NEW YORK: Trump said that countries like France are compromised by terrorism may be subjected to the “extreme vetting” he proposes as a deterrent to attacks in the US. When asked if his proposal might lead to a point when not a lot of people from overseas are allowed into the US, Trump said, “Maybe we get to that point” and added: “We have to be smart and we have to be vigilant and we have to be strong.”

In an interview on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday, Trump who has called for a temporary ban on Muslims seeking to enter the United States has criticised the Obama administration for continuing to admit refugees from Syria.

In his speech on Thursday night at the Republican National Convention, he said the US “must immediately suspend immigration from any nation that has been compromised by terrorism until such time as proven vetting mechanisms have been put in place” — notably leaving out any reference to Muslims or to Syria, Iraq and other Mideast nations.

When NBC correspondent Chuck Todd asked if Trump’s proposal would limit immigration from France. “They’ve been compromised by terrorism,” Todd said. Trump replied: “They have totally been. And you know why? It’s their own fault. Because they allowed people to come into their territory.” He then called for “extreme vetting” and said: “We have to have tough, we’re going to have tough standards ... If a person can’t prove what they have to be able to prove, they’re not coming into this country.”

Billionaire Bloomberg to endorse Clinton

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg , a Republican /independent will endorse Hillary Clinton during his speech at the Democratic National Convention, a Bloomberg adviser told The New York Times. It is likely to send shockwaves in Trump’s circles.

Bloomberg, a billionaire , whose support could help Clinton/Kaine ticket in fall, was at one point considering running for the presidency himself.

In March in an op-ed titled “The Risk I will Not Take”, he said he would not run for president despite the growing number of Americans urging him to. Bloomberg wrote he could not risk running as an independent that might help Trump’s path to the White House

Bloomberg’s senior adviser Howard Wolfson told The Times the former mayor will support Clinton “from the perspective of a business leader and an independent”.

He had earlier blasted the Republican nominee for running the most “divisive and demagogic presidential campaign that I can remember, preying on people’s prejudices and fears.” The former mayor endorsed President Barack Obama when he was running for re-election in 2012. He will be addressing a political convention for the first time in Philadelphia.

Published in Dawn, July 25th, 2016