US president Donald Trump has had some bad weeks before, but the past seven days delivered a series of especially damaging and often inter-connected blows to his re-election prospects.
A Supreme Court decision written by his own appointee, Neil Gorsuch, effectively bans discrimination against people based on their sexual orientation. This directly counters Mr Trump's persistent targeting of transgender Americans regarding military service and health care.
It has shocked and horrified some of his conservative supporters. Prominent evangelical Christians rationalised their support for the notoriously libertine Mr Trump on grounds that his judicial appointments would advance their conservative social agenda. Mr Gorsuch was viewed as the prime example. That argument is now in tatters.
Read More from Hussein Ibish
The court quickly delivered another stinging blow, blocking the President's unpopular efforts to deport hundreds of thousands of migrants who, although now upstanding members of society, were as children brought to the country illegally.
Mr Trump can keep trying to deport them on some other basis. But given the timeline he will have to get re-elected first.
Those prospects are not exactly bolstered by a memoir by his former national security adviser John Bolton, which the administration tried but failed to suppress. Last week, it was shipped around the country, widely reviewed and even posted online.
Mr Bolton writes that Mr Trump pursues "obstruction of justice as a way of life", and cares only about his re-election prospects. I have consistently argued in these pages that Mr Trump is always focused on politics and never policy. Mr Bolton confirms that is exactly right.
In addition to corroborating the worst allegations from the Ukraine scandal that led to Mr Trump's impeachment, Mr Bolton adds numerous other outrageous accusations.
The worst, perhaps, is Mr Bolton claiming that Mr Trump asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to help him secure re-election, including by buying more American agricultural exports. Mr Bolton says another senior official, Matthew Pottinger, informed him that the President had said similar things to the Chinese leader in the past.
If true, Mr Bolton's allegations confirm Mr Trump's striking ignorance of international affairs, wondering if Finland is part of Russia and surprised that Britain has nuclear weapons.
Mr Bolton is widely viewed as an extremist, and now almost universally as an unpatriotic, self-serving cynic as well. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and other administration officials and supporters brand him a traitor. Democrats are disgusted that he withheld this information, which could have greatly pressured the Senate to remove the President, to sell a book.
But, unlike some others, he has no history of compulsively telling extravagant lies. The Trump administration's accusations that his book is full of falsehoods are contradicted by their simultaneous claims that it reveals plenty of classified information, since there is no such thing as a classified lie.
Mr Bolton's book probably would not make much of a difference on its own. Anyone surprised by these disclosures must have been asleep for the past three years. But the book is not floating in a vacuum.
For example, it describes another incident of apparent past misconduct linked directly to an additional major new controversy. Mr Bolton says that in 2018, Mr Trump promised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that he would dismiss a federal prosecutor in New York who had indicted a bank owned by the Ankara government and quash that bothersome investigation. On Friday at 9pm, the Justice Department announced that very prosecutor had indeed been suddenly fired under extraordinary and highly suspicious circumstances.
The prosecutor, Geoffrey Berman, was responsible for convicting the President's former attorney, Michael Cohen, of corrupt acts on behalf of Mr Trump (identified in that case as “Individual 1”), including paying hush money to two former paramours. His office has also been investigating, among others, the President’s current lawyer, Rudy Giuliani. Precisely what necessitated this unexplained, abrupt and dead-of-night dismissal remains unknown. But it was obviously urgent and drastic, and that paints a powerful picture of panic and potential corruption.
To overcome his persistent and mounting woes, particularly stemming from the coronavirus public health and economic crises, Mr Trump was counting on a dramatic political turnaround starting with a huge rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Saturday night. But his campaign bungled the job. They claimed a million people requested tickets and planned a full house of 19,000 and an overflow area of 40,000 more. Yet it was sparsely attended and seemed anything but the promised triumphant display of "American comeback". If the event was meant to serve as a visual representation of economic and social rejuvenation and dynamism, it flopped spectacularly.
One highlight involved the President at length and with considerable fanfare demonstrating his ability to drink a glass of water without using two hands. He may regret saying that he ordered a slow-down in coronavirus testing to depress infection-rate statistics. As often after such damaging statements, Mr Trump’s aides implausibly insisted he was just "joking".
But even among those who accept that, with more than 120,000 Americans dying of Covid-19 in recent weeks, it is unlikely to prompt many chuckles. It will be even less amusing if the rally gives rise to a correlated set of new infections, as many public health officials fear.
Meanwhile, former vice president Joe Biden, who is barely campaigning or visible, is registering double digit leads in many polls. Five months is a long time in politics and underestimating Mr Trump is demonstrably ill-advised. But in many ways, the presidential race is now essentially Mr Trump versus Mr Trump. And he seems totally unable to re-create the magic, such as it was, of four years ago.
It is going so badly that some of his aides are quietly wondering if a self-sabotaging part of him would welcome leaving the White House.
Whoever wins in November must primarily shepherd the US through a slow, painful recovery. There is little glory likely in that for a President exclusively fixated on personal adulation and aggrandisement. For Mr Trump, winning could prove even more painful than losing.
Hussein Ibish is a senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington
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MATCH INFO
Quarter-finals
Saturday (all times UAE)
England v Australia, 11.15am
New Zealand v Ireland, 2.15pm
Sunday
Wales v France, 11.15am
Japan v South Africa, 2.15pm
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Seemar’s top six for the Dubai World Cup Carnival:
1. Reynaldothewizard
2. North America
3. Raven’s Corner
4. Hawkesbury
5. New Maharajah
6. Secret Ambition
SPECS
Nissan 370z Nismo
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Power: 363hp
Torque: 560Nm
Price: Dh184,500
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The five pillars of Islam
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Basquiat in Abu Dhabi
One of Basquiat’s paintings, the vibrant Cabra (1981–82), now hangs in Louvre Abu Dhabi temporarily, on loan from the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
The latter museum is not open physically, but has assembled a collection and puts together a series of events called Talking Art, such as this discussion, moderated by writer Chaedria LaBouvier.
It's something of a Basquiat season in Abu Dhabi at the moment. Last week, The Radiant Child, a documentary on Basquiat was shown at Manarat Al Saadiyat, and tonight (April 18) the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is throwing the re-creation of a party tonight, of the legendary Canal Zone party thrown in 1979, which epitomised the collaborative scene of the time. It was at Canal Zone that Basquiat met prominent members of the art world and moved from unknown graffiti artist into someone in the spotlight.
“We’ve invited local resident arists, we’ll have spray cans at the ready,” says curator Maisa Al Qassemi of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
Guggenheim Abu Dhabi's Canal Zone Remix is at Manarat Al Saadiyat, Thursday April 18, from 8pm. Free entry to all. Basquiat's Cabra is on view at Louvre Abu Dhabi until October
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The specs
Engine: Turbocharged four-cylinder 2.7-litre
Power: 325hp
Torque: 500Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh189,700
On sale: now
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Director: Jon Watts
Stars: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon
Rating:*****
Best Academy: Ajax and Benfica
Best Agent: Jorge Mendes
Best Club : Liverpool
Best Coach: Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)
Best Goalkeeper: Alisson Becker
Best Men’s Player: Cristiano Ronaldo
Best Partnership of the Year Award by SportBusiness: Manchester City and SAP
Best Referee: Stephanie Frappart
Best Revelation Player: Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid and Portugal)
Best Sporting Director: Andrea Berta (Atletico Madrid)
Best Women's Player: Lucy Bronze
Best Young Arab Player: Achraf Hakimi
Kooora – Best Arab Club: Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia)
Kooora – Best Arab Player: Abderrazak Hamdallah (Al-Nassr FC, Saudi Arabia)
Player Career Award: Miralem Pjanic and Ryan Giggs
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
MATCH INFO
Syria v Australia
2018 World Cup qualifying: Asia fourth round play-off first leg
Venue: Hang Jebat Stadium (Malacca, Malayisa)
Kick-off: Thursday, 4.30pm (UAE)
Watch: beIN Sports HD
* Second leg in Australia scheduled for October 10
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
HEADLINE HERE
- I would recommend writing out the text in the body
- And then copy into this box
- It can be as long as you link
- But I recommend you use the bullet point function (see red square)
- Or try to keep the word count down
- Be wary of other embeds lengthy fact boxes could crash into
- That's about it
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
OPTA'S PREDICTED TABLE
1. Liverpool 101 points
2. Manchester City 80
3. Leicester 67
4. Chelsea 63
5. Manchester United 61
6. Tottenham 58
7. Wolves 56
8. Arsenal 56
9. Sheffield United 55
10. Everton 50
11. Burnley 49
12. Crystal Palace 49
13. Newcastle 46
14. Southampton 44
15. West Ham 39
16. Brighton 37
17. Watford 36
18. Bournemouth 36
19. Aston Villa 32
20. Norwich City 29
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Marathon results
Men:
1. Titus Ekiru(KEN) 2:06:13
2. Alphonce Simbu(TAN) 2:07:50
3. Reuben Kipyego(KEN) 2:08:25
4. Abel Kirui(KEN) 2:08:46
5. Felix Kemutai(KEN) 2:10:48
Women:
1. Judith Korir(KEN) 2:22:30
2. Eunice Chumba(BHR) 2:26:01
3. Immaculate Chemutai(UGA) 2:28:30
4. Abebech Bekele(ETH) 2:29:43
5. Aleksandra Morozova(RUS) 2:33:01
