Reuters World News - RNC unity, the Trump-Vance ticket and Ukraine aid, and Kenyan protesters’ anger

Episode Date: July 17, 2024

In a show of unity at the Republican National Convention, Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis throw their weight behind Donald Trump. In Europe, concerns mount about what impact Donald Trump’s running mate – J.D. Vance – could have on the flow of aid to Ukraine. Senator Bob Menendez is found guilty on all charges in his corruption trial. And lawmakers flaunting their wealth on social media have angered Kenyans, further fueling country-wide protests.    Sign up for the Reuters Econ World newsletter here. Listen to the Reuters Econ World podcast here. Visit the Thomson Reuters Privacy Statement for information on our privacy and data protection practices. You may also visit megaphone.fm/adchoices to opt out of targeted advertising. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, a show of unity as Nikki Haley backs Donald Trump at the RNC, while Europe worries about his VP pick. Menendez is guilty on all counts in his corruption trial, and lawmakers flashing their wealth on social media angers Kenyans. It's Wednesday, July 17th. This is Reuters World News, bringing you everything you need to know from the front lines in 10 minutes every weekday. I'm Tara Oaks in Liverpool.

Nikki Haley's welcome to the stage at the Republican National Convention, ahead of a full-throated endorsement of Donald Trump's candidacy for president. If we have four more years of Biden or a single day of Harris, our country will be badly worse off. For the sake of our nation, we have to go with Donald Trump. In a show of unity in Milwaukee, Another of Trump's former rivals for the nomination, Rondasantis, also gave a firm backing for Trump. With his right ear still bandaged after Saturday's assassination attempt, Trump applauded

from his box in the arena. The shooting has led to calls for a softening of the language by both sides of the political divide. At the convention, many of Tuesday's speeches were heavy in political rhetoric and anti-democrat language. But Lara Trump, his daughter-in-law and co-chair of the Republican National Committee, closed a night with a shift in tone. Last Saturday was a jarring reminder that we, as Americans, must always remember. There is more that unites us than divides us. The four-day convention will culminate with Trump's primetime address on Thursday. Today is the turn of J.D. Vance, and Trump's picker's running mate has caused concern in parts of Europe.

There are fears it could mean a harder line from a Trump presidency on Ukraine, something where Vance has been pretty open with his views. Look, the best way to help Ukraine, I think from a European perspective, is for Europe to become more self-sufficient. Vladimir Putin is, of course, in the geopolitical backyard of Europe. The United States, as it focuses more on East Asia, simply can't be expected to foot a disproportionate share of the burden. Fears that Trump, with Vance, could push ahead with peace negotiations

that would give Moscow a substantial slice of Ukraine were bolstered by a letter to EU leaders from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, saying the ex-president would be ready to act as a peace broker immediately if he wins in November. Andrew Gray is in Brussels. So, Andrew, what implications does Vance's selection have on Europe-U.S. relations?

It depends a bit, obviously, if Donald Trump wins the election. And then secondly, whether Vance's, is a particularly influential vice president. But given that he has a track record on foreign policy on national security, I think we would expect him to be heavily involved in those areas. And he's been very clear, particularly on aid for Ukraine. He doesn't think that's a US priority. If European leaders are expecting that in the event of a Trump,

when they would have a reduction in US support to Ukraine, what's happening behind the scenes about that eventuality? What sort of plans are they making? They've been doing a few things. On the first instance, they are trying very hard to persuade Donald Trump and the people close to him that it is actually in America's interest to stay engaged in Ukraine, to support Ukraine. One of the arguments they're making is they understand that Donald Trump has been very focused on China. And they're saying, if you withdraw support from Ukraine, that would be seen as a sign of weakness by China. And so it would be playing into the hands of your adversary. But they are, of course, braced for the fact that Donald Trump could. follow through with some of these messages about at least scaling back support for Ukraine. While aid for Ukraine hangs in the balance in a potential Donald Trump's second term, something that isn't at risk of going anywhere, gun rights. A senior campaign advisor has said Trump will protect Second Amendment rights despite the assassination

attempt. In a leaked phone call, Trump can be heard courting Robert F. Kennedy's support. On the day after the attempt on his life, Trump has heard suggesting the independent presidential candidate could do something to help his campaign. A Reuters Ipsos poll has found that four out of five Americans fear that the U.S. is sliding into chaos following the assassination attempt on Trump. Worries amounting that the November election could spark more political violence, the poll shows. U.S. President Joe Biden will propose a major superiors. Supreme Court overhaul in the coming weeks, according to reporting from the Washington Post. The reforms will include term limits for justices on the top court bench, as well as an enforceable ethics code.

He's also considering a constitutional amendment to eliminate broad presidential immunity. Thai police holding a news conference on the six people found dead in a Bangkok hotel room. They say cyanide was the likely cause of death. and relatives say there had been a dispute over a debt. The suspected killer was also among the dead. All six were of Vietnamese ethnicity, two of whom were US nationals. New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez has been convicted on all counts

at his corruption trial. The Democrat had pleaded not guilty to the charges, which included bribery, acting as a foreign agent and obstructing justice. Legal reporter Luke Cohen has been covering the trial. Senator Bob Menendez has now been convicted of accepting bribes from three businessmen in exchange for doing favors. So for two of the businessmen, those favors were intervening in criminal prosecutions that they faced. And in the case of a third businessman who had close ties to Egypt's government, he's accused of steering military aid to Egypt's government as well as pressuring the U.S. Agriculture Department to stop scrutinizing meat.

certification business that the businessman had. During the trial, jurors were actually given some of the gold bars that federal agents seized from Menendez's home during a search. Prosecutors also say they found cash in Menendez's house, some of it stuffed into envelopes and hidden in the pocket of a jacket that has the senator's name on it. So what happens now? So Menendez is up for re-election. In November, he does not have the Democratic Party's nomination. He's file to run as an independent. Menendez is set to be sentenced on October 29th, which is just days before the election. He's not seen as having any chance of winning the election. There's another Democratic nominee and a Republican, but he could potentially siphon votes from one or the

other. At least one person has been killed in a fresh wave of anti-government protests across Kenya. Protesters in Nairobi shouted, don't kill us, as they carried an issue. person. Police have clashed with demonstrators demanding that President William Ruto stepped down, despite his recent scrapping of a controversial finance bill and firing most of his cabinet. Meanwhile, politicians flaunting luxury cars, private helicopters and even mounds of cash have stoked anger further in Kenya. Their lavish lifestyles are often splashed across TikTok and X. David Lewis is in Nairobi. David, the now-de-day-olding, the now-de-day-old Mitched finance bill appears to have kick-started a protest movement in Kenya.

It was clearly a trigger that's revealed a sort of deeper, longer-running frustration, allegations of corruption and mismanagement of public funds. And unemployment is another key issue that's been brought out by these Gen Z protesters. We've seen how the way in which this wealth has been flaunted in their faces at a time when they're being asked to tighten their belts, we're getting a sense that people are saying that this is no longer tolerable. And why is that? Lawmakers in Kenya are some of the best paid in the world if you compare their salaries to the

average wages in the country. Basic pay for an MP is about $5,000.5,000 a month when Kenyans, on average, are earning $2,000 a year. Each year an MP is also given a pot of cash, over a million dollars at the moment for local development in their constituency. This is meant to be money for bursaries and building schools and maybe doing some other local projects. But the scheme has been riddled with accusations of corruption and mismanagement. What do the politicians say? A number of lawmakers have seen private businesses and residents attacked. A number have actually gone into hiding, fearing the

intensity of this anger that's being expressed. Some have expressed frustration and they've said that, yes, they are wealthy. One lawmaker confirmed to us that he owned a helicopter, but he said that this was a helicopter that he had paid for using money that he had earned legally, and he said that he was audited frequently, and therefore there was nothing wrong. The protests of Sean a light on Kenya's debt crisis and the challenges for countries in managing risk. And that's the topic we explore in detail on the latest episode of our Econ World podcast with Carmel Crimmons. You can find a link for it in today's episode notes. Before we go today, we'd like to do a shout-out to some of our other excellent Reuters reporting. Here's our recommended read, and today's is all about how China

is struggling to the tourists back. Beijing has loosened visa requirements in a bid to get foreigners back in and spending to perk up their sluggish economy. You can find a link to it in today's pod description. And for more on any of the stories from today, check out Reuters.com or the Reuters app. To never miss an episode, subscribe on your favourite podcast player. We'll be back tomorrow. with our daily headline show.