Biodun Iginla, BBC News

Biodun Iginla, BBC News
Showing posts with label biodun iginla. suzanne gould. Show all posts
Showing posts with label biodun iginla. suzanne gould. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Republican candidates clash over how to counter Islamic State

  • 24 minutes ago


by Suzanne Gould and Biodun Iginla, BBC News, Las Vegas


Media captionJames Cook reports on the Republican candidates debate held in Las Vegas

Republican presidential hopefuls sparred over how to stop the so-called Islamic State (IS), in the first debate since attacks in California and Paris.
The national security focus yielded heated exchanges between Senators Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio who clashed on surveillance and immigration policy.
Jeb Bush also sought to revive his struggling campaign by forcefully attacking front-runner Donald Trump.
"You're not going to be able to insult your way to the presidency," he said.
Mr Trump was on the defensive early in the debate for his proposed ban on Muslims entering the US, saying, "We are not talking about religion, we are talking about security."
However the debate quickly expanded to broader issues of foreign policy and national security.
The candidates repeatedly addressed heightened fears of terrorism in the US on the same day an emailed threat shut down Los Angeles' school system.

Analysis: Anthony Zurcher, BBC News, Las Vegas

Members of the audience standing with their hands on their heart during a singing of the US National AnthemImage copyright AFP
Image caption The audience was outspoken during the debate
The big question going into this last Republican debate of 2015 was how Donald Trump's competitors would try to take the front-runner down.
It seems, however, that only Jeb Bush got that memo. He alone among the candidates engaged the New Yorker directly, and if he had been as forceful several months ago as he was on Tuesday night, his campaign might be in much better shape.
Instead, most of the fireworks during the Las Vegas event occurred between the trio of first-term senators - Marco Rubio, Rand Paul and Ted Cruz.
On the issues of national security and immigration, Mr Rubio faced off against his two congressional colleagues in often acrimonious exchanges.
Barely mentioned over the course of an evening that focused on foreign policy was Mr Trump's call to close the US border to all Muslims.
Given how all the candidates assiduously avoided the subject, one would never have guessed that it was a story that merited global headlines and ignited a firestorm of controversy.
What Trump doesn't get about the net
Republican debate: Winners and losers
But the top nine candidates disagreed over the scope of government surveillance and how to end the civil war raging in Syria.
"If terrorists strike again... the first question will be, 'Why didn't we know about it and why didn't we stop it?'" said Mr Rubio, taking aim at Mr Cruz, who had voted to curtail government surveillance powers.
Another of Mr Trump's proposals - "closing that internet up" to stop IS recruitment - has been hotly debated, with the candidate saying, "I don't want them using our Internet".
After defending it, he seemed confused by loud booing from the audience, and replied: "These are people that want to kill us folks."
It was not the only time that the crowd played a part in the programme; on several occasions the audience's cheers and jeers forced a pause in the candidates' conversation.
At one point, a heckler interrupted Mr Trump with inaudible comments.
US media review
US journalists watch the debate on television monitors in the press room in Las Vegas. 15 DecemberImage copyright EPA
Donald Trump's opponents "put a few dings in The Donald", according to comment in the New York Times. The debate "showed his substantial weakness on the critical topic of national security - and, at long last, his opponents' willingness to exploit it", it argues.
The common theme of the debate, according to USA Today, was an attack on President Barack Obama and Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton "for allowing the self-proclaimed Islamic State to rise and threaten Americans". But it was also a test of Mr Trump's credentials to be president. "Trump dismissed [Jeb] Bush's repeated jibes as though he was flicking lint off his lapel," it notes.
A Washington Post column argues that Ted Cruz is "more dangerous" for America than Mr Trump. "Although neither man is particularly constrained by truth or facts, Cruz is even more ruthless and cutthroat," it says.
A Fox News comment has Mr Trump winning the debate though "Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio gave incredibly strong performances... It follows that we saw Cruz and Rubio maintain their position as the GOP's best debaters and Trump retain his position as the leader of the pack," it concludes.
Republican presidential candidate Ohio Governor John Kasich (L) speaks as businesswoman Carly Fiorina looks on during the Republican Presidential Debate, hosted by CNNImage copyright Getty Images
Image caption Mr Kasich called for the country become more united

Other highlights from the debate included:

  • Despite expectations of a confrontation between the top candidates - Senator Cruz and Mr Trump - the men avoided directly criticising each other
  • Mr Trump said that he would not pursue a third-party campaign, saying he had "gained great respect" for the party's leadership
  • When asked whether he could order air strikes that could kill civilians or children, Ben Carson pointed to his experience as a paediatric surgeon and having to tell children about brain cancer
  • Kentucky Senator Rand Paul stuck to his strong libertarian foreign policy beliefs, despite stark differences with the other candidates
  • New Jersey Governor Chris Christie repeatedly stressed his executive experience as a governor and prosecutor and took a swipe at senators like Mr Cruz and Mr Rubio saying they were all talk
  • Ohio Governor John Kasich said world leaders would have been better off discussing terrorism than climate change at a recent summit in Paris
  • Former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina said help from the private sector should be sought to fix an "incompetent" government

The Republican contest - in depth

Marco Rubio and Ted CruzImage copyright AFP / Getty Images
Image caption Senators Cruz and Rubio had a heated argument over surveillance and civil liberties
How to dump Trump - four ways his rivals might beat him at the debate
Muslims on Trump - Muslims in Las Vegas reflect on Trump ban plan
Cruz on the rise - five things to know about Trump's biggest threat
Clinton's secret agent? - Conspiracy theorists claim Trump is Hillary Clinton's plant
Mr Trump loomed large over the so-called undercard debate, with the four candidates split over the efficacy of his proposed ban.
Senator Lindsey Graham apologised to US-allied Muslim leaders saying: "I am sorry. He does not represent us".
Democrats debate on Saturday night, and both parties will hold debates in January.
The state-by-state primary contests in the presidential election begin in six weeks in Iowa on 1 February and will last for months.
Each party will formally nominate their candidate over the summer, with Hillary Clinton the favourite to win the Democratic nomination.
Americans will finally go to the polls in November, and the newly elected president will assume office in late January of 2017.

Road to the White House

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Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Trump and Cruz take aim at one-another in latest Republican debate

17 minutes ago



by Suzanne Gould and Biodun Iginla, BBC News, New York
Ted Cruz and Donald TrumpImage copyright Getty Images
Front-runners Donald Trump and Ted Cruz are expected to clash, breaking their months-long entente in the last Republican presidential debate of 2015.
It is the first Republican debate since Mr Trump urged the US impose a ban on Muslim arrivals, in light of the California terror attacks.
The plan was condemned by his White House rivals and several world leaders.
New York billionaire Mr Trump is the frontrunner but Texas Senator Ted Cruz has surged in recent weeks.
Tensions have recently increased between the two men who have made pains to avoid criticising each other.
National security is expected to be a central theme of the night, two weeks after a radicalised Muslim couple killed 14 people in California, and just over a month since the attacks in Paris.
One of the suspects in the California attack, Tashfeen Malik, professed support for Islamic State militants on social media.
The attack in Paris brought the issue of Syrian refugees to the front of the US political debate. That debate expanded to include the entry of all Muslims to the US with Mr Trump's proposed ban following the attacks in California.
Mr Trump loomed large over the so-called undercard debate, with the four candidates split over the efficacy of his proposed ban.
Senator Lindsey Graham apologised to US-allied Muslim leaders - such as Jordan's King Abdullah II and Egypt's President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi - saying: "I am sorry. He does not represent us".

The Republican contest - in depth

The so-called undercard debate is taking place before the main eventImage copyright EPA
Image caption The so-called undercard debate is taking place before the main event
How to dump Trump - four ways his rivals might beat him at the debate
Muslims on Trump - Muslims in Las Vegas reflect on Trump ban plan
Cruz on the rise - five things to know about Trump's biggest threat
Clinton's secret agent? - Conspiracy theorists claim Trump is Hillary Clinton's plant
Mr Trump's proposal generated global criticism, and in its wake, Mr Cruz has tried to cast himself as a more electable alternative.
The Texan senator has a reputation for clashing with his own party and for his prickly personality.
The two have avoided open and direct clashes for months, but the friendly relationship has shown cracks in recent days.
Meanwhile, Florida Senator Marco Rubio is working to pitch himself as the favoured alternative to both men - capable of capturing both the Republican establishment voters and those who crave a so-called "outsider".
Mr Rubio, a Cuban-American like Mr Cruz, has tried to paint his fellow senator as a political opportunist who is weak on national security and foreign policy.
Marco Rubio standing in front of an American flagImage copyright Getty Images
Image caption Mr Rubio, trailing both, is hoping to present himself as an electable alternative to Messrs Trump and Cruz
Mr Cruz's campaign has roundly denied the allegations, with a spokesman saying "nobody believes Senator Cruz is weak on national defence and security".
The debate will also prove crucial for two candidates who have so far struggling in the polls: Florida Governor Jeb Bush and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.
Mr Bush, whose campaign is flush with cash but strained when it comes to support, is looking to head off calls that he should drop out of the race; those calls have been growing louder in recent weeks.
Mr Christie did not enjoy early support, but appears to be gaining ground as the other governor loses it. In the important primary state of New Hampshire, he's captured important endorsements and appears to be gaining in polls in recent weeks.

Three candidates to watch

Donald Trump, Chris Christie and Jeb BushImage copyright Getty Images
  • Donald Trump to defend himself and his recent anti-Muslim policy against attacks from his rivals
  • Jeb Bush to perform well enough to justify staying in the race, despite calls to drop out
  • Chris Christie, the New Jersey governor who has enjoyed recent gains in New Hampshire, to have a break-out moment
Also on the stage, will be Ben Carson, who is struggling to regain his footing after a series of missteps on foreign policy issues.
The main debate featuring the top eight Republican candidates will start at 2100e (0200 GMT), after a so-called undercard debate featuring those in the lower ranks.
The state-by-state primary contests in the presidential election begin in six weeks in Iowa on 1 February and will last for months.
Each party will formally nominate their candidate over the summer, with Hillary Clinton the favourite to win the Democratic nomination.
Americans will finally go to the polls in November, and the newly elected president will assume office in late January of 2017.

Road to the White House


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Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Donald Trump's Muslim US ban call sparks Republican outcry


  • 56 minutes ago

by Suzanne Gould and Biodun Iginla, BBC News, New York
Media captionDonald Trump said he was calling for ''a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the US''
There has been a storm of condemnation from Donald Trump's fellow Republicans after the presidential candidate called for a ban on Muslims entering the US.
Rival candidate Jeb Bush called Mr Trump "unhinged". Former US Vice-President Dick Cheney said it "goes against everything we stand for and believe in".
The White House, UN and Muslim leaders also criticised Mr Trump's statement.
Mr Trump said many Muslims nursed a "hatred" towards America.
In a campaign statement, he called for "a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country's representatives can figure out what is going on".
His campaign manager said that would apply to "everybody" - would-be immigrants and tourists. But Mr Trump told Fox News it would "not apply to people living in the country", adding that Muslims serving in the US military would "come home".
Mr Trump's statement was delivered as the US comes to terms with its deadliest terror attack since 9/11.
Last week a Muslim couple, believed to have been radicalised, opened fire and killed 14 people at a health centre in San Bernardino.
Protest in WashingtonImage copyright AFP
Image caption Protesters support Trump's stance against Muslim refugees
Mr Trump garnered loud cheers when he repeated his ban pledge at a South Carolina rally hours after his initial statement.
But fellow Republicans lined up to condemn him:
  • "This is just more of the outrageous divisiveness that characterises his every breath" - rival Republican candidate John Kasich
  • "Donald Trump is unhinged. His 'policy' proposals are not serious" - rival candidate Jeb Bush
  • "Downright dangerous" - rival candidate Lindsey Graham
  • "This whole notion that we can just say 'no more Muslims', and just ban a whole religion goes against everything we stand for and believe in. Religious freedom has been a very important part of our history and where we came from... It's a mistaken notion" - former Vice-President Dick Cheney
  • "It is un-Republican. It is unconstitutional. And it is un-American'' - Jennifer Horn, chairwoman of the Republican Party of New Hampshire, condemning the call along with Republican Party heads in Iowa and South Carolina. The first primaries will take place in the three states next year
Some of his Republican rivals - mindful, perhaps, that Mr Trump's more outlandish proposals only appear to have bolstered his poll ratings - were more nuanced in their responses.
Carly Fiorina used her response to take simultaneous aim at President Barack Obama, saying his "overreaction is as dangerous as President Obama's under-reaction" - while Ted Cruz said: "Well, that is not my policy."
Ben Carson said visitors to the US should be monitored, but added: "I do not and would not advocate being selective on one's religion."
But a handful of supporters cheered Mr Trump on, with controversial conservative commentator Ann Coulter tweeting: "GO TRUMP, GO!"
The BBC's Anthony Zurcher, in Washington, says Mr Trump, whose poll ratings have risen after other hardline statements, has set down a marker that will force his fellow candidates to stand with him or risk his ire.
Media captionThere was a mixed response to Mr Trump's comments in San Bernardino
Mr Trump's comments were contrary to US values and its national security interests, a statement from the White House said.
"Donald Trump sounds more like a leader of a lynch mob than a great nation like ours,'' said Nihad Awad, national executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
"These are not just words... Trump and Carson's mainstreaming of Islamophobia in the election is inciting discrimination, hate crimes, violent attacks against Muslims and mosques. This inflammatory rhetoric is putting the lives of millions of American Muslims and their children in danger."
"We're entering into the realm of the fascist now," said Ibraham Hooper, director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

Refugees 'at risk'

Meanwhile, the Democratic mayor of St Petersburg, Florida, announced to Twitter fanfare that he was "hereby barring Donald Trump from entering St Petersburg until we fully understand the dangerous threat posed by all Trumps".
The UN refugee agency UNHCR said it was concerned that the rhetoric was putting an "incredibly important" resettlement programme for vulnerable Syrian refugees at risk.
Spokeswoman Melissa Fleming said remarks not just by Mr Trump but by a number of US state governors could undermine a programme designed to help the most vulnerable refugees.
The US currently accepts several thousand refugees for resettlement each year, following a rigorous security screening which lasts around two years.

How Democratic presidential candidates responded:

"A fascist demagogue" - ex-Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley
"Reprehensible, prejudiced and divisive" - Hillary Clinton
"Demagogue" - Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders
Mr Trump's statement to reporters on Monday said polling by the Center for Security Policy, a conservative think-tank, suggested that 25% of Muslims in the US believed violence against America was justified.
"Without looking at the various polling data, it is obvious to anybody the hatred is beyond comprehension. Where this hatred comes from and why, we will have to determine.
"Until we [do]... our country cannot be the victims of horrendous attacks by people that believe only in jihad."
On Sunday, President Obama made a rare Oval Office address in response to the San Bernardino attack and warned against the US falling prey to divisiveness.

Road to the White House


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Monday, December 7, 2015

Donald Trump urges ban on Muslims coming to US


  • 3 minutes ago

by Suzanne Gould and Biodun Iginla, BBC News, New York

Donald TrumpImage copyright AFP
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has called for a "total and complete" halt to Muslims entering the US, in the wake of the deadly California shootings.
He said that polling showed a "hatred" by Muslims towards Americans that could put the nation at risk.
The border shutdown should remain "until our country's representatives can figure out what is going on".
The White House swiftly criticised Mr Trump's statement as "un-American".
It is contrary to US values and its national security interests, a statement said.
California attackers had target practice
Mr Trump has made anti-immigration proposals a central plank of his campaign, calling for a wall on the Mexico border to keep out "rapists" and "drug addicts".
But in recent weeks, since the Paris terror attacks, he has turned his attention to the Muslim population in the US, calling for the surveillance of mosques and a Muslim registration database.
This rhetoric increased after the attacks in California last week, carried out by a Muslim couple believed to have been radicalised.
Protest in WashingtonImage copyright AFP
Image caption Protesters support Trump's stance against Muslim refugees
They opened fire and killed 14 people at a health centre in San Bernardino.
Mr Trump's statement to reporters on Monday said polling firms like the Center for Security Policy had data that showed a hatred by a significant number of Muslims against Americans.
"Without looking at the various polling data, it is obvious to anybody the hatred is beyond comprehension. Where this hatred comes from and why, we will have to determine.
"Until we are able to determine and understand this problem and the dangerous threat it poses, our country cannot be the victims of horrendous attacks by people that believe only in Jihad, and have no sense of reason or respect for human life."
When asked by The Hill if that included Muslim Americans who may currently be abroad, his spokeswoman said: "Mr Trump says everyone."
Soon after his statement was released, Mr Trump's Republican rival Ben Carson called on all visitors to the US to "register and be monitored" during their stay.
But his spokesman added: "We do not and would not advocate being selective on one's religion."
Another Republican presidential hopeful, Senator Lindsey Graham, urged all those running to condemn Mr Trump's remarks.

Road to the White House

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