RTC Director

Clinton, Sanders Dominate Democratic Debate

Ex-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders dominated the Democratic Party's first presidential debate of the 2016 campaign, largely preserving their status as the party's frontrunners, according to some analysts.

Clinton and Sanders, who were joined by three lesser known candidates during the two-hour debate at a Las Vegas casino Tuesday, clashed over issues including gun control, economic policy, and the role of the U.S. military overseas.

But early on in the debate the rivals were able to find unexpected common ground over Clinton's use of a private email server during her time as secretary of state, an issue that has become a persistent distraction for her campaign.

"Let me say something that may not be great politics," Sanders said. "But I think the secretary is right, and that is that the American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn emails."

Clinton, who has apologized for the matter, again acknowledged that using private email "wasn't the best choice." But she also attempted to portray the Congressional committee investigating the matter as partisan.

"This committee is basically an arm of the Republican National Committee," said Clinton. "It is a partisan vehicle, as admitted by the House Republican majority leader, Mr. McCarthy, to drive down my poll numbers."

The two frontrunners sparred over gun control, an issue that has again come to the forefront of political discussion following several recent mass shootings.

When asked if she thought Sanders has been "tough enough on guns," Clinton responded, "No, not at all," noting Sanders' congressional votes against federal background checks for gun purchasers.

Sanders defended his record, saying he supports tougher background checks and better mental health services, and pointing out that he received "D-minus" voting record from the National Rifle Association, the powerful gun rights lobbying group.

The issue of gun control in recent weeks has appeared to emerge as an area of political vulnerability for Sanders, who has otherwise attempted to run to the left of Clinton, in an effort to appeal to the more liberal wing of the Democratic Party.

Pressed by the moderators on whether his liberal views make him too extreme to win a general election, Sanders responded with his usual rant against growing economic inequality and what he sees as the outsized influence of the wealthy elite.

He also pointed to Scandinavian countries, - specifically, their universal health care and generous worker benefits - as a model for government practices he would like to see.

"I think we should look to countries like Denmark, like Sweden and Norway, and learn from what they have accomplished for their working people," he said.

Clinton replied that while the U.S. sometimes "needs to save capitalism from itself," America is much different from Scandinavia.

"I think what Senator Sanders is saying certainly makes sense in the terms of the inequality that we have. But we are not Denmark.

"I love Denmark. We are the United States of America. And it's our job to rein in the excesses of capitalism so that it doesn't run amok and doesn't cause the kind of inequities we're seeing in our economic system," she said.

Another area of disagreement was Middle East policy. Sanders in particular took aim at Clinton for her Congressional vote to authorize the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, a conflict that he called "the worst foreign policy blunder in the history of this country."

Sanders said he opposes placing U.S. troops in Syria,  where Washington is leading a coalition to fight the Islamic State group.

"We should be putting together a coalition of Arab countries who should be leading the effort. We should be supportive, but I do not support American ground troops in Syria," he said.

"Well nobody does. Nobody does, Senator Sanders," interjected Clinton.

Clinton and Sanders were joined on stage by former Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley, former Virginia Senator Jim Webb and former Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee.

The three candidates, who have struggled to earn even 1 percent in recent polls, competed for equal camera time during the debate.

But they did little to show they are gaining traction against Sanders and Clinton, according to Democratic strategist Craig Varoga, who said the race remains a two-person contest.
"I think [Clinton] needed to go into the debate and maintain her frontrunner status, but also to calm her donors. I think she did both of those things," Varoga told VOA.

"She had a command of the issues. She was calm, she was relaxed, and she was focused. She defended herself well on the positions and by taking the fight to Sanders, she kept this a two-person race for the time being," he said.

Source-VOA

by RTC Director

US, Russia Holding Talks to Seal Air Safety Agreement in Syria

U.S. and Russian defense officials are holding more talks Wednesday on safety procedures for their crews flying missions over Syria.

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Tuesday that the discussions are progressing and that he expects an agreement "in very short order" to help prevent a potential mid-air disaster involving U.S. and Russian aircraft.

"Even as we continue to disagree on Syria policy, we should be able to at least agree on making sure that airman are as safe as possible," Carter said at a news conference in Boston Tuesday. "Russia must act professionally in the skies over Syria and abide by basic safety procedures."

Russia's Defense Ministry issued a statement Tuesday saying it had prepared suggestions and was sending a draft to the Americans.

Carter also said the U.S. mission to bomb Islamic State targets in Syria will not change, but he urged the Russians to give up what he called their "failing strategy," saying it is "wrongheaded and strategically shortsighted."

Meanwhile, U.N. envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura is pushing a separate effort to get the U.S. and Russia on the same page in working toward a broad political resolution to the crisis in Syria.  He met with officials Tuesday in Moscow and is due to hold talks Wednesday in Washington.

Source-VOA

by RTC Director

Democrats Set for 1st Debate in 2016 Presidential Race

After watching Republican candidates spar in two rounds of debates, Democrats looking to become the next U.S. president get their turn Tuesday as they take the stage in Las Vegas for their first debate of the 2016 election campaign.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her status as the front-runner in the Democratic race will put her in the center of the debate, both literally and figuratively, as she stands in the middle of the four other candidates taking part.

Recent polls put Clinton ahead with about 40 percent support, while her chief challenger, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, comes in at 25 percent.

In stark contrast to Republican race, the Democrats have spent far less of the campaign talking about each other, leaving Tuesday's debate as an intriguing forum for their policies and records to be compared and contrasted.

The size of the field is another marked difference, with Clinton and Sanders being joined by former Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley, former Virginia Senator Jim Webb and former Rhode Island Senator Lincoln Chafee.

The latter three candidates have struggled to earn even 1 percent in recent polls.

That makes Tuesday night important for them since the Democratic National Committee is only scheduling six debates for its presidential candidates, half the number the Republicans will hold.

The debate might be the best chance for O'Malley, Webb and Chafee to establish themselves before the possible addition of another well-known figure in the race, Vice President Joe Biden, who will not take part in the debate but is still deciding whether to run for president.

A new Reuters/Ipsos poll released Monday showed 48 percent of Democrats surveyed wanted Biden to join the race.

If he were running, the poll said Clinton would still be the leader, with Sanders running second and Biden in third, with 17 percent support.

Source-VOA

by RTC Director

Australia Prepares to Resettle 12,000 Syrian Refugees

Australia has begun the task of selecting for resettlement 12,000 refugees from the crisis in Syria, with the first group expected to arrive before late December.

Sydney’s Lakemba district is one of Australia’s most multicultural areas. It has become a haven for a family from the Syrian city Homs, which fled to Lebanon before arriving as refugees in Australia at the start of the year. 

Youssef al-Kasseh lives with his wife, Hala, and their three children, along with his mother in a small rented house. 

Speaking through a translator, he said the horrors of what they left behind are always in their thoughts.

“Life in Homs is very, very bad and no matter how hard I try to explain, it is very hard," said Youssef. "There is killing all the time, people getting taken away, while they have been taken away, they have been killed.”

Youssef said he was detained and tortured by government officials.

“I was taken away and suffered a lot, hit a lot, and suffered not only physically, but also the mental trauma. I have a lot of family and friends that have died,” he said.

His wife Hala is happy to be in Australia, but she also worries about those left behind.

“I have a lot of friends and family in Syria, and I am very, very afraid of how they are living. They have no food, no electricity. Life is very, very hard and I am constantly worried,” she said.

Rallies urging Australia to take in more of those fleeing the conflict in Syria have been held across the country.

More than half of the 12,000 refugees will be resettled in New South Wales, the nation’s most populous state. Displaced women, children and families living in camps in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey will be given priority.

Coordinating plans for their arrival is Professor Peter Shergold, an academic and businessman.

“It's possible that, compared to many refugee groups accepted in the past, these newcomers may have spent less time in refugee camps," said Shergold.

"They may be more likely, I think, to be educated, have trade and professional skills, have had experience in small business, be more likely to have at least rudimentary English," he said. "And of course, therefore, the challenge. And the vital challenge is how can we harness that education, those skills, so that they can contribute back to Australian society.”

Youssef and his family listen to a song that laments Syria’s descent into chaos and the killing of the innocent. 

They hope that more of their countrymen and women will follow them to safety in Australia, which will give preference to refugees from persecuted minorities.

Samar Almajzoub, a Syrian community activist, believes Australia should do more and open its doors to members of the Sunni majority.

“We need more refugees here. I think this is [a] small number," said Almajzoub. "The people [who] are suffering there — very, very big number. The minority people, they [are] not suffering as much as the Sunni people and the larger group of people there.”

Australian resettlement officials are now in Jordan to begin assessing Syrian refugees who have been living in camps.

Source-VOA

by RTC Director