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Groton Daily Independent
Saturday, Nov. 114, 2017 ~ Vol. 25 - No. 125 ~ 44 of 66
As speculation built, the two sides tried to craft the framework of a deal that Trump and Putin could announce in a formal bilateral meeting, according to two administration of cials not authorized to speak publicly about private discussions.
Though North Korea and the Ukraine had been discussed, the two sides focused on trying to strike an agreement about a path to resolve Syria’s civil war once the Islamic State group is defeated, according to of cials. But the talks stalled and, just minutes before Air Force One touched down in Vietnam, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters that the meeting was off.
When asked about the outcome, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov later snapped at reporters: “Why are you asking me? Ask the Americans.”
Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that even without a formal meeting, “Both presidents are in town, and their paths will cross one way or another.”
That they did Friday night during the summit’s welcome gala: The two men, each wearing traditional Vietnamese shifts, shook hands and greeted one another as they stood side-by-side for the group photo of world leaders.
The two men shook hands and spoke brie y again during Saturday’s meeting, according to a Fox News videographer who was the only American journalist allowed into the room. Journalists traveling with Trump were not permitted to observe any of the APEC events he participated in.
Trump and Putin were also seen chatting as all leaders walked to an outdoor location for their traditional group photo.
___ Follow Colvin on Twitter at http://twitter.com/@colvinj and Lemire at http://twitter.com/@JonLemire
Trump opposition inspires Dem focus on statehouse wins By ALAN SUDERMAN, Associated Press
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — President Donald Trump said he would “drain the swamp” in Washington. Pro- gressives are hoping to make good on that vow, leveraging anti-Trump feeling to limit corporate in uence in statehouses across the country.
They point to what just happened in Virginia, where Democrats rode a backlash against the president to sweeping victories. The surprise winners in House races include some rst-time politicians who vowed never to take contributions from the state’s most powerful corporation.
Together with Gov.-elect Ralph Northam’s win over the GOP’s Ed Gillespie, a former corporate lobbyist and Washington insider, and key wins in other state legislatures, the victories have lifted Democratic hopes of even more success in next year’s critical midterm elections.
Opposition to Trump has inspired a new breed of independent-minded Democratic candidates, said Carolyn Fiddler, a longtime Democratic operative focused on state legislatures who now works at the liberal blog Daily Kos.
“They are going to bring a very public-interest vision to governing, and they don’t have the deep corpo- rate ties that establishment politicians have,” she said. “It’s going to change the way business is done in some of these state capitals.”
Virginia’s CEOs, lobbyists, lawmakers and other powerbrokers are still scrambling to make sense of the election’s implications. Democrats won at least 15 seats in the House, all but erasing a business-friendly Republican majority that almost everyone assumed was safe. Democrats may even ip the chamber, de- pending on the outcome of three races that remained too close to call on Friday.
The newly elected Democrats — 11 women among them — include the House’s rst openly transgender lawmaker, its rst Latina members, and its rst female Asian-American. Thirteen of them have taken a pledge to reject any donations from a regulated utility such as Dominion Energy, Virginia’s most in uential corporation and largest corporate political donor.
The company has cultivated deep relationships with leaders in both parties, securing bipartisan support for laws boosting its bottom line. But critics have long complained that lawmakers are too cozy with the company.