Vietnam steps up talks with US to reduce hefty tariffNew Foto - Vietnam steps up talks with US to reduce hefty tariff

HANOI (Reuters) -Vietnam and the United States held their first direct ministerial-level negotiations on Friday against the backdrop of an impending U.S. tariff of 46% on imports from the Southeast Asian nation, which could significantly impact its growth. The Vietnamese trade ministry said in a statement released on Saturday that the meeting, which occurred in Jeju, South Korea, following the 31st APEC Ministerial Meeting on Trade, symbolised both nations' commitment to fostering a stable economic, trade, and investment relationship. The talks follow a phone call last month between Vietnamese trade minister Nguyen Hong Dien and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer that officially started negotiations. "USTR Greer agreed with Vietnam's current approach and proposal," the trade ministry's statement said. "The United States hopes that with the mutual efforts, the technical-level negotiations in the coming days will yield positive results." The U.S. has postponed the implementation of the 46% tariff on Vietnam until July. If enforced, the levy could disrupt growth in Vietnam, which is heavily dependent on sales to the United States, its largest export market, and substantial foreign investments in manufacturing goods for export. Vietnam has the fourth-largest trade surplus among all U.S. trading partners, worth $123.5 billion last year. In an attempt to diminish that trade surplus, Hanoi has recently implemented several measures, including reducing tariffs on a multitude of goods destined for the U.S. and intensifying its efforts to curb the shipment of Chinese goods to the U.S. via its territory. (Reporting by Phuong Nguyen; Editing by Sonali Paul)

Vietnam steps up talks with US to reduce hefty tariff

Vietnam steps up talks with US to reduce hefty tariff HANOI (Reuters) -Vietnam and the United States held their first direct ministerial-lev...
AI regulation ban meets opposition from state attorneys general over risks to US consumersNew Foto - AI regulation ban meets opposition from state attorneys general over risks to US consumers

By Jody Godoy (Reuters) -A Republican proposal to block states from regulating artificial intelligence for 10 years drew opposition on Friday from a bipartisan group of attorneys general in California, New York, Ohio and other states that have regulated high-risk uses of the technology. The measure included in President Donald Trump's tax cut bill would preempt AI laws and regulations passed recently in dozens of states. A group of 40 state attorneys general, including Republicans from Ohio, Tennessee, Arkansas, Utah and Virginia and other states, urged Congress to ditch the measure on Friday, as the U.S. House of Representatives' budget committee geared up for a Sunday night hearing. "Imposing a broad moratorium on all state action, while Congress fails to act in this area is irresponsible and deprives consumers of reasonable protections," said the group. The attorney general from California -- which is home to prominent AI companies, including OpenAI, Alphabet, Meta Platforms and Anthropic -- was among the Democrats who signed the letter. "I strongly oppose any effort to block states from developing and enforcing common-sense regulation; states must be able to protect their residents by responding to emerging and evolving AI technology," Attorney General Rob Bonta said. California implemented a raft of bills this year limiting specific uses of AI, illustrating the kind of laws that would be blocked under the moratorium. Like several other states, California has criminalized the use of AI to generate sexually explicit images of individuals without their consent. The state also prohibits unauthorized deepfakes in political advertising, and requires healthcare providers to notify patients when they are interacting with an AI and not a human. Healthcare provider networks, also known as HMOs, are barred in California from using AI systems instead of doctors to decide medical necessity. House Republicans said in a hearing Tuesday that the measure was necessary to help the federal government in implementing AI, for which the package allocates $500 million. "It's nonsensical to do that if we're going to allow 1,000 different pending bills in state legislatures across the country to become law," said Jay Obernolte, a Republican from California who represents part of Silicon Valley, including Mountain View where Google is based. "It would be impossible for any agency that operates in all the states to be able to comply with those regulations," he said. Google has called the proposed moratorium "an important first step to both protect national security and ensure continued American AI leadership." That position will be tested if the measure makes it to the Senate. It will need to clear the budget reconciliation process, which is supposed to be used only for budget-related legislation. (Reporting by Jody Godoy in New York; Editing by Aurora Ellis)

AI regulation ban meets opposition from state attorneys general over risks to US consumers

AI regulation ban meets opposition from state attorneys general over risks to US consumers By Jody Godoy (Reuters) -A Republican proposal t...
Former FBI Director James Comey interviewed by the US Secret ServiceNew Foto - Former FBI Director James Comey interviewed by the US Secret Service

Former FBI Director James Comey was interviewed by US Secret Service agents at their Washington, DC, field office on Friday afternoon, according to law enforcement sources. Comey was interviewed by agents investigating a social media post he posted Thursday showing shells in the sand on a beach spelling out "86 47," which has become a popular social media code for removing Trump from the presidency. Comey was not in custody and appeared voluntarily, a source said. Trump and fellow Republicans have attacked Comey for the post, demanding an investigation. Comey "knew exactly what that meant," Trump said in a Fox News interview. "A child knows what that meant. If you're the FBI director and you don't know what that meant, that meant assassination." In explaining why he removed the post, Comeywrote on Instagramthat he had "posted earlier a picture of some shells I saw today on a beach walk, which I assumed were a political message." It was expected that Comey will be asked if he intended the message as a threat, or to inspire others who might consider an act of violence against Trump, the source said. Ultimately, a decision on whether the case is chargeable as a threat against the president may lie with the US attorney in Washington. "The Secret Service vigorously investigates anything that can be taken as a potential threat against our protectees," Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement to CNN. "We are aware of the social media posts by the former FBI Director and we take rhetoric like this very seriously. Beyond that, we do not comment on protective intelligence matters." Legally speaking, prosecuting Comey may be fruitless as any legal action wouldstand little chance, especially after a recent Supreme Court decision regarding threats and among a judiciary that has expanded free speech rights in recent years, legal experts say. "I didn't realize some folks associate those numbers with violence," Comey said Thursday of the number "86," which can refer to something being tossed away or taken out. The corresponding "47" matches Trump's current term in office as the 47th president. "It never occurred to me but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down." A Secret Service source familiar with the investigation told CNN that under normal circumstances, such a post wouldn't warrant a full-fledged investigation but under the current political climate will likely get more attention. Such an investigation, the source said, would serve as a distraction for agents in an organization already stretched thin. This story has been updated with additional details. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account atCNN.com

Former FBI Director James Comey interviewed by the US Secret Service

Former FBI Director James Comey interviewed by the US Secret Service Former FBI Director James Comey was interviewed by US Secret Service ag...
Trump sees meager uptick in approval ratings mid-May as economy remains concernNew Foto - Trump sees meager uptick in approval ratings mid-May as economy remains concern

Following atorrent of polls released over the last few weeks,coinciding withPresident Donald Trump's first 100 days in office, the few polls released this week indicate a slight uptick in support for the president. Trump's average approval rating is 45% as of Friday, May 16, with a 51% disapproval number, according to theNew York Times' poll aggregationservice. That's a one-point uptick week over week, with Trump ending thefirst week of Maywith a 44% approval and 51% disapproval rating. Pollster Nate Silver's"Silver Bulletin" newsletterhas the same 45% approval and 51% disapproval aggregate Friday, whileRealClearPolitics' averageis a point higher at a 46% approval and 50% disapproval ranking. Trump began his term with a 47% approval rating, and saw his popularity dip through to his 100th day in office, when his job approval numbers reached historic lows not seen by any other president over the past several decades. Silver, founder of the now-defunct 538 political polling site, said in his Substack Friday that more data is needed to determine if the slight uptick in approval this week is a lasting trend or not. "Now this could just be noise driven by a dearth of new polls, or it could be a reversal of the downward trend we've seen since the start of Trump's term," he said in his "Silver Bulletin" newsletter. "We'll have to wait for more data to find out." Here's how the latest few polls measured how much Americans approve of Trump's job performance. 44% approve 52% disapprove Thesurvey, released May 13, showed 44% of respondents approved of the president's performance, up from 42% in a prior Reuters/Ipsos survey carried out April 25-27. The poll was taken May 12-13 of 1,163 adults, and has a margin of error of ±3 points. The survey concluded that Americans' concerns about a recession have eased over the last few weeks, but still remain high. Approximately 69% of respondents said they were concerned about a recession, Reuters said, down from 76% in a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted April 16-21. The share who said they worried about the stock market fell to 60% from 67% between the April and May surveys. 43% approve 52% disapprove Thepollwas conducted May 9-12 of 1,786 adult citizens, with a ±3.3% margin of error. Since the last survey conducted theweek prior, Trump's approval jumped one point while the percentage of those who disapprove remained the same. When asked how they approved of Trump'sjob performanceon education, health care, civil rights and civil liberties,40% of respondentssaid they approved of how he handled each category. Nearly half approved of Trump's approach to immigration and crime, while his lowest marks concerned the economy: with 42% approving of jobs and the economy, 38% of respondents agreeing with the president's stance on foreign trade, and just 35% approving of his position on inflation and prices. 46% approve 52% disapprove Trump's approval ratings are unchanged from last week's poll byMorning Consult. The Republican leader continues to get solid marks from 89% of Republican voters, Morning Consult says, while 58% of independents disapprove of his job performance. The poll was conducted May 9-11 among 2,221 registered U.S. voters, and has a margin of error of ±2 percentage points. Kathryn Palmer is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her atkapalmer@usatoday.comand on X @KathrynPlmr. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Trump approval ratings mid-May see small jump

Trump sees meager uptick in approval ratings mid-May as economy remains concern

Trump sees meager uptick in approval ratings mid-May as economy remains concern Following atorrent of polls released over the last few weeks...
Case of brain-dead pregnant woman kept on life support in Georgia raises tricky questionsNew Foto - Case of brain-dead pregnant woman kept on life support in Georgia raises tricky questions

ATLANTA (AP) — The case of apregnant woman in Georgiawho was declared brain dead and has been kept on life support for three months has given rise to complicated questions about abortion law and whether a fetus is a person. Adriana Smith, a 30-year-old nurse and mother, was about two months pregnant on Feb. 19 when she was declared brain dead, according to an online fundraising page started by her mother. Doctors said Georgia's strict anti-abortion law requires that she remain on life support until the fetus has developed enough to be delivered, her mother wrote. The law, one of a wave of measures enacted in conservative states after the Supreme Courtoverturned Roe v. Wadein 2022, restricts abortion once cardiac activity is detected and gives personhood rights to a fetus. Smith's mother says it has left her family without a say in a difficult situation, and with her due date still months away, the family is left wondering whether the baby will be born with disabilities or can even survive. Some activists, many of them Black women like Smith, say it raises issues of racial equity. What does the law say? Emory Healthcare, which runs the hospital, has not explained how doctors decided to keep Smith on life support except to say in a statement they considered "Georgia's abortion laws and all other applicable laws." The state adopted a law in 2019 to ban abortion after cardiac activity can be detected, about six weeks into pregnancy, thatcame into effectafter Roe v. Wade was overturned. That law does not explicitly address Smith's situation, but allows abortion to preserve the life or physical health of the pregnant woman. Three other states have similar bans that kick in around the six-week mark and 12 bar abortion at all stages of pregnancy. David S. Cohen, a professor at Drexel University's Thomas R. Kline School of Law in Philadelphia, said the hospital might be most concerned about part of the law that gives fetuses legal rights as "members of the species Homo sapiens." Cohen said Emory may therefore consider Smith and the fetus as two patients and that once Smith was on life support, they had a legal obligation to keep the fetus alive, even after she died. "These are the kind of cases that law professors have been talking about for a long time when they talk about fetal personhood," he said. State Rep. Nabilah Islam Parkes, an Atlanta-area Democrat, said Friday that she sent a letter to state Attorney General Chris Carr asking for a legal opinion on how Georgia's abortion law applies when a pregnant woman is brain dead. Personhood divide within anti-abortion movement Anti-abortion groups are divided over whether they should supportpersonhood provisions, which are on the books in at least 17 states, according to the advocacy group Pregnancy Justice. Some argue that fertilized eggs, embryos and fetuses should be considered people with the same rights as those already born. This personhood concept seeks to give them rights under the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which says a state can't "deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process or law; nor deny any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." Some saw personhood as politically impractical, especially after personhood amendments to state constitutions were rejected by voters in Colorado, Mississippi and North Dakota between 2008 and 2014. Those who steered away sought laws and restrictions on abortion that stopped short of personhood, although they were often informed by the concept. Personhood proponents argue this lacks moral clarity. Some personhood proponents have been sidelined in national anti-abortion groups; the National Right to Life Committee cut ties with its Georgia Right to Life affiliate in 2014 after the state wing opposed bills that restricted abortion but allowed exceptions for rape and incest. Unequal access to care for Black women The Associated Press has not been able to reach Smith's mother, April Newkirk. But Newkirk told Atlanta TV station WXIA that her daughter went to a hospital complaining of headaches and was given medication and released. Then, her boyfriend awoke to her gasping for air and called 911. Emory University Hospital determined she had blood clots in her brain and she was declared brain dead. It's not clear what Smith said when she went to the hospital or whether the care she was given was standard for her symptoms. But Black women often complain their pain isn't taken seriously, and anAssociated Press investigationfound that health outcomes for Black women are worse because of circumstances linked to racism and unequal access to care. Monica Simpson, executive director of SisterSong, the lead plaintiff in alawsuit challengingGeorgia's abortion law, said: "Black women must be trusted when it comes to our health care decisions." "Like so many Black women, Adriana spoke up for herself. She expressed what she felt in her body, and as a health care provider, she knew how to navigate the medical system," Simpson said, noting that by the time Smith was diagnosed "it was already too late." It's unclear whether the clots in Smith's brain were related to her pregnancy. But her situation is undoubtedly alarming for those seeking solutions todisparities in the maternal mortality rate among Black women. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Black women had a mortality rate of 50.3 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2023. That's more than three times the rate for white women, and it is higher than the rates for Hispanic and Asian women. What is Smith's current situation? While Smith is on a ventilator and likely other life-support devices, being declared brain dead means she is dead. Some experts refer to "life support" as "maintenance measures," "organ support" or "somatic support," which relates to the body as distinct from the mind. Emory has not made public what is being done to allow Smith's fetus to continue to develop. In another case in Florida, doctors successfully delivered the baby of a 31-year-old woman who was declared brain dead while 22 weeks pregnant, but not without weeks of sustained monitoring, testing and medical care. The woman's family wanted to keep the fetus, physicians with the University of Florida College of Medicine said in a 2023 paper. On her first day of admission, doctors administered hormones to raise her blood pressure and placed a feeding tube. After she was transferred to an intensive care unit, an obstetric nurse stayed by her bedside continuously to monitor the fetus' heart rate and movements. She was on a ventilator, regularly received steroids and hormones, and needed multiple antibiotics to treat pneumonia. Her medical team encompassed multiple specialties: obstetrics, neonatology, radiology and endocrinology. Doctors performed surgery to remove the fetus at 33 weeks when its heart rate fell, and the baby appeared to be in good health at birth. "We don't have great science to guide clinical decision making in these cases," said Dr. Kavita Arora, an obstetrician and gynecologist in North Carolina who raised concerns about the effect of prolonged ventilator use on a fetus. "There simply aren't a lot of cases like this." The 2023 paper warned that "costs should not be underestimated." It is not clear whether Smith, whose mother said she was a nurse at Emory University Hospital, had health insurance. But JoAnn Volk, a professor, founder and co-director of the Center on Health Insurance Reforms at Georgetown University, said that that for people with health insurance, it's generally up to the insurer to determine whether care is medically necessary and covered under the plan. While it is unclear how much it will cost to keep Smith on life support until the fetus can be delivered, or who will be responsible for that cost, her mother's GoFundMe page mentions Smith's 7-year-old son and notes that the baby could have significant disabilities as it aims to raise $275,000. ___ Mulvihill reported from Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Associated Press reporter Jeff Amy in Atlanta contributed.

Case of brain-dead pregnant woman kept on life support in Georgia raises tricky questions

Case of brain-dead pregnant woman kept on life support in Georgia raises tricky questions ATLANTA (AP) — The case of apregnant woman in Geor...

 

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