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More than 7,000 passengers stranded as first Philippine storm strengthens

STRONG winds and heavy rains from Tropical Storm Aghon knocked down this tree in front of the Minor Basilica and Parish of St. John the Baptist in Taytay, Rizal on Sunday. No one was hurt when it crushed two parked vehicles. — PHILIPPINE STAR/MIGUEL DE GUZMAN

By Adrian H. Halili, Reporter

MORE than 7,000 passengers including cargo helpers and truck drivers were stranded on Sunday morning, the Philippine Coast Guard said, as the country’s first storm of the year intensified on its way to southern Luzon.

Tropical Storm Aghon (International name: Ewiniar) moved closer to Manila, threatening to intensify into a typhoon before leaving the Philippines by Wednesday.

The state weather bureau placed more areas under tropical wind signal No. 2.

In an advisory, the coast guard said 2,913 people had been stranded in Southern Tagalog ports as of Sunday morning, 1,708 in Bicol ports, 1,607 in Eastern Visayas ports and 849 in Nasipit Port in Northeastern Mindanao.

It added that 26 vessels, 14 motorboats and 875 rolling cargoes had been stranded. Seventy-six vessels and 21 motorboats had taken shelter in Northeastern Mindanao, Bicol, Eastern Visayas and the Southern Tagalog regions.

It also said it had rescued a motorboat that capsized in waters off Peñafrancia, Claveria in Masbate amid the storm.

MBCA Oceanus Uno was struck by powerful waves while it was on its way to Masbate City, causing the vessel to capsize, it said.

Its search and rescue team rescued 48 passengers and crew members, “all of whom were found to be in good condition.”

The coast guard initially suspended voyages for all vessels and watercraft but lifted it later in the day amid improving weather conditions.

The state weather bureau said Aghon had slowly intensified and was turning toward Quezon province on Luzon island.

In a 2 p.m. bulletin, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said the storm was last seen near Mauban, Quezon.

It was slowly moving northwestward with maximum sustained winds of 75 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gustiness of up to 125 kph.

“By (May 27) it would be in the coastal waters of Aurora, and may strengthen into a severe tropical storm,” state weather forecaster Benison Estareja told a news briefing.

He added that the storm would likely move across the Calabarzon area in the next 12 hours.

PAGASA raised tropical wind signal no. 2 over Aurora, the northern and central portions of Quezon, Polillo Islands, Laguna, the eastern portion of Batangas and eastern Rizal. Wind speeds of more than 62 to 88 kph were expected.

“Minor to moderate impacts from strong winds are possible within any of the localities where wind signal No. 2 is hoisted,” it said in a separate statement.

Signal No. 1 was raised over eastern Isabela, Quirino and Bataan, southern Nueva Vizcaya, eastern and southern Nueva Ecija and the eastern portion of Pampanga.

Signal No. 1 was also hoisted over Bulacan, Metro Manila, the rest of Quezon and Rizal, Cavite, the rest of Batangas, the northern and central parts of Oriental Mindoro, Marinduque, the extreme northern portion of Romblon, Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur.

“From Monday through the remainder of the forecast period, Aghon will gradually accelerate northeastward while intensifying,” PAGASA said.

“Aghon is forecast to reach typhoon category by Tuesday afternoon or evening and may exit the (Philippine area of responsibility) on Wednesday,” it added.

Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) said workers were on standby for possible brownouts in storm-hit areas.

Meralco has implemented measures to mitigate the possible impact of the storm, Meralco Vice President and Head of Corporate Communications Joe R. Zaldarriaga said in a statement.

He added that the company had asked billboard owners and operators to roll signages up to avoid toppling.

Meralco’s controlling stakeholder, Beacon Electric Asset Holdings, Inc., is partly owned by PLDT, Inc.

Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has an interest in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — with KATA

Sea dispute with China should be key election issue in 2025 — analysts

PHILIPPINE STAR/ MIGUEL DE GUZMAN

By Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza, Reporter

THE ECONOMIC importance of the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the South China Sea should be a key issue in the 2025 midterm elections that should not be overshadowed by concerns about spiraling prices, political analysts said at the weekend.

“It is important for advocates to highlight the economic dimensions of foreign relations in general, especially the lives of those who are directly affected in the West Philippine Sea,” Anthony Lawrence A. Borja, a political science professor at De La Salle University, said in a Facebook Messenger chat.

“Many Filipinos are worried more about their wallets than territorial integrity and security, issues they deem remote due to a lack of understanding, the absence of recognizable impacts, or a sheer lack of empathy for those directly affected,” he added.

Some political quarters may also exploit the issue by underestimating the effects of Chinese aggression at sea on Philippine food and energy security, Mr. Borja said.

He noted that based on opinion polls, many Filipinos only care about an issue that affects them directly, and pro-China politicians could exploit this by amplifying the effects of a potential war on inflation.

Prolonged rains brought by La Niña starting June threaten the farm sector and efforts to cool inflation that quickened to 3.8% in April from 3.7% in March amid spiraling food prices.

A Pulse Asia Research, Inc. poll in March showed inflation was still the public’s most urgent concern.

Tensions between the Philippines and China have worsened in the past year as Beijing continues to block resupply missions to Second Thomas Shoal, where Manila grounded a World War II-era ship in 1999 to assert its sovereignty.

The Philippines has reported increased Chinese presence in features near Recto Bank, which is believed to hold as many as 5.4 billion barrels of oil and 55.1 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.

On Sunday, a group of Filipino fishermen from Zambales, Pangasinan, Bataan and Palawan provinces said their fishing rights within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone are continuously “threatened by harassment and intimidation by China’s coast guard and maritime militia who are keeping Filipinos away from the rich waters.”

“We and our families are enduring further hunger and impoverishment due to these Chinese activities,” the Bigkis ng Mangingisda Federation said in a statement, citing coral reef destruction by China.

“In addition to reef damage, tailings from the mines linked to Chinese business interests cascade down the mountains, contaminating rivers and municipal waters, killing fish and other living marine resources,” it added.

Philip Arnold “Randy” P. Tuaño, dean of the Ateneo de Manila University School of Government, said the Marcos government may cite efforts it has taken to diversify trade away from China, and the planned economic corridor on the main island of Luzon.

“Because of the intensification of trade wars between China and the US, the latter has been pushing for increased trade and investment links with the Philippines, for example, by prioritizing the Luzon investment corridor and increasing purchases of semiconductors and other electronic items for America’s manufacturing push,” he said in an e-mail.

Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel D. Romualdez earlier said Washington and Tokyo are expected to marshal $100 billion (P5.8 trillion) worth of investments in the country in the next 5 to 10 years.

CA denies plea to stop Sibuyan mining

PHILSTAR FILE PHOTO

THE COURT of Appeals (CA) dismissed a plea for a Writ of Kalikasan, which sought to halt the activities of a mining corporation on Sibuyan Island, citing jurisdictional flaws.

In a 33-page resolution, the CA 6th Division ruled that a Writ of Kalikasan is “not an excuse to invoke judicial remedies when there still remain administrative forums” to address the concern.

Instead, the CA ordered the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) to resolve the complaint against the two agencies and Altai Philippines Mining Corporation (APMC).

“This Court does not, in any way, turn a blind eye to the allegation of environmental issues that confront the Sibuyan Island,” read part of the resolution penned by Associate Justice Eduardo S. Ramos, Jr.

However, it also stated that the appellate court “cannot simply disregard the jurisdictional and procedural flaws in the Petition; to do so is to belittle the judicial system and administration of justice.”

It cited how the petitioners failed to show the extent of the area affected to justify the writ or to prove that APMC’s exploration activity and transport of nickel ore would harm the life, health, and property of two or more cities or provinces, which is necessary under the Rules of Procedure for such cases.

National Coordinator of Alyansa Tigil Mina Jesus Vicente C. Garganera, in a text message to BusinessWorld, expressed disappointment over the CA ruling.

“This is really not applicable nor feasible to fragile island ecosystems which is prevalent to the Philippine geological context,” he said.

“We demand the DENR [to] immediately cancel the Mineral Production Sharing of AMPC to prevent further environmental degradation of the coastal areas and the Mt. Guiting-Guiting protected landscape,” he added. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana

Erring e-bikes to be issued tickets starting May 27

PHILIPPINE STAR/EDD GUMBAN

THE METROPOLITAN Manila Development Authority (MMDA) will resume issuing violation tickets to light vehicles that pass through major roads in Metro Manila starting May 27.

Included in the ban are e-bikes, e-trikes and pedicabs, as announced last week, after it extended the grace period by another week.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. on April 17 ordered a one-month grace period so drivers of light vehicles could be informed about the ban.

“MMDA needs a complete overhaul of its priorities and policies to ones that have a holistic view of development for everyone,” transport advocate and AltMobility PH Director Ira F. Cruz said in a Viber message at the weekend.

“The number of apprehensions is not a success metric,” he said. “Instead, it should be how their policies help or hurt people. In the case of the ban, it impairs the mobility of people and only benefits a minority of private vehicles.”

Under a Metro Manila Council regulation, e-bikes, e-trikes, tricycles, pedicabs, push carts, and kuligligs are banned from passing through national, circumferential roads, and radial roads in Metro Manila.

Violators face a fine of P2,500 and confiscation of their license, while unregistered vehicles may be impounded.

Before the grace period, MMDA issued tickets to 290 violators and impounded 69 vehicles. It said the drivers had not been fined and all vehicles were released.

The MMDA imposed the ban due to the growing number of accidents involving light vehicles on main roads.

It recorded 2,829 accidents in 2022 involving bikes, e-bikes, and pedicabs. The ban is implemented on 19 highways in the capital region. — C.M.A. Hufana

PHL senator calls out China

PHILSTAR FILE PHOTO/ SENATE PRIB/JOSEPH VIDAL

A PHILIPPINE senator has urged China to stop holding military drills and its militarization around Taiwan and in the South China Sea, saying it could worsen tensions among regional neighbors.

“China must stop flexing her muscles around Taiwan and all across the South China Sea,” Senator Ana Theresia N. Hontiveros-Baraquel said in a statement on Sunday. “Militarizing the South China Sea is not the solution. Instead of working with governments to abate the tensions in the region, all Beijing has done is make matters worse.”

Beijing on May 23 kicked off war games around Taiwan that simulated strikes at Taiwan’s ports and airports, three days after Taiwan’s new president, Lai Ching-te, took office.

Taiwan has been independent from China since 1949, but Beijing still claims the island as part of its territory and views Taiwan as a “renegade province.”

Tensions between the Philippines and China have also worsened amid Beijing’s repeated attempts to block Philippine resupply missions to its troops stationed at a World War II shipwreck grounded on Second Thomas Shoal (Ayungin Shoal).

The Philippines has filed 153 diplomatic protests against China under the Marcos administration, 20 in all this year, Philippine Foreign Affairs spokesperson Ma. Teresita C. Daza told reporters in a WhatsApp message on May 2.

“I hope the international community can unequivocally stand with Taiwan amid China’s continued belligerence,” Ms. Hontiveros-Baraquel said. “Any conflict in our region affects not only our neighbors, but also the entire world.” — John Victor D. Ordoñez

Bills against red-tagging pushed

PHILIPPINE STAR/ MICHAEL VARCAS

A LAWMAKER urged Congress on Sunday to swiftly pass two measures seeking to criminalize red-tagging in the country to exact punishment on those taking part in it.

In a statement on Sunday, Party-list Rep. France L. Castro deplored how red-tagging continues, citing a recent seminar conducted by the Philippine military at a school in Rizal province where it allegedly insinuated that social and political activists were communists.

“The government should focus on providing quality education and protecting our youth, not spreading fear and misinformation,” she said.

Earlier this month, the Supreme Court came out with a ruling that red-tagging is a threat to a person’s right to life, liberty, and security. Ms. Castro said it is about time Congress passed the bills against red-tagging that have been pending before the House Committee on Justice since 2022 be passed.

The supposed seminar held by the military disregarded the High Court ruling on red-tagging, she said. “[This is] a blatant disregard of the Supreme Court’s ruling that red-tagging is a dangerous practice that puts lives in peril,” she said. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio

Troops overrun marijuana farms

CRYSTALWEED CANNABIS-UNSPLASH

BAGUIO CITY — Soldiers, police and anti-narcotics agents overran marijuana plantations in Kibungan and Mankayan towns in Benguet, destroying a total of P10.81 million worth of the illegal crops.

In a report over the weekend, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-Cordillera Administrative Region (PDEA-CAR) said the plantations tucked in the mountains were located in Sitio Ginawang, Barangay Poblacion, Kibungan and Sitio Dowag, Barangay Guinaoang in Mankayan.

Brig. Gen. David K. Peredo, Cordillera police director, said that after saving samples and documenting the volume and value of the marijuana plants and dried stalks with fruiting tops, they burned down both plantations.

He said police investigators are working to identify the people behind the plantations for their arrest and prosecution. — Artemio A. Dumlao

74 Moro families receive houses

THESE colorful housing units were turned over to Moro residents often displaced by fighting in Ampatuan town, Maguindanao del Sur. — PHILIPPINE STAR/JOHN FELIX M. UNSON

COTABATO CITY — Up to 74 marginalized Moro families, repeatedly displaced by bloody armed conflicts over the years, are up for relocation to a village established for them by an agency of the Bangsamoro regional government.

Local officials in Ampatuan town in Maguindanao del Sur told reporters on Sunday that the families are to settle in the houses built for them in Barangay Salman by the Ministry of Social Services and Development-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Costing P500,000 per unit, the houses were built on a parcel of land donated by the local government, said BARMM Social Services Minister Raissa H. Jajurie.

One of the beneficiaries said the house is big enough to accommodate seven to 10 persons and not too far from the farms they tend for upland rice varieties, corn and other short-term crops.

The housing units were turned over last April 30 to the 74 beneficiaries, who are set to move in once power and water supply connections are established. — John Felix M. Unson

Gaza ceasefire talks could soon resume but war still rages on

FREEPIK

CAIRO — Prospects for a resumption of mediated Gaza ceasefire talks grew on Saturday although Israel carried out new attacks in which Palestinian medics said more than 40 people were killed.

An official with knowledge of the matter said a decision had been taken to resume the talks this week after the chief of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency met the head of the Central Intelligence Agency and the prime minister of Qatar.

The source, who declined to be identified by name or nationality, said it had been decided that “in the coming week negotiations will open based on new proposals led by the mediators, Egypt and Qatar and with active US involvement.”

A Hamas official later denied Israeli media reports that the talks would resume in Cairo on Tuesday, telling Reuters: “There is no date.”

After more than seven months of war in Gaza, the mediators have struggled to secure a breakthrough, with Israel seeking the release of hostages held by Hamas and Hamas seeking an end to the war and a release of Palestinian prisoners in Israel.

Israel pressed on with its offensive in Gaza to eliminate the Palestinian Islamist militant group Hamas after the top United Nations court ordered Israel on Friday to stop attacking the southern city of Gaza.

Israel says it wants to root out Hamas fighters holed up in Rafah and rescue hostages it says are being held in the area, but its assault has worsened the plight of civilians and caused an international outcry.

In northern Gaza, where the Israeli military says it is trying to prevent Hamas from reestablishing its hold, Palestinian medical workers reported new Israeli airstrikes that they said killed at least 17 people.

Abu Mohammad said he had been taking shelter with his family at a school in Gaza City’s Saftawi suburb with other families, when an Israeli missile struck a yard and outside a classroom where women were preparing bread.

“We were sitting peacefully, then there was boom, a missile from a controlled drone, or a regular drone, but it did massive damage,” he told Reuters. He said several people were killed, adding: “Even schools are not safe anymore.”

The Israeli military said it was looking into the report.

Palestinians medics said 45 Palestinians had been killed in the past day across Gaza. They do not distinguish between civilian and militant casualties.

Nearly 36,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s offensive, Gaza’s health ministry says. Israel began the operation in response to Hamas-led militants attacking southern Israeli communities on Oct. 7, killing around 1,200 people and seizing more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

FIGHTING ACROSS GAZA
Hamas and the smaller armed group Islamic Jihad said their fighters had fired anti-tank rockets and mortar bombs at Israeli soldiers in the north.

The Israeli military said its troops in the northern district of Jabalia killed dozens of militants in close combat and airstrikes. Residents and civil emergency services there said Israeli tanks moving deep in Jabalia destroyed dozens of houses, shops, and roads.

Further south, the Israeli military said that on Friday it had killed militants, taken down part of Hamas’ tunnel system and found weapon stashes in Rafah, where its forces operated in what it said were specific areas.

Earlier in the war, Rafah became a refuge for Gazans fleeing fighting elsewhere. After Rafah became a target as well, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled the city.

So far, fighting has taken place on Rafah’s southern edge and eastern districts, away from the most populated areas.

Friday’s ruling by the International Court of Justice, or World Court, is binding but its rulings have been ignored in the past, as the court has no enforcement powers.

Israeli officials said on Saturday that the World Court’s order does not rule out all military action in the area. — Reuters

After China drills, Taiwan president offers talks anew

TAIWAN President-elect Lai Ching-te, of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), holds a press conference, following his victory in the presidential elections, in Taipei, Taiwan, Jan. 13, 2023. — REUTERS

TAIPEI — Taiwan President Lai Ching-te again offered talks with China on Sunday following two days of Chinese war games near the island, saying he looked forward to enhancing mutual understanding and reconciliation.

China, which views democratically-governed Taiwan as its own territory, carried out the military drills on Thursday and Friday, saying it was “punishment” after Mr. Lai’s inauguration speech on Monday which Beijing called another push for the island’s formal independence.

China has repeatedly lambasted Lai, saying he is a “separatist.” Mr. Lai rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims and says only Taiwan’s people can decide their future. He has repeatedly offered talks but been rebuffed.

Speaking at a meeting of his ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in the southern city of Tainan, Mr. Lai called on China to “share the heavy responsibility of regional stability with Taiwan,” according to comments provided by his party.

Mr. Lai, who won election in January, said he also “looked forward to enhancing mutual understanding and reconciliation with China via exchanges and cooperation, creating mutual benefit and moving towards a position of peace and common prosperity.”

He thanked the US and other countries for their expressions of concern about the Chinese exercises.

“The international community will not accept any country creating waves in the Taiwan Strait and affecting regional stability,” Mr. Lai added.

Taiwan’s government has condemned China’s war games.

Over the past four years, China has staged regular military activities around Taiwan as it seeks to pressure the island’s government. — Reuters

North Korea accuses US, S. Korea of flying spy planes and ships — group

MICHA BRANDLI-UNSPLASH

SEOUL — North Korea’s defense ministry accused the United States and South Korea of ramping up reconnaissance activities around the inter-Korean border, warning that it will act if its sovereignty and security is violated, state media KCNA said on Sunday.

North Korea’s vice defense minister Kim Gang Il said the US had flown at least 16 of its RC-135 and U-2S strategic reconnaissance planes and RQ-4B drone over the Korean peninsula between May 13 and 24.

He also accused South Korea’s navy and coast guard of stoking military tension by stepping up patrol activities and increasingly breaching the maritime border.

Kim also criticized propaganda leaflets sent in balloons from South Korea, calling it a “dangerous provocation.”

North Korean defectors and activists in South Korea regularly send balloons containing anti-Pyongyang leaflets, alongside food, medicine, money, mini radios and USB sticks loaded with South Korean news and dramas.

“Even now, the US and South Korean puppet air forces are continuously mobilizing various aircraft with little or no time gap throughout the day, carrying out aerial reconnaissance activities at a level comparable to wartime situations,” Mr. Kim said in a statement published by KCNA.

Those activities seriously infringe on North Korea’s national sovereignty and security, and will not be met with “offensive” countermeasures, he said.

“We will act immediately when the nation’s sovereignty and security interests are violated,” Mr. Kim added. — Reuters

Trump booed, heckled by crowd at Libertarian convention

REUTERS

WASHINGTON – Presidential candidate Donald Trump was booed and heckled by many in a raucous audience at the Libertarian National Convention on Saturday night, a marked change from the adulation he receives at rallies from his fervently loyal supporters.

Libertarians, who believe in limited government and individual freedom, blame Mr. Trump, a Republican, for rushing through the creation of a COVID-19 vaccine when he was president and for not doing more to stop public health restrictions on the unvaccinated during the pandemic.

When Mr. Trump took to the stage in Washington, there were loud boos and jeers. A smaller section of the crowd, Mr. Trump supporters, cheered him.

Shortly before he appeared, one Libertarian Party member shouted: “Donald Trump should have taken a bullet!”

Mr. Trump’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the hostile reception.

Libertarians garnered only 1.2% of the national vote in 2020, or about 1.8 million votes, but November’s election could be decided by just tens of thousands of votes in a handful of battleground states, so Mr. Trump is seeking to peel away some libertarian support.

Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who also spoke to the convention on Friday, was hoping to rally support.

Libertarian Party Chair Angela McArdle ruled Sunday that Mr. Trump was not qualified to be the party’s nominee for president, because he did not submit nominating papers.

“The reason I didn’t file paperwork for the Libertarian Nomination, which I would have absolutely gotten if I wanted it (as everyone could tell by the enthusiasm of the Crowd last night!), was the fact that, as the Republican Nominee, I am not allowed to have the Nomination of another Party,” Mr. Trump said on Truth Social.

The party selected Chase Oliver, Georgia Senate election candidate in 2022, as the presidential candidate, it said on Sunday in a post on X.

 

TRUMP SAYS NOW A LIBERTARIAN

Mr. Trump, who was president between 2017 and 2021, immediately highlighted in his speech Saturday his total 88 felony charges he faces in four federal and state prosecutions.

“If I wasn’t a libertarian I am now,” he said on Saturday. He denounced the administration of President Joe Biden, his challenger in the Nov. 5 election rematch, and Biden’s fellow Democrats as being part of a “rise in left-wing fascism”.

Mr. Trump was trying to appeal to libertarians, who have more in common with Republican policy positions than Democrats on issues including taxes and the size of government, in what is expected to be a closely fought election.

He added: “We should not be fighting each other.” He asked libertarians to work with him to defeat Biden, an appeal which was greeted by many boos, although the vast majority in the crowd were fiercely opposed to Biden and his administration.

Mr. Trump’s appearance at the libertarian gathering, unusual for a Republican White House candidate, also signaled how seriously he and his campaign take the threat of third-party candidate Mr. Kennedy, who has long opposed vaccines and mandates. Mr. Kennedy was quickly eliminated from the party’s presidential nomination on Sunday.

Mr. Trump has been ramping up attacks on Mr. Kennedy, who is running as an independent, recently calling him a “fake” anti-vaccination proponent.

Mr. Kennedy addressed the party on social media on Sunday, writing “While we may not agree on every downstream issue, our core values of peace, free speech, and civil liberties make us natural allies.”

Opinion polls suggest Mr. Kennedy will siphon votes away from both Mr. Trump and Mr. Biden, but it is not yet clear which of the major-party candidates will be hurt more by Mr. Kennedy’s long-shot White House bid.

Libertarian Party organizers said Mr. Biden was also invited to speak to the convention but he declined to attend.

“The Libertarian Party can make a big difference. If we unite we will be unstoppable,” Mr. Trump said to a mix of applause and jeers.

Mr. Trump said he was a “libertarian without even trying to be one,” and that the Libertarian Party should endorse him, another line greeted by boos and jeers.

Undeterred, Mr. Trump poked fun at the crowd, saying if they did not back him, they would continue to garner just a tiny portion of voter support in national elections.

He pledged to put a libertarian in his cabinet if he wins the election, which was met by cries of “bullshit!”

Mr. Trump did get huge applause for one promise. A rallying cry for libertarians is the case of Ross Ulbricht, who is serving a life sentence for creating and operating the website Silk Road, which allowed users to secretly buy and sell drugs and other illegal products.

Libertarians believe Ulbricht’s 2015 sentence represents government and judicial overreach. In front of a crowd holding “Free Ross” signs, Mr. Trump promised to commute Ulbricht’s sentence if he wins back the White House. – Reuters

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