confirmed by the Senate."

Biden notes that nearly 14% of his appointees are LGBTQ+, but he also acknowledges the "tragic spike in violence against transgender women of color," and says "LGBTQ+ individuals — especially youth who defy sex or gender norms — face bullying and harassment in educational settings and are at a disproportionate risk of self-harm and death by suicide. Some States have chosen to actively target transgender youth through discriminatory bills that defy our Nation's values of inclusivity and freedom for all."

The Biden proclamation begins by honoring the "uprising at the Stonewall Inn in June, 1969," which "sparked a liberation movement — a call to action that continues to inspire us to live up to our Nation's promise of equality, liberty, and justice for all,"

"Pride is a time to recall the trials the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ+) community has endured and to rejoice in the triumphs of trailblazing individuals who have bravely fought — and continue to fight — for full equality. Pride is both a jubilant communal celebration of visibility and a personal celebration of self-worth and dignity. This Pride Month, we recognize the valuable contributions of LGBTQ+ individuals across America, and we reaffirm our commitment to standing in solidarity with LGBTQ+ Americans in their ongoing struggle against discrimination and injustice."

One year ago on June 1, then-candidate Joe Biden issued issued a statement marking LGBTQ Pride month. One week later he issued an 8000 word policy plan on LGBTQ equality.

President Donald Trump, despite campaign promises and claims the LGBTQ community liked him never once issued an official LGBTQ Pride proclamation. In 2019 he posted a tweet, managing to turn the month's focus to himself, outraging LGBTQ Americans and allies, in an effort to cover up his horrific record on LGBTQ equity and issues.

Related: 114 Times Trump Threw the LGBTQ Community Under the Bus

Read President Biden's LGBTQ Pride Month proclamation:

A Proclamation on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, And Queer Pride Month, 2021 | the White House by davidbadash on Scribd

Vale workers in Sudbury reject contract offer and go on strike

Erik White 

CBC
3

© Erik White/CBC Members of United Steelworkers Local 6500 on the picketline out front of Vale's Copper Cliff smelter complex.

Picketlines are up at Vale's mines, mill and smelter in Sudbury as the union representing 2,400 workers have voted down a tentative agreement with the mining giant.

United Steelworkers Local 6500 says in a statement on its website that 87 per cent of members cast ballots in a ratification vote Monday night and 70 per cent rejected the deal the union bargaining committee was recommending.

"Thank you for your overwhelming support to return us to the bargaining table," reads the statement.

"We are newly energized with this result and are looking forward to bringing your message to the company to let them know our work is not complete."

In a release, Vale says "contingency plans have been implemented to preserve the integrity and safety of the plants and mines" in Sudbury.

Meanwhile, Vale refinery workers in Port Colborne, Ont. represented by Steelworkers Local 6200 accepted the new agreement.

 Erik White/CBC Some 2,400 mine, mill and smelter workers at Vale in Sudbury are now on strike for the first time since the year-long walkout in 2009-10.

"The company's offer, and the union bargaining team's endorsement of that offer, reflected months of hard work and commitment on both sides and a sincere demonstration to favourably conclude negotiations," Vale says in a statement.

"Vale is committed to the long-term sustainability of its base metals business and its Ontario operations. The company will continue discussions with USW in the hopes that both sides can find a path towards a ratified agreement in the near-term."

© Erik White/CBC Vale workers striking in front of Clarabelle Mill in Sudbury on the first morning of the first strike in a decade.

The tentative five-year contract would have seen workers receive a 4 per cent pay raise over the next four years, plus $2,500 recognition pay for the past year working through the COVID-19 pandemic and a $3,500 signing bonus.

The deal would have also seen some changes to pensions and benefits for mine, mill and smelter workers.

This is the first time USW 6500 members have been on the picketline since the year-long strike ended in July 2010, closing one of the longest periods of labour peace in the company's history.

Australia's 'cannibal' mouse infestation could be followed by a snake plague
Cheryl Santa Maria 

Southeastern Australia has been battling mouse plague for months, following a combination of heavy rain, cooler temperatures, and a high crop yield.

Australia’s mouse plague is getting worse and snakes could follow

Experts now worry the influx of mice could just be just the beginning of problems for the region, with worries a snake plague is on the way.

Gerard Dallow from a Sydney-based organization called Micropest told nine.com.au that "snakes are likely to follow" the rodents, potentially leading to a spike in their population numbers.

'CANNIBAL' MICE

The mice have been more than just a nuisance: farmers have lost thousands of dollars worth of crops and sustained equipment damage from the rodents.

Earlier this month, the plague left a family of five and their two pets homeless after descending on the home of the Ward family, chewing up the walls and munching on electrical wires on the roof, sparking a large fire that burned their home to the ground.

As the mice multiply in size and deplete food sources, things have taken a gruesome turn. Reports say the rodents have turned on one another, resorting to cannibalism as grains run low.

So far, rodents have "shut down 44 of our telecommunication towers on Monday across the southern half of New South Wales," Xavier Martin, the vice president of the New South Wales Farmers’ Association, told ITV News.

“They shut down one of our key government servers in one of the departments today so they couldn’t respond. The mice are into everything. If I walk out of the door there now and stand still they’ll climb out the outside of my trousers and inside of my trousers, they’re just running about everywhere.”

THE DANGERS OF SNAKES

While the snakes likely won't cause structural damage to homes or tear through crops like the mice, southeastern Australia is home to about 100 species of venomous snakes.

© Provided by The Weather Network
File photo: A large Red-bellied Black Snake in Awabakal Reserve, Dudley, New South Wales. (Oliver Neuman/Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0)

While there has been no documented uptick in snake populations yet, the reptiles tend to be most active in autumn (which runs until May) and spring, which begins in September.

US Supreme Court rejects Johnson & Johnson’s appeal of $2 billion penalty in baby powder cancer case

PUBLISHED TUE, JUN 1 2021
Tucker Higgins@IN/TUCKER-HIGGINS

KEY POINTS

The Supreme Court rejected an appeal from Johnson & Johnson seeking to undo a $2.1 billion damages award against it over allegations that asbestos in its talc powder products, including baby powder, caused women to develop ovarian cancer.

The top court announced in an order with no noted dissents that it will not hear the case.

Justices Samuel Alito and Brett Kavanaugh recused themselves from consideration of the case, according to the order.


In this photo illustration, a container of Johnson’s baby powder made by Johnson and Johnson sits on a table on July 13, 2018 in San Francisco, California.
Justin Sullivan | Getty Images

The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected an appeal from Johnson & Johnson seeking to undo a $2.1 billion award against it over allegations that asbestos in its talc powder products, including baby powder, caused women to develop ovarian cancer.

The top court announced in an order with no noted dissents that it will not hear the case. Justices Samuel Alito and Brett Kavanaugh recused themselves from consideration of the case, according to the order.

Johnson & Johnson had asked the top court to review the penalty against it after the amount was upheld by the Missouri Supreme Court last year. A state appeals court earlier reduced the penalty against Johnson & Johnson from more than $4 billion.

The dispute featured fierce legal firepower on both sides, with former acting solicitor general Neal Katyal arguing on behalf of the New Brunswick, New Jersey-based pharmaceutical maker and Ken Starr, the former Whitewater prosecutor, representing women with ovarian cancer who sued the company.

Johnson & Johnson said it stopped selling its talc-based baby powder in the United States and Canada in May 2020, citing reduced demand “fueled by misinformation around the safety of the product and a constant barrage of litigation advertising.”

The company had said that it is facing more than 21,800 lawsuits against it over its talc products.

Starr wrote in his brief urging the justices not to review the case that Johnson & Johnson “knew for decades that their talc powders contained asbestos, a highly carcinogenic substance with no known safe exposure level.”

“They could have protected customers by switching from talc to cornstarch, as their own scientists proposed as early as 1973. But talc was cheaper and petitioners were unwilling to sacrifice profits for a safer product,” he wrote.

In contrast, Katyal argued that “federal regulators and respected health organizations have rejected calls for warnings on talc, and comprehensive epidemiological studies tracking tens of thousands of talc users have found no meaningful association between cosmetic talc use and ovarian cancer.”

Katyal said that attorneys for those who had sued Johnson & Johnson had searched the country “for women who were both diagnosed with ovarian cancer and among the millions who used Petitioners’ talc products.”

“They put dozens of plaintiffs on the stand to discuss their experiences with cancer, and the jury awards billions of dollars in punitive damages supposedly to punish Petitioners,” he wrote. “Lawyers can then follow this script and file the same claims with new plaintiffs and seek new outsized awards, over and over again.”

In a statement on Tuesday, Johnson & Johnson said that the Supreme Court’s decision left important legal questions unresolved.

“The matters that were before the court are related to legal procedure, and not safety,” the company said. “Decades of independent scientific evaluations confirm Johnson’s Baby Powder is safe, does not contain asbestos, and does not cause cancer.”

Starr did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Johnson & Johnson shares were down more than 1% on Tuesday morning.

READ THE FUCKING COMIC
'The Sandman' Creator Neil Gaiman Defends Casting Nonbinary Actor to Play Nonbinary Character

"The Sandman" author Neil Gaiman slammed criticism over the weekend of the recent castings announced for Netflix's TV adaptation of his beloved comic book series, which includes a nonbinary actor playing Desire — who is a nonbinary character in "The Sandman" — and Black actress Kirby Howell-Baptiste set as Death — a character that visually depicted as white in the comics

© TheWrap

"I give all the f–ks about the work," Gaiman tweeted Saturday in response to a user who accused the "The Sandman" creator of selling out, saying it "irks" them Gaiman doesn't "give a f–k" about standing by his work. "I spent 30 years successfully battling bad movies of Sandman. I give zero f–ks about people who don't understand/ haven't read Sandman whining about a non-binary Desire or that Death isn't white enough. Watch the show, make up your minds."

Described as "a rich blend of modern myth and dark fantasy in which contemporary fiction, historical drama and legend are seamlessly interwoven," Netflix's "The Sandman" follows the people and places affected by Morpheus, the Dream King, as he mends the cosmic -- and human -- mistakes he's made during his vast existence.

Last Wednesday, Gaiman and Netflix revealed 12 additions to the cast of their "The Sandman" TV series, which stars Tom Sturridge as Dream of the Endless/Morpheus. Among the names Gaiman unveiled via blog post were Howell-Baptiste as Death, "Dream's wiser, nicer, and much more sensible sister," and nonbinary actor Mason Alexander Park as Desire, "Dream's sibling and everything you want, whatever you want and whoever you are."

When announcing the casting of Park as Desire, Gaiman wrote, "We had barely started looking when (they/them) reached out on Twitter, and threw their hat into the ring. We were thrilled when they got the part," and for Death, he said, "Significantly harder to cast than you might imagine (well, than I imagined, anyway). Hundreds of talented women from all around the planet auditioned, and they were brilliant, and none of them were right. Someone who could speak the truth to Dream, on the one hand, but also be the person you'd want to meet when your life was done on the other. And then we saw Kirby Howell-Baptiste's (she/her) audition and we knew we had our Death."

Gaiman has been defending his casting choices on Twitter for days, mocking users ignorant of the fact Desire is a nonbinary character, and amplifying voices of "Sandman" readers speaking to how the inclusion of the character helped them.

"Desire. Mad that DESIRE isn't affixed to one gender. Have these people read Sandman?" one person tweeted, to which Gaiman responded: "I don't think so, no."

"Wasn't Desire… always non-binary…??," another wrote, with Gaiman saying: "Well, yes. But you'd have to have read the comics to know that. And the shouty people appear to have skipped that step."

Gaiman also retweeted John Scalzi's response in support of Gaiman's choice: "Desire in Sandman was really the first time I encountered in fiction the idea of a person being non-binary. It helped me when reality presented me with out non-binary people, some of whom I now know and love. I can't imagine reading Sandman and desiring Desire as anything other."

Kyrgyzstan in full control of Kumtor gold mine as Centerra takes legal action


KUMTOR MINE, Kyrgyzstan (Reuters) - Authorities in Kyrgyzstan said they are in full control of the giant Kumtor gold mine after taking over management of the mine from Canada's Centerra Gold which has taken legal action over the seizure.

© Reuters/VLADIMIR PIROGOV A general view of the lake near Petrov glacier, main water source for the Kumtor open pit gold mine, in Tien Shan mountains

Kumtor, the largest foreign investment project in Kyrgyzstan, was operated by Centerra Gold until last month when Kyrgyz lawmakers passed a law giving the state power to temporarily take control of the mine and appoint "external management" to address alleged environmental and safety problems.

The move came months after nationalist politician Sadyr Japarov, a long-time supporter of Kumtor nationalisation, won a landslide victory in a presidential election in January.

"All units are working without interruptions at the moment," Nurdin Usenov, acting chief production officer at the mine, told reporters during a government-sponsored media tour to Kumtor last Friday.
The mine will stick to output plans approved under Centerra Gold, he said, which amounted to 470,000 to 510,000 ounces, or 14.62 to 15.86 tonnes, this year.

Centerra Gold said this week its Kyrgyz units, Kumtor Gold Co and Kumtor Operating Co, had commenced bankruptcy proceedings in a U.S. court following the nationalisation of the mine by the former Soviet republic.

Kyrgyzstan has a long history of disputes with Centerra Gold over how to share profits from the country's biggest industrial enterprise.

Dinara Kutmanova, the head of state environment and climate committee, said during the media tour the operator of one of the world's highest-altitude mines had damaged nearby glaciers by dumping more than a billion tonnes of waste rock there.

Scott Perry, Centerra Gold president and chief executive, said the accusations were without merit.

"If you look at our operating activities ... it's approved annually by the government's regulatory authorities and related agencies and they've never asked us to make any changes to the way we operate the mine," he told Reuters in an interview.

"Unfortunately I have to say that it really appears to be a concerted effort to falsely justify a nationalisation of the mine."

Centerra said bankruptcy proceedings would prevent further efforts by the Kyrgyz government to strip Kumtor Gold of its assets or otherwise "improperly dispose" of the Kumtor mine in violation of its investment agreements with the company.

The company had earlier initiated international arbitration proceedings against Bishkek.

(Reporting by Vladimir Pirogov; Writing by Olzhas Auyezov in Almaty. Editing by Jane Merriman)

TOPICS FOR YOU

15% of Americans believe QAnon conspiracy theories, claim ‘true American patriots may have to resort to violence,’ poll shows

Updated 10:31 AM; Today 
By Benjamin Kail | bkail@masslive.com


Fifteen percent of Americans — including nearly a quarter of Republicans — say they believe “the government, media and financial worlds in the U.S. are controlled by a group of Satan-worshipping pedophiles who run a global child sex trafficking operation,” according to a recent poll by the Public Religion Research Institute and Interfaith Youth Core that examined far-right QAnon conspiracy theories.

The PRRI survey of more than 5,000 Americans in March shows the QAnon conspiracy theories have maintained its grip on 15% to 20% of Americans, becoming just as popular as some major religions even after its accusations have been debunked and several predictions fell flat. The online movement — pegged by the FBI as a “political fringe conspiracy theory” and domestic terror threat — began in 2017 after an anonymous 4chan poster predicted then-President Donald Trump would lead a war against a secret cabal.

QAnon believers — many of whom joined the pro-Trump mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 in a deadly, failed attempt to stop Congress from sealing President Joe Biden’s victory — are closely linked with Trump’s ongoing baseless claims that the 2020 election was stolen. Seventy-three percent of QAnon believers think Trump should still be in the White House, where Biden has called out increasing threats to democracy in the U.S. and abroad.

At least 20% of Americans believe a core QAnon tenet that “There is a storm coming soon that will sweep away the elites in power and restore the rightful leaders.” Fifteen percent say the country is “so far off track, true American patriots may have to resort to violence in order to save our country,” according to the poll, which had a margin of error of plus or minus 1.5 percentage points.

Twenty-three percent of Republicans buy QAnon’s theories compared to 14% of independents and 8% of Democrats. Republicans are four times likelier than Democrats — 28% to 7% — to believe so-called “patriots” may have to take up arms, the poll showed. Those who follow far-right outlets are more than three times as likely to fall for QAnon’s core claims than those who rely on local news sources. Americans without a college education are three times more likely to be QAnon believers.

The survey results match up with a December NPR and Ipsos poll that showed 17% believe QAnon’s false theories and more than a third of Americans buy into the notion that a “deep state” worked to undermine Trump.

In an interview with The Chicago Tribune, PRRI founder Robby Jones likened the phenomenon to a religion, both in terms of numbers and the fervor fueling QAnon believers’ convictions.

“It’s one thing to say that most Americans laugh off these outlandish beliefs, but when you take into consideration that these beliefs are linked to a kind of apocalyptic thinking and violence, then it becomes something quite different,” he said.

Reed Berkowitz, an alternate reality game designer, wrote in The Washington Post in May that “Q has specifically followed the model of an alternate reality game using many of the same techniques.” Berkowitz called it “the gamification of propaganda. QAnon was a game that played people.”

In April, FBI Director Christopher Wray noted the agency was not investigating the online movement itself, but said there are serious concerns that it “may be an inspiration for violent attacks.”

“We’re concerned about the potential that [people’s vulnerability to QAnon] can lead to violence,” Wray told the Senate Intelligence Committee. “Where it is an inspiration for federal crime, we’re going to aggressively pursue it.”

In 2019, the FBI listed QAnon among “fringe political conspiracy theories very likely to encourage the targeting of specific people, places and organizations, thereby increasing the risk of extremist violence.”

In his Memorial Day address Monday, Biden sought to fire up Americans against ongoing attacks on democratic norms, decency, freedom and voting rights, both abroad and at home.

Biden invoked former U.S. Sen. Daniel Webster of Massachusetts, arguing the New England statesman’s 1830 cry of “Liberty and union, now and forever, one and inseparable” resonates “even now.”

“Democracy must be defended at all costs,” Biden said. “That’s the soul of America. And I believe it’s a soul worth fighting for. A soul worth dying for. The soul of America is animated by the perennial battle between our worst instincts — which we’ve seen of late — and our better angels. Between ‘Me first’ and ‘We the people,’ between greed and generosity, cruelty and kindness, captivity and freedom ... between dreams for democracy and the appetite for autocracy.”

European countries urge explanation on alleged U.S. spying on Merkel, officials
(Xinhua) 14:45, June 01, 2021

BEIJING, June 1 (Xinhua) -- European countries demanded the United States and Denmark for an explanation as soon as possible on reports that the U.S. intelligence agency had used Danish infrastructure to spy on senior European officials, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The Danish Defense Intelligence Service (FE) has given the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) open internet access to spy on senior politicians of neighboring countries including Germany, Sweden, Norway, and France, Denmark's national broadcaster DR News reported on Sunday.

Danish Minister of Defense Trine Bramsen responded to media reports by sending an email to DR News, saying that the government will not "enter into speculation about any intelligence matters from the press or others ... systematic wiretapping of close allies is unacceptable."

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday that all must be clarified concerning reports on the U.S. spying and urged "complete transparency and resolution of the matter by our Danish and American partners."

This "is unacceptable between allies, even less between allies and European partners," Macron was quoted by French daily Le Monde following a French-German council of ministers.

Merkel said she "could only agree" with Macron's comments, adding she was "reassured" by Bramsen's condemnation of any such spying.

Besides Merkel, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and the candidate for chancellor Peer Steinbrueck were among those the NSA had spied on, DR said.

"It is grotesque that friendly intelligence services are indeed intercepting and spying on top representatives of other countries," Steinbrueck told German broadcaster ARD. "Politically I consider it a scandal."

In Paris, French Minister for European Affairs Clement Beaune told France Info radio that the DR report needed to be checked and that, if confirmed, it would be a "serious" matter.

"These potential facts, they are serious. They must be checked," he said, adding there could be "some diplomatic protests."

"It is extremely serious, we need to see if our partners in the EU, the Danes, have committed errors or faults in their cooperation with American services," he noted.

Jens Holm, a member of the Swedish Parliament, called on investigation into "who exactly was monitored, when and how."

"This is extremely outrageous," Holms told local media, adding that the situation elicits memories of the Cold War.

The governments of Norway and Sweden are pressing the Danish government and demanding immediate answers about the alleged NSA espionage through Danish cables.

Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg said Norway had asked Denmark "for all the information they have."

"It's unacceptable if countries which have close allied cooperation feel the need to spy on one another," Solberg told public broadcaster NRK.

Norway's Defense Minister Frank Bakke-Jensen also told broadcaster NRK that the country takes the allegations seriously.

Swedish Minister of Defense Peter Hultqvist said on state broadcaster SVT on Sunday that he "asked to be fully informed about matters concerning Swedish citizens, companies and interests."

"And then we have to see how the answer sounds from a political side in Denmark," Hultqvist said, adding that he had been "in contact with Denmark's defense minister to ask if Danish platforms have been used to spy on Swedish politicians."

(Web editor: Shi Xi, Liang Jun)