Former Red Devils striker Dimitar Berbatov believes it would be better for all concerned if a decision on the club’s next manager was made imminently

Manchester United have been urged to bring “clarity” to Old Trafford, with Dimitar Berbatov calling for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to be handed the reins on a permanent basis.

It appeared at one stage as though such a decision was a mere matter of time.

With an interim boss having delivered an immediate reversal in fortune upon succeeding Jose Mourinho, a full-time contract was considered by many to be a given.

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No deal has been done as yet, though, despite United being back in top-four contention and through to the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

Back-to-back defeats in Premier League and FA Cup competition have dampened the excitement somewhat and led to suggestions that the likes of Tottenham coach Mauricio Pochettino could still be in the picture.

Berbatov hopes that is not the case, with Solskjaer having done a fine job so far, and he believes an appointment should be made imminently so that those on and off the field know where they stand.

The ex-United striker told Betfair: “Talking as a former player I am sure the current playing staff at the club would welcome some clarity on Solskjaer’s status at the club.

“It is tiring to have so much change in the managerial position. A club needs that stability at the top.

“For a team that did not change manager for 25 years to have so much churn in such an important role suggests they don’t know what they’re doing.

“With all the work he has done I don’t think it would be fair to him or the players if they don’t announce that he is going to stay in charge.

“Ole was able to raise the spirit, the team, everything at the club. He was the guy who took responsibility in a difficult situation.

“Purely on what he achieved so far he deserves an extension. He has earned it.

“He is young for a manager, an ex-United player – it’s the best combination for the club to build for the future.”

Despite the recent setbacks, Solskjaer has still overseen 14 wins from 19 games at the helm.

He knows what it means to be associated with United, having enjoyed a productive spell at the club as a player, and has earned the backing of prominent players past and present – with Paul Pogba and Wayne Rooney among the more recent to have offered their support to the Norwegian.

Premier League sides have been linked with the Fiorentina forward for some time, but the Bianconeri are looking to keep him in Serie A

Juventus have joined the hunt for highly-rated Fiorentina forward Federico Chiesa, Goal understands.

The 21-year-old winger, who is the son of former Italy international Enrico Chiesa, has been registering on the transfer radar of leading sides across Europe for some time.

Newspaper reports have linked Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea with taking the youngster to the Premier League, while Real Madrid are said to be keen on luring him to Spain.

Juventus are eager to ensure that Chiesa does not leave his homeland, with the Turin giants readying a bid to keep him in Serie A.

There is an intense rivalry between the Bianconeri and Fiorentina on the field, but the professional relationship between the two clubs off it is considered to be positive.

Juve were able to land Federico Bernardeschi from La Viola in the summer of 2017 and are weighing up another move down a move for another of their stars.

It is expected that an even bigger fee than the €40 million (£34m/$45m) Fiorentina shelled out two years ago will be required in order to get a second deal done.

Current valuations put Chiesa’s price tag at between €60-€70 million (£51m-£60m), although the Della Valle family at the helm in Florence could push that figure up.

With that in mind, no formal approach has been made as yet.

Instead, Juventus are prepared to let another transfer saga play out naturally.

The Bianconeri will wait and see how the market shifts before deciding on their plan of attack.

Outgoings will, after all, have to be taken into consideration before any incomings are put in place.

Speculation continues to surround the respective futures of Douglas Costa and Paulo Dybala in Turin, with it possible that they could take on new challenges when the window re-opens.

If that proves to be the case, then Juve are ready to ready to make another addition in Chiesa, who has netted 12 times in 31 outings this season and has passed the 100 appearance mark in Serie A.

Not only is the striker an extremely impressive player at the moment, but at 21 he is only expected to improve in the future.

He is currently tied with a contract until 2022 with Fiorentina and it will not be easy to break that agreement.

Juventus are, however, willing to step up their interest after making it clear that Chiesa is now a top target.

Inter are also understood to be mulling over a move, on top of the reported interest from England and elsewhere, but the Bianconeri will not give up without a fight if a transfer scramble is sparked.

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The Three Lions will be confident of claiming another three points following on from their thumping victory over Czech Republic on Friday

England head into their second game of Euro 2020 qualifying as heavy favourites, with anything less than a victory over Montenegro on Monday  deemed to be a poor result.

Gareth Southgate’s side will be confident of claiming another three points following on from their 5-0 thrashing of Czech Republic on Friday.

Montenegro, meanwhile, will take confidence from a 1-1 draw with Bulgaria and will be hopeful their home advantage could help them claim a result over the Three Lions. 

While Montenegro’s squad also boasts some some quality, such as Atletico Madrid’s Stefan Savic, England are still likely to have far too much for Ljubisa Tumbakovic’s men to handle.

Game	Montenegro vs England
Date	Monday, March 25
Time	7:45pm GMT / 3:45pm ET

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In the United States (US), the game will be broadcast on Univision Deportes En Vivo and can be livestreamed on the ESPNEWS platform.

US TV channel	Online stream
Univision Deportes En Vivo	ESPN+

In the United Kingdom (UK), the game will be broadcast on ITV and can be streamed online via ITV’s website.

UK TV channel	Online stream
ITV	ITV online

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Position	Montenegro squad
Goalkeepers	Petkovic, Mijatovic, Ljuljanovic
Defenders	Savic, Simic, Tomasevic, Marusiv, Stojkovic, Kopitovic, Radunovic, Vujacic
Midfielders	Vukcevic, Vesovic, Jovovic, Jankovic, Scekic, Ivanic, Bakic, Kosovic, Boljevic, Kajevic, Mirkovic, Loncar, Hocko
Forwards	Beciraj, Mugosa, Dordevic

Confirmed Montenegro starting XI:  Petkovic; Stojkovic, Savic, Simic, Tomasevic; Vesovic, Vukcevic, Ivanic, Marusic; Beciraj, Mugosa.

Position	England squad
Goalkeepers	Butland, Pickford, Heaton
Defenders	Walker, Chilwell, Keane, Trippier, Tarkowski, Maguire, Rose
Midfielders	Henderson, Barkley, Alli, Rice, Ward-Prowse
Forwards	Kane, Sancho, Sterling, Wilson, Hudson-Odoi

Confirmed England starting XI: Pickford; Walker, Keane, Maguire, Rose; Barkley, Rice, Alli; Sterling, Kane, Hudson-Odoi.

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England are the odds-on favourites at 4/11 with  bet365 . Montenegro are meanwhile at 8/1 while a draw is priced at 7/2.

Click here to see more offers for the game, including goalscoring markets, correct score predictions and more .

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Despite an energy-sapping three-hour flight to Montenegro’s capital of Podgorica, England will be highly confident of claiming another three points and maintaining their position at the top of Group A.

They have continued their brilliant form from the World Cup last year, and will no doubt be using this match as preparation for this summer’s Nations League finals.

The Three Lions have won their last four fixtures, including triumphs over both Croatia and Spain, so another win here against Montenegro is to be expected.

The one dilemma Southgate faces heading into the clash is who will replace the injured Dier in central midfield. 

Ross Barkley came on to replace the Tottenham midfielder on Friday, but he also had the option of giving Declan Rice his first start in an England shirt and elected to use both players in the XI against Montenegro.

Southgate will also use Sancho’s fitness issues to integrate Callum Hudson-Odoi into the starting XI.

“We’ve got competition for places and I think attacking players mature very young, and they can go in very young,” said Southgate.

“So it’s not an issue to play them, and really we’ve found another player that we really liked (in Hudson-Odoi).

“We weren’t certain he’d be able to adapt to this level, and we’re a bit fortunate in finding him – in that we probably wouldn’t have done that in this camp, we’d have given him a bit longer in the Under-21s.

“But already he’s proved in this environment that he can more than cope.”

Montenegro, meanwhile, are without their talisman Stevan Jovetic, who has returned to club side Monaco, thus making the difficult task of gaining a surprise result over England even harder.

Other star player Savic also missed the match against Bulgaria with injury managed to be ready in time for the England game.

His experience marshalling the Atletico Madrid defence in La Liga will prove vital in their quest of gaining a result.

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However, manager Ljubisa Tumbakovic is optimistic his side can still acheive a result despite their limitations as a squad in comparison to Southgate’s side.

“We in the coaching team who deal with the players are realistic,” he said.

“Things that happen in the past are just nice results for Montenegro, tomorrow (Monday) we will play a match with totally different players, new coaches, with different capabilities and different ideas from both teams.”

The Argentine striker has given City a further boost as they continue their quest for the quadruple

Sergio Aguero “feels better” and could be fit for Manchester City’s Champions League quarter-final first leg with Tottenham, Pep Guardiola says.

City’s top scorer has not featured since the 2-0 Premier League win against Fulham at Craven Cottage nine days ago, where he was on target during the first half but substituted with a muscular complaint before the hour.

Aguero’s understudy Gabriel Jesus converted an early diving header to give Pep Guardiola’s side a 1-0 win over Brighton and Hove Albion in their FA Cup semi-final at Wembley on Saturday to maintain their challenge for a historic quadruple.

The Brazil international could be required from kick-off once more at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Tuesday, although Aguero did take part in training with his team-mates at the Valley on Sunday as City remained in London to undertake their preparations.

Speaking about Aguero’s fitness, Guardiola told a pre-match news conference: “He feels better, he trained with the team for the first time and feels better.”

Aguero, 30, has scored 29 goals in all competitions this season and boasts an impressive return of 10 in 13 matches versus Spurs.

That includes all four in a 4-1 win at the Etihad Stadium in October 2014, although he is without a goal in his past six appearances against Mauricio Pochettino’s men.

Guardiola’s other main fitness concerns come at full-back after ex-Tottenham man Kyle Walker was substituted at half-time due to a back injury against Brighton, though he did manage to train alongside his teammates at the Valley on Sunday.

Benjamin Mendy made his first competitive start since knee surgery in November during the semi-final and could be called upon again because Oleksandr Zinchenko remains sidelined with a hamstring injury.

Guardiola added: “I think Kyle feels a little bit better – we’ll see now – and Benjamin recovered quite well, I think.

“The doctor didn’t tell me the opposite so I think they will be possible contenders [for Tuesday].”

After Tuesday’s first leg, City return to Premier League action against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Sunday before their return leg with Tottenham at Etihad Stadium next Wednesday.

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The professional FIFA 19 player is only in his second year of competing but is already making a name for himself with his eyes set on the eWorld Cup

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The ePremier League has seen all 20 of England’s top clubs competing in FIFA 19 with most of those clubs taking their first steps in esports. Unsurprisingly, the “big six” have attracted some of the world’s best players and one of the strongest line-ups belongs to Chelsea.

The Blues have attracted popular Hashtag United player Ryan Pessoa to their ranks but it’s their PlayStation player Jas “Jas1875” Singh who has caught the eye of FIFA fans.

Born in Birmingham, Jas is loyal to his hometown team as suggested by the 1875 in his gamertag – the year that Birmingham City FC was founded. Yet, he says that representing a different blue team has already been an amazing experience.

Jas said: “Chelsea is a massive club, one of the biggest in the world so it’s a huge honour to represent such a prestigious club. The Chelsea qualifier was excellent, the way things were set up and the way we were treated meant it was a fantastic experience and a brilliant day.”

And Jas1875 is just as appreciative of his career, saying: “Playing FIFA full-time is a privilege really, you don’t have the stresses of a usual 9-5 job. It really is quite a blessing that I get to travel the world just for being good at a video game and get paid for it as well. Of course, it has its own stresses, you have to keep a strong mindset when things go against you so you can come back.”

That mental strength was tested when a few internet trolls left racist remarks in the comments of his announcement. The comments shocked the FIFA community as personalities from around the world quickly reached out to comfort him and make sure he was okay. Fortunately, much like Raheem Sterling and his England team-mates did in Montenegro, Jas1875 knows he can let his game do the talking.

“Personally, I don’t let those things get to me mentally,” he said. “Of course, it does anger you but, at the end of the day, it won’t get to me. I just focus on my game and try to win, that’s what is most important to me. The support from the community was amazing and Chelsea fans have been great too, it’s an amazing feeling to be part of such a massive club. Every time they put a post out, there’s been a lot of Chelsea fans sending through their support which is just amazing to see and once again it’s an honour.”

This is just his second year of FIFA but Jas1875 has already come close to tasting glory and knows that the ePremier League is his biggest opportunity yet. 

He continued: “Last year in Amsterdam, I was in the final round to qualify for the FIFA 18 eWorld Cup and I had to play against Marcuzo, one of the best in the world, and I unfortunately lost. I put that right this year.

“This season is going alright, I’ve qualified for quite a few events but I haven’t performed anywhere near as well as I know I can. I’ve been to three events abroad this season and at each one I’ve been eliminated in the group stages which is pretty bad by my expectations.”

As one of the top seeds on the PlayStation side, Jas1875 considers himself one of the favourites at the ePremier League and knows that the 850 Global Series Points available to the winner would all but guarantee his place at the eWorld Cup – the biggest tournament of the year. So far, Jas1875 has lived up to his potential as he dominated his group, taking the top spot after winning all of his games.

When asked if there were any players or teams he wanted to face, Jas1875 didn’t hesitate, saying: “I’m good friends with TheTurin27 who plays for Wolves and Papsity from Arsenal, we usually have good games when we play against each other so I look forward to hopefully meeting them in the knockout rounds.”

And he has his wish as the PS4 knockouts will feature a London derby when he represents Chelsea against Arsenal’s Papsity in what will be an exciting match for fans and neutrals alike. Being able to watch games like that and a Manchester derby in the PS4 knockout rounds shows the unique selling point of the ePremier League. It’s the kind of tournament that Jas1875 believes we will see much more of in the future, saying: “The scene is growing very quickly, it’s amazing to see the Premier League and other leagues from around the world are getting involved. There’s no limit on how far it can go, people are finally seeing the potential there is in competitive FIFA.”

Welcome to Friday’s Overnight Health Care.

More vaping fallout: Walmart is taking a stance and will not longer sell e-cigarettes. And on Capitol Hill, senators want FDA to enact a near total ban immediately. Also on drug pricing, at least one House Democrat wants changes to Speaker Pelosi’s bill.

We’ll start with vaping news…

 

Walmart to stop selling e-cigarettes

Walmart announced Friday it will stop selling e-cigarettes as federal and state governments crack down on the vaping industry. 

“Given the growing federal, state and local regulatory complexity and uncertainty regarding e-cigarettes, we plan to discontinue the sale of electronic nicotine delivery products at all Walmart and Sam’s Club U.S. locations,” a Walmart spokesperson said Friday. “We will complete our exit after selling through current inventory.”

It was a quick policy change for the nation’s largest retailer. It was just over two months ago that the corporation raised the minimum age to purchase tobacco to 21 in an attempt to prevent the sale of tobacco and e-cigarettes to anyone under age. 

At the same time, the company said it was “in the process” of discontinuing the sales of fruit and dessert flavored vaping products. 

But last week, the Trump administration said it will remove flavored e-cigarettes from the market until they can be reviewed by the Food and Drug Administration.

Walmart’s announcement of a full ban indicates the company just didn’t think it was worth the hassle of continuing to sell the products. 

Read more here

 

 

 

 

In other vaping news:

 

Bipartisan senators urge FDA to pull most e-cigarettes immediately

A bipartisan group of senators on Friday called for the acting head of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to remove most e-cigarettes from the market immediately until they can be proven safe.

Sens. Dick DurbinRichard (Dick) Joseph DurbinOvernight Health Care — Presented by Partnership for America’s Health Care Future — Walmart to stop selling e-cigarettes | Senators press FDA to pull most e-cigarettes immediately | House panel tees up e-cig hearing for next week Hillicon Valley: Lawmakers say Zuckerberg to ‘cooperate’ on antitrust probes | Dems see victory after McConnell backs election security funds | Twitter takes down fake pro-Saudi accounts Bipartisan group of senators urges FDA to pull most e-cigarettes immediately MORE (D-Ill.), Lisa MurkowskiLisa Ann MurkowskiOvernight Health Care — Presented by Partnership for America’s Health Care Future — Walmart to stop selling e-cigarettes | Senators press FDA to pull most e-cigarettes immediately | House panel tees up e-cig hearing for next week Bipartisan group of senators urges FDA to pull most e-cigarettes immediately Sinema touts bipartisan record as Arizona Democrats plan censure vote MORE (R-Alaska), Jeff MerkleyJeffrey (Jeff) Alan MerkleyOvernight Health Care — Presented by Partnership for America’s Health Care Future — Walmart to stop selling e-cigarettes | Senators press FDA to pull most e-cigarettes immediately | House panel tees up e-cig hearing for next week Bipartisan group of senators urges FDA to pull most e-cigarettes immediately Overnight Health Care — Presented by Partnership for America’s Health Care Future — Pelosi unveils signature plan to lower drug prices | Trump says it’s ‘great to see’ plan | Progressives pushing for changes MORE (D-Ore.), and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) sent a letter to acting FDA Commissioner Ned Sharpless urging him to pull all pod- and cartridge-based e-cigarettes. 

FDA last week said flavored e-cigarette products would not be allowed back on the market unless or until they can prove a “net public health benefit.” Durbin and the other senators said the agency should apply that standard to all e-cigarettes. 

“[G]iven the unique popularity and threat posed to children, the same reasonable restrictions and presumption of public health impact that are being imposed upon flavored products, should immediately be imposed upon cartridge-based e-cigarettes,” the senators wrote.

The FDA was initially supposed to begin reviewing e-cigarettes last summer, but the deadline was pushed back to 2022. But public health groups sued and as a result of the lawsuit, the agency will begin accepting applications next May.

Read more here

 

Next week: House committee to hold hearing on ‘the public health threat of e-cigarettes’

The House Energy and Commerce oversight subcommittee will hold a hearing on the “public health impacts and regulatory authorities related to e-cigarette manufacturing, sales and use.” FDA’s Sharpless will testify, along with a handful of state health department chiefs. 

 

House Dem pushes for addition to drug pricing bill

Rep. Steven HorsfordSteven Alexander HorsfordOvernight Health Care — Presented by Partnership for America’s Health Care Future — Walmart to stop selling e-cigarettes | Senators press FDA to pull most e-cigarettes immediately | House panel tees up e-cig hearing for next week The Hill’s Campaign Report: Pressure builds for Democrats who missed third debate cut Key endorsements: A who’s who in early states MORE (D-Nev.) is pushing to add his SPIKE Act to the drug pricing legislation that Speaker Nancy PelosiNancy PelosiBiden blasts Trump, demands he release transcript of call with foreign leader Pelosi wants to change law to allow a sitting president to be indicted Overnight Health Care — Presented by Partnership for America’s Health Care Future — Walmart to stop selling e-cigarettes | Senators press FDA to pull most e-cigarettes immediately | House panel tees up e-cig hearing for next week MORE (D-Calif.) unveiled on Thursday. 

Horsford is a member of the Ways and Means Committee, so he will have a chance to offer the measure as an amendment when the drug pricing bill is marked up in October. 

The SPIKE Act, which has a Republican cosponsor in Rep. Tom ReedThomas (Tom) W. ReedOvernight Health Care — Presented by Partnership for America’s Health Care Future — Walmart to stop selling e-cigarettes | Senators press FDA to pull most e-cigarettes immediately | House panel tees up e-cig hearing for next week Reed thanks well wishers, will return to work Monday after collapse GOP Rep. Tom Reed collapses just before television appearance MORE (R-N.Y.), would require drug companies to submit justifications for price increases over a certain threshold. 

Overall, Horsford praised Pelosi’s bill, saying lowering drug prices is the “number one” issue he hears about from constituents. 

 

Sponsored Content – Partnership for America’s Health Care Future

Americans can’t afford proposals that could double their income taxes and provide lower quality care. A new government health insurance system will hurt families. Learn more.

 

What we’re reading

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As drugmakers face opioid lawsuits, some ask: why not criminal charges too? (NPR)

How Congress failed to act on the fentanyl crisis (The Washington Post)

Sales of illicit vaping products find home online (The Wall Street Journal)

How an international price index might help reduce drug prices (NPR) 

 

State by state

Angry about high drug prices? A powerful New Jersey Democrat is leading effort to lower them (NJ.com)

Missouri opioid prescribing rate went up 10 percent In 2018, program finds (KBIA)

In Massachusetts and beyond, state lawmakers push for Medicaid coverage of birth doulas (WBUR)  

The Trump administration on Friday exempted dozens of Chinese products from tariffs as the U.S. and China seek to ease tensions and revive negotiations to end their trade war.

The White House Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) published three lists of Chinese goods to be exempted from 25 percent tariffs imposed by President TrumpDonald John TrumpJulián Castro: It’s time for House Democrats to ‘do something’ about Trump Warren: Congress is ‘complicit’ with Trump ‘by failing to act’ Sanders to join teachers, auto workers striking in Midwest MORE since 2018.

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The exemptions, which cover three tranches of tariffs totaling $250 billion in goods, are the latest in a series of measures taken by Trump and Beijing to lower tensions in the U.S.-China trade war.

The USTR said it exempted certain products from tariffs based on whether a specific good was readily available from sources outside of China, could cause economic harm if subject to higher import taxes and was strategically important to Beijing’s industrial programs.

Exempted products include a wide range of steel, aluminum, plastic and vinyl-based construction supplies and equipment, electrical and plumbing materials, tools and other heavy machinery.

Consumer goods now freed from tariffs include retractable dog leashes and harnesses, Christmas lights, bicycles, tiki torches, certain grill equipment and a variety of refrigerators, freezers and coolers.

While the covered goods represent just a fraction of the more than $300 billion in Chinese products subject to Trump’s tariffs, the exemptions mark another measure of goodwill between the U.S. and China.

Both nations have sought to revive negotiations to end their increasingly costly trade war, which has weighed heavily on a slowing global economy. Chinese officials are meeting this week with their U.S. counterparts in Washington and are scheduled to visit farmers in Montana and Nebraska, who have suffered under Beijing’s tariffs on U.S. crops and livestock.

Trump last week delayed an increase of tariffs on Chinese goods from Oct. 1 to Oct. 15 after Beijing announced it would exempt more than a dozen U.S. products from its own pending import tax hikes. 

Various political and government figures turned out at the White House on Friday as President TrumpDonald John TrumpJulián Castro: It’s time for House Democrats to ‘do something’ about Trump Warren: Congress is ‘complicit’ with Trump ‘by failing to act’ Sanders to join teachers, auto workers striking in Midwest MORE hosted Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison for an elaborate state dinner, only the second formal state visit so far during Trump’s presidency.

 

Supreme Court Justice Clarence ThomasClarence ThomasClarence Thomas, Joe Manchin, Rudy Giuliani among guests at second state visit under Trump Clinton celebrates first visibly pregnant CEO to be on business magazine cover Gorsuch: Americans should remember political opponents ‘love this country as much as we do’ MORE, Sens. Joe ManchinJoseph (Joe) ManchinClarence Thomas, Joe Manchin, Rudy Giuliani among guests at second state visit under Trump Schumer: I don’t know any ‘Democrat who agrees’ with O’Rourke on gun seizures O’Rourke: Many Democrats ‘complicit’ in gun problem MORE (D-W.Va.) and Roy BluntRoy Dean BluntClarence Thomas, Joe Manchin, Rudy Giuliani among guests at second state visit under Trump McConnell support for election security funds leaves Dems declaring victory Paul objection snags confirmation of former McConnell staffer MORE (R-Mo.), Rep. Mark MeadowsMark Randall MeadowsClarence Thomas, Joe Manchin, Rudy Giuliani among guests at second state visit under Trump The Hill Interview: Sanford says Trump GOP doing ‘serious brand destruction’ GOP signals unease with Barr’s gun plan MORE (R-N.C.) and Vice President Pence and second lady Karen PenceKaren Sue PenceClarence Thomas, Joe Manchin, Rudy Giuliani among guests at second state visit under Trump The Hill’s 12:30 Report: Trump pushes back over whistleblower controversy The Hill’s 12:30 Report: Trump issues Taliban warning at Sept. 11 memorial MORE all made their way through the guest arrivals entryway at the dinner on Friday.

 

Several Trump Cabinet members also attended the event in glamorous tuxedos and gowns, including Secretary of State Mike PompeoMichael (Mike) Richard PompeoClarence Thomas, Joe Manchin, Rudy Giuliani among guests at second state visit under Trump Senate Judiciary Committee requests consultation with admin on refugee admissions State Department’s top arms control official leaving MORE, Attorney General William BarrWilliam Pelham BarrClarence Thomas, Joe Manchin, Rudy Giuliani among guests at second state visit under Trump Democrats to seek ways to compel release of Trump whistleblower complaint Democrats press Nadler to hold Lewandowski in contempt MORE, Education Secretary Betsy DeVosElizabeth (Betsy) Dee DeVosClarence Thomas, Joe Manchin, Rudy Giuliani among guests at second state visit under Trump DeVos says Trump ‘could talk about education more’ Republicans to hand out ‘baseball cards’ mocking Gary Peters in Michigan MORE and Commerce Secretary Wilbur RossWilbur Louis RossClarence Thomas, Joe Manchin, Rudy Giuliani among guests at second state visit under Trump Senate Democrats accuse administration of burying climate change reports Democrats press Nadler to hold Lewandowski in contempt MORE, among others.

 

The gathering is just the second state dinner held by Trump since he took office. It was more than a year ago, in April 2018, that Trump welcomed French President Emmanuel MacronEmmanuel Jean-Michel MacronClarence Thomas, Joe Manchin, Rudy Giuliani among guests at second state visit under Trump Budowsky: Donald, Boris, Bibi — The right in retreat Whistleblower Edward Snowden calls on Macron to grant him asylum in France MORE for the inaugural state visit of his administration.

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By contrast, previous commanders in chief have traditionally played host at multiple state dinners — former President Obama helmed five state dinners in his first two years in office.

 

Many of the high-profile guests at the state dinner Friday night stayed mum when asked about pressing world events.

 

When reporters asked about a potential trade deal with China, U.S. Trade Representative Robert LighthizerRobert (Bob) Emmet LighthizerOn The Money: Economy adds 164K jobs in July | Trump signs two-year budget deal, but border showdown looms | US, EU strike deal on beef exports Chinese, US negotiators fine-tuning details of trade agreement: report The Trump economy keeps roaring ahead MORE quipped, “You know I never talk.”

 

Pompeo, asked about Iran, replied, “Good evening, everyone.”

 

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White House counselor Kellyanne ConwayKellyanne Elizabeth ConwayClarence Thomas, Joe Manchin, Rudy Giuliani among guests at second state visit under Trump George Conway: If Trump pushed Ukraine to investigate Biden, he ‘should be impeached and removed from office’ Obama, Bush among those paying tribute to Cokie Roberts: ‘A trailblazing figure’ MORE declined to answer shouted questions about the absence of her husband, George ConwayGeorge Thomas ConwayClarence Thomas, Joe Manchin, Rudy Giuliani among guests at second state visit under Trump George Conway: If Trump pushed Ukraine to investigate Biden, he ‘should be impeached and removed from office’ Joe Walsh ‘honored’ to have George Conway as informal adviser in challenge to Trump MORE — a critic of the president — at the dinner.

 

Trump chief economic adviser Larry KudlowLawrence (Larry) Alan KudlowMORE was asked to comment about the economy, replying, “I think it’s great!”

 

ITK asked golfing legend Greg Norman — who’s teed off with Trump before — what he’d say to critics who say the president spends too much time on the links.

 

“No, not at all,” Norman said with a smile. “Nobody golfs too much,” he added.

 

Rudy GiulianiRudy GiulianiClarence Thomas, Joe Manchin, Rudy Giuliani among guests at second state visit under Trump Missing piece to the Ukraine puzzle: State Department’s overture to Rudy Giuliani Biden blasts Trump, demands he release transcript of call with foreign leader MORE, Trump’s personal lawyer, was asked about his controversial appearance on CNN the previous night.

 

He responded with a hearty, animated laugh, before making his way into the dinner. Giuliani was joined at the event by his guest, Dr. Maria Ryan.

 

Also eyed at the White House for the state dinner: former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantisRonald Dion DeSantisClarence Thomas, Joe Manchin, Rudy Giuliani among guests at second state visit under Trump Trump parts ways with key Florida adviser: report Death and destruction: A timeline of Hurricane Dorian MORE (R), Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, Fox Business Network’s Lou DobbsLouis (Lou) Carl DobbsClarence Thomas, Joe Manchin, Rudy Giuliani among guests at second state visit under Trump Why are we turning a blind eye to right-wing incitement of violence? Fox Business’s Lou Dobbs on Romney declining to endorse in 2020: ‘What is wrong with this man?’ MORE, Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthyKevin Owen McCarthyClarence Thomas, Joe Manchin, Rudy Giuliani among guests at second state visit under Trump Hillicon Valley: Lawmakers say Zuckerberg to ‘cooperate’ on antitrust probes | Dems see victory after McConnell backs election security funds | Twitter takes down fake pro-Saudi accounts Lawmakers say Zuckerberg has agreed to ‘cooperate’ with antitrust probe MORE (R-Calif.), NewsCorp co-chairman Lachlan Murdoch, White House press secretary Stephanie GrishamStephanie GrishamClarence Thomas, Joe Manchin, Rudy Giuliani among guests at second state visit under Trump Hillicon Valley: Zuckerberg to meet with lawmakers | Big tech defends efforts against online extremism | Trump attends secretive Silicon Valley fundraiser | Omar urges Twitter to take action against Trump tweet Trump attends secretive Silicon Valley fundraiser marred by protests MORE, and celebrity chef Curtis Stone.

 

After guests arrived, they were poised to be whisked away for the dinner, held outdoors in the Rose Garden. The space will be decked out in green and gold, the national colors of Australia. Details for the event were “carefully selected by the first lady to reflect the strong ties between the United States and Australia,” first lady Melania TrumpMelania TrumpClarence Thomas, Joe Manchin, Rudy Giuliani among guests at second state visit under Trump The Hill’s 12:30 Report: Trump pushes back over whistleblower controversy White House releases menu for Australian state dinner MORE‘s office said in a statement ahead of the dinner.

 

President TrumpDonald John TrumpJulián Castro: It’s time for House Democrats to ‘do something’ about Trump Warren: Congress is ‘complicit’ with Trump ‘by failing to act’ Sanders to join teachers, auto workers striking in Midwest MORE on Friday approved the deployment of U.S. troops and missile defense equipment to Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates (UAE) in response to an attack on Saudi oil facilities that the Trump administration has blamed on Iran.

 

Defense Secretary Mark EsperMark EsperTrump approves troop deployment in response to attacks on Saudi oil sites Stepping up to China’s political warfare Overnight Defense: Pentagon waiting for Saudi assessment on attack | Defense bill talks begin | Border fight takes centerstage | Pentagon finalizes .5B in wall contracts | US withholds Afghan aid citing corruption MORE made the announcement at the Pentagon, saying “all indications are that Iran was responsible for the attack” on the two Saudi oil refineries, which were hit by drones and cruise missiles last weekend.

 

Saudi Arabia as well as its neighbor the UAE have since requested international support to deter further attacks.

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“In response to the kingdom’s request, the president has approved the deployment of U.S. forces, which will be defensive in nature and primarily focused on air and missile defense,” Esper said at the Pentagon.

 

Esper and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Joseph Dunford, who had just returned from presenting Trump with a range of military options on Iran, would not say how many troops would be deployed, but acknowledged it would not number in the thousands.

 

The Defense secretary said the deployment is meant to “send a clear message that the United States supports our partners in the region … ensure the free flow of resources necessary to support the global economy” and to “demonstrate commitment to upholding the international rules based order that we have long called on Iran to obey.”

 

Esper added that while the president has made clear that the United States does not seek conflict with Iran, “we have many other military options available should they be necessary.”

 

In addition, the Pentagon “will also work to accelerate the delivery of military equipment to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the UAE to enhance their ability to defend themselves.”

 

Dunford said he will talk with leaders from U.S. Central Command and Saudi partners over the weekend to “work the details of the deployment.”

“We’ll be able to share that with you next week. We haven’t decided on specific units,” he said.

Asked why he believes the deployment will be enough to deter Iran from further attacks, Esper said that “given the state of play now … we think for now that would be sufficient.”

“But that doesn’t mean there couldn’t be additional deployments as needed based on the changing situation,” he added.

Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have claimed they are responsible for the Saudi attacks, while Tehran has denied it was involved.

Esper said that after a detailed investigation by Saudi Arabia, the United States and other international investigative teams, “it is clear” that weapons used in the attack “were Iranian produced and were not launched from Yemen as was initially claimed.”

Trump had in recent days indicated the administration believed Iran was behind the incident, but officials had refrained from saying so definitively.

Brian Hook, the administration’s special envoy for Iran, told CBS News earlier Friday that Iran was responsible for the attacks but that officials were still working to determine where the attack originated from.

The administration on Friday morning slapped new sanctions on Iran’s central bank in response to the bombings of the Saudi oil fields. But he has been reticent to commit to additional military engagement, pointing to prolonged conflicts in Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East.

Updated: 7:45 p.m.

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Microsoft announced Friday that it will provide free security updates for federally certified voting systems that run Windows 7 through the 2020 elections, delaying the threat of voting taking place on unpatched equipment. 

Microsoft launched Windows 7 in 2009, and committed to providing security updates to all systems running Windows 7 for 10 years. The updates were due to cease as of January for voting equipment running Windows 7, which makes it easier for malicious actors to find cyber vulnerabilities in the machines and interfere in elections.

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Prior to Friday’s announcement, Microsoft was planning to provide “extended security updates”  for Windows 7 systems through January 2023, but customers would have to pay a fee for each device that required the updates. 

Tom Burt, the corporate vice president of Customer Security and Trust at Microsoft, announced in a post about the free security updates that Microsoft made this decision in part due to the short amount of time left to update voting systems prior to the 2020 elections.

“As we head into the 2020 elections, we know there is a relatively small but still significant number of certified voting machines in operation running on Windows 7,” Burt wrote. “We also know that transitioning to machines running newer operating systems in time for the 2020 election may not be possible for a number of reasons, including the lengthy voting machine certification process – a process we are working with government officials to update and make more agile.”

The decision by Microsoft came two months after The Associated Press reported that the vast majority of the country’s 10,000 election jurisdictions are running Windows 7 or even older operating systems to “create ballots, program voting machines, tally votes, and report counts.” 

Burt noted on Friday that Microsoft plans to work with voting equipment manufacturers that have sold equipment running Windows 7 to ensure the operating system is successfully updated. 

At least one member of Congress has expressed serious reservations about the unpatched voting systems.

Sen. Ron WydenRonald (Ron) Lee WydenOvernight Energy: California, 23 other states sue Trump over vehicle emissions rule | Climate strike protests hit cities across globe | Interior watchdog expands scope of FOIA investigation | Dems accuse officials of burying climate reports Microsoft to provide free updates for voting systems running Windows 7 through 2020 Interior watchdog investigating political appointees’ review of FOIA requests MORE (D-Ore.) in July demanded answers from the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) as to how it planned to address what Wyden termed a “looming cybersecurity crisis.”

“Intelligence officials have made it clear that Russian hackers targeted our elections in 2016, and that they expect similar threats in 2020,” Wyden wrote to EAC Chairwoman Christy McCormick. “The continued use of out-of-date software on voting machines and the computers used to administer elections lays out the red carpet for foreign hackers. This is unacceptable.”

All four EAC commissioners on Friday applauded Microsoft’s announcement, saying in a joint statement that the decision is “welcome news” in light of the upcoming elections.

“Election administrators and advocates had rightly voiced concern that budget limitations would hinder their ability to pay for extended Windows 7 support and could lead to election security challenges,” the EAC commissioners said. “Voters can now cast their ballots with confidence knowing that Microsoft and the election community have worked together to reach a suitable and necessary resolution to this pressing issue.”

The free Windows 7 security updates are part of Microsoft’s Defending Democracy Program, launched in 2018, which aims to protect campaigns from hacking operations, increase transparency of online political advertisements and defend against disinformation campaigns. 

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