Schiff says he’ll have Mueller testify if his report isn’t made public – NBC News
Schiff says he’ll have Mueller testify if his report isn’t made public – NBC News

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff says he’s got a plan ready if special counsel Robert Mueller’s full report isn’t made public.

And it includes bringing Mueller himself before his committee.

On Sunday, Schiff, a California Democrat, was asked on ABC’s “This Week” about what Democrats will do should Attorney General William Barr decide to keep the highly anticipated report mostly under wraps.

“Well we will obviously subpoena the report, we will bring Bob Mueller in to testify before Congress, we will take it to court if necessary,” Schiff said. “And in the end, I think the department understands they’re going to have to make this public. I think Barr will ultimately understand that as well.”

Schiff said that if Barr, who was recently confirmed as attorney general, tried “to withhold, to try to bury any part of this report, that will be his legacy, and it will be a tarnished legacy.”

“So I think there’ll be immense pressure not only on the department, but on the attorney general to be forthcoming,” he said.

It was widely reported last week that Mueller’s report could be submitted to Barr within a matter of days. But by Friday, new reporting suggested that the report is not expected to be delivered by the end of this week. In December, NBC News reported it could be submitted as soon as mid-February.

Late last week, several Democratic House committee chairs sent a letter to Barr stating “in the strongest possible terms, our expectation that the Department of Justice will release to the public the report Special Counsel Mueller submits to you — without delay and to the maximum extent permitted by law.”

Speaking with reporters last week, President Donald Trump said he had not spoken with Barr about the Mueller report.

Schiff pledged Sunday that his committee will “get to the bottom of this,” adding “if the president is serious about all of his claims of exoneration, then he should welcome the publication of this report.”

Mueller was hired as special counsel after Trump fired then-FBI Director James Comey in May 2017 to take over the FBI’s investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election and whether members of the Trump campaign colluded with Russian officials. The probe was later expanded to include whether Trump had obstructed justice in the Russia probe through moves such as his firing of Comey.

Several Trump associates and former campaign officials have been indicted or convicted as part of Mueller’s investigation, including former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, former national security adviser Michael Flynn, and longtime Trump adviser Roger Stone. In a separate investigation that stemmed from Mueller’s work, Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen was convicted of a series of felonies, including campaign finance violations for hush-money payments he made to two women just prior to the 2016 presidential election to silence them about alleged past affairs with Trump.

So far, Mueller has not charged any Trump associates with crimes related to direct collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.

Trump has repeatedly blasted the investigation as a “witch hunt.”

Asked what should be expected from Mueller’s report, former acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe — another frequent target of Trump’s attacks — told “This Week” on Sunday, “I think first and foremost what you can expect from Robert Mueller is an honest, independent assessment of the work that they’ve done. How much detail he chooses to go into to convey to the Department of Justice is a great question. I hope they lean on the detailed side. This is not a normal investigation by any evaluation. It’s one that I think the department, Congress and the public have enormous interest in finding out just exactly what they learned.”

In calling for the full report to be released, Democratic Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that “everything about” the Mueller probe “has become political,” and the only “way to end that is for the truth to be out there.”

“The question of the Russian interference and the possibility of collusion by the president and his people has twisted our politics into something unrecognizable for the last two years, including behavior on the part of the president — attacking the FBI, attacking Bob Mueller,” said Himes, who sits on the House Intelligence Committee.

In an interview with CBS News, former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon said 2019 “is going to be quite vitriolic” in American politics, which he said would be “triggered by the release of the Mueller report here in the next couple of weeks.”

Bannon said he expects the report to contain “very little on Russian collusion.”

“I think the bulk of the report will be obstruction of justice,” he said. “And like I said, that depends on what your decision is about what the authority is of the president of the United States to make some of these decisions. I have a lot of respect for Bob Mueller. I will have to see how this report turns out.”

Allan Smith

Allan Smith is a political reporter for NBC News.

Source Article from https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/schiff-says-he-ll-have-mueller-testify-if-his-report-n975076

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If you don’t want a nuclear war, hope Trump does these things in his summit with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un – Fox News
If you don’t want a nuclear war, hope Trump does these things in his summit with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un – Fox News
Video

What will be agreed to at the second US-North Korea summit?

Former National Security Council chief of staff Fred Fleitz weighs in on what can be expected to come out of President Trump’s next meeting with North Korean President Kim Jong Un.

No matter what President Trump says or does when he holds a second historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Wednesday and Thursday in Vietnam, he will never satisfy his Republican and Democratic critics.

However, if Trump sticks to his realist instincts – above all else, working in a pragmatic manner to preserve his America First agenda – and if Kim is serious about reaching some kind of nuclear arms control agreement, the odd couple could make history in Hanoi.

And who knows, Trump – or perhaps Trump and Kim – might even be awarded the Nobel Prize.

HANOI SUMMIT NIGHTMARE SCENARIO: BAD DEALS AND LITTLE CHANGE

None of this will be easy.

Kim’s father and grandfather – who ruled North Korea before him – have a history of stringing along past U.S. presidents of both parties with assurances of cooperative behavior and then breaking their promises.

The North has invested heavily to develop a small nuclear arsenal that Kim is not eager to give up, seeing it as his best guarantee against any U.S. effort to attack his impoverished communist nation.

President Trump’s critics on the left and right portray him as naïve and desperate to reach some sort of agreement – any agreement – with Kim to boast about in his expected re-election campaign next year.

While Kim clearly believes that nuclear weapons are his best insurance policy against a future American attack, Trump must convince the North Korean leader that the exact opposite is true: only denuclearization will ensure North Korea’s security.

Will Trump succeed in getting a real agreement that at minimum moves North Korea significantly closer to the U.S. goal of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula? Or are Washington and Pyongyang destined to be enemies far into the future, with no hope of the North peacefully giving up its nukes?

I have faith in President Trump – at least when it comes to this crucial national security issue. While I am a proud registered Republican, I can’t say I always agree with the president, nor do I embrace some of the more outlandish and fiery rhetoric he has displayed when it comes to North Korea.

But the good news is that Trump has a unique set of traits that the foreign policy elites in Washington lack: a clear imagination to see things differently, with a knack for applying his successful business skills to the hard knocks arena of global politics.

Combined with President Trump’s willingness to try new approaches in international affairs that others think are crazy, he has taken the old playbook on how to handle the hermit kingdom and lit it on fire.

Amen.

The U.S. president’s imagination and principled realism could make history in the coming days. I believe there is a clear blueprint to usher in a new era of peace on the Korean Peninsula, protect our allies in the region and offer a real chance at seeing North Korea give up its nuclear weapons.

What’s needed now?

Building on the Singapore summit last June, here are some steps that could make the summit in Hanoi a success:

First, President Trump needs to make Kim understand that America is not North Korea’s enemy, has no desire to overthrow Kim and his regime, and can be trusted.

To do this, President Trump must set the conditions whereby Kim feels comfortable enough that he can begin the process of denuclearization.

While Kim clearly believes that nuclear weapons are his best insurance policy against a future American attack, Trump must convince the North Korean leader that the exact opposite is true: only denuclearization will ensure North Korea’s security.

If Trump and Kim agree to sign a simple political declaration ending the Korean War once and for all, tensions between the two nations could ease dramatically.

Kim would have the proof he needs to not only trust our intent but to go back to his own people – especially those in the military and in his leadership circle – and say America no longer has any hostile intent and our relationship has fundamentally changed.

A peace treaty would also enable Trump to claim a historic win. The U.S. president should offer a treaty with no preconditions.

After all, a peace treaty would not really be a U.S. concession. It would simply acknowledge the obvious fact that the Korean War ended with an armistice in July 1953. That was long before Kim was born and when President Trump was just a 7-year-old boy.

Second, U.S. officials must ensure we have the means to communicate with the North Koreans – especially if another crisis erupts in the future.

To do that, both sides should establish small liaison offices in each other’s capitals. This would allow for near-instant communication and understanding to ensure that important messages do not take days to travel from one part of the world to another.

Many will argue this is a type of de facto diplomatic recognition of the North Korean government. Maybe that is true, but with North Korea potentially having the capability to strike the U.S. with nuclear weapons, being able to understand the thinking of that nation’s leaders is more important than ever.

The establishment of liaison offices would also allow the North to get a better window into our own diplomatic strategies and national security thinking, helping ensure that Kim and his regime do not misperceive our intent.

There is no weakness in wanting to have a dialogue with those you have differences of opinion with in order to avert an armed conflict. That’s why we have diplomatic relations with Russia, China and many other nations we disagree with.

Look at it this way: North Korea was created in 1948, when Korea was divided into North and South. The U.S. has never had diplomatic relations with the North and even fought a war against the nation for three years. But a strategy of using diplomatic isolation to topple the regime hasn’t worked for 71 years – so why should we think continuing this strategy will work now?

Third – and crucially important – the world must see the first steps towards the North giving up its nuclear weapons.

The formula to do this is well know by now. Kim has already said he would dismantle his Yongbyon nuclear facility if Washington offers “corresponding measures” – meaning relief from economic sanctions crippling the North.

The Trump administration has only recently began to move away from the idea that no sanctions relief can be granted until full North Korean denuclearization is complete.

President Trump needs a way to take pressure off Kim without getting a political shellacking back in the U.S. by critics who say he is making a gigantic concession for meaningless promises by Kim.

That’s where South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in comes in. Moon told Trump he would move forward quickly on inter-Korean economic projects that would be worth tens of billions of dollars to the North to get Kim to give up his nuclear weapons.

Considering North Korea’s economy is only worth $16 billion – half the size of Vermont’s – an economic shot in the arm would be a game changer for the Kim regime. My bet is that the North would jump at the opportunity and all sides would clearly get something they want.

Finally, we should not forget about the more than 7,000 brave American warriors who are still “unaccounted for” from the Korean War.

In addition to these Americans missing in action in the long-ago war, there are also many North Korean soldiers whose status was never resolved. Both nations should step up efforts to solve these cases once and for all.

Washington and Pyongyang should form joint teams that can work together and excavate the battlefields and areas where it is likely remains can be found.

History tells us this can build important trust between nations and heal the wounds of an old war. This is what happened when Vietnam and the U.S. embarked in such efforts before diplomatic relations were restored.

History proves that nations that inherently don’t trust one another have a long way to go to bridge the gap and achieve a lasting peace.

 CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

It is in both the U.S. and North Korea’s interest to end a state of war between us that – in the worst-case scenario – could erupt again with nuclear weapons, killing millions of people.

Even those of you who oppose President Trump and want him out of the White House as soon as possible should be rooting for his success at the summit. If he can somehow eliminate the North Korean nuclear threat in exchange for economic and diplomatic concessions, that will be a victory for the American people and for people around the world.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM HARRY KAZIANIS

Source Article from https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/if-you-dont-want-a-nuclear-war-hope-trump-does-these-things-in-his-summit-with-north-koreas-kim-jong-un

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Pope Calls For ‘All-Out-Battle’ On Clergy Sex Abuse, With Few Specifics – NPR
Pope Calls For ‘All-Out-Battle’ On Clergy Sex Abuse, With Few Specifics – NPR

Pope Francis celebrated a final Mass on Sunday to conclude his unprecedented summit of Catholic leaders on clergy sexual abuse.

Giuseppe Lami/AP


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Pope Francis celebrated a final Mass on Sunday to conclude his unprecedented summit of Catholic leaders on clergy sexual abuse.

Giuseppe Lami/AP

Wrapping up an unprecedented Vatican summit, Pope Francis denounced the abuse of minors and called for an end to the Catholic Church’s long history of covering up the scandal.

In a Mass on Sunday, he made an appeal for an “all-out battle” on clergy sex abuse but offered few specifications, reflecting broader criticisms that the four-day meeting had not produced concrete actions to hold church leaders accountable.

Francis told church leaders that most sexual abuse of minors occurs in the family and talked about abuse in relation to online pornography and sex tourism across the world.

But he added that the universality of abuse “does not diminish” the harm done within the church, and he called those who had abused children “instruments of Satan” and “ravenous wolves.” The presence of abuse within the church, Francis said, is more scandalous because of its incompatibility with the Church’s “moral authority and ethical credibility.”

“Indeed, in the people’s justified anger, the Church sees the reflection of the wrath of God, betrayed and insulted by these deceitful consecrated persons,” the pope said.

Critics called the speech lukewarm, saying that it brought no new intensity or specificity to the issue. Becky Ianni, who was sexually violated by her family priest as a child, says the pope just reiterated points he had previously put forward before.

“He talked about prayer and penance,” Ianni, a board member of Survivors’ Network of Those Abused by Priests, told NPR. “While those are nice sentiments, none of those things are going to protect children right now. And that’s my number one concern as a victim of clergy abuse.”

She says SNAP has asked the pope to take specific actions, including firing bishops or cardinals who cover up abuse and turning over church records to secular authorities.

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, told The New York Times that the pope’s Mass was a “catastrophic misreading” of the grief and anger within the Church.

“As the world’s Catholics cry out for concrete change, the pope instead provides tepid promises, all of which we’ve heard before,” she said.

Francis had invited 190 Catholic bishops and religious superiors for a summit to discuss how the institution would address the clergy sex abuse crisis. It was the first time the pontiff had gathered church leaders from around the world for such a purpose, raising hopes that it might mark a turning point in the institution’s slow track record of responding to the issue. But the Vatican dampened expectations early on, calling the summit a “meeting characterized by prayer and discernment.”

On Sunday, the Vatican announced that it would publish an edict from the pope and rule book on the protection of minors, in addition to forming a task force. Rev. Federico Lombardi, the moderator of the summit, said Vatican leaders would meet Monday to reflect on propositions and needs brought up at the gathering.

Rev. James Martin, a Jesuit priest and editor-at-large of America Magazine, said the summit was a necessary step for the Catholic Church.

“The concrete actions will come later in what’s called a ‘motu proprio,’ which is a document that they said the pope is going to issue later on,” he told NPR. “That will spell out, from what I understand, more rules and regulations. I think this was more of a reflection on what happened, and a kind of encouragement for a change of culture.”

In one concrete step, Francis said he wanted to change church law on child pornography, so that the act would be considered a “grave delict” if it involved children under the age of 18, not just those under 14. That means all cases involving minors would be handled by the Vatican office that processes sex abuse cases.

Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta, a top Vatican sex crimes investigator, said the pope had expressed the need for a “change of heart.”

“This is obviously theological language, but it is a very important language for us,” Scicluna told NPR’s Weekend Edition. “The pope actually put the abuse of kids and the cover-up of that abuse on the same level of gravity.”

Source Article from https://www.npr.org/2019/02/24/697498640/pope-calls-for-all-out-battle-on-clergy-sex-abuse-with-few-specifics

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Donald Trump says July 4 ‘Salute to America’ set for Lincoln Memorial – Washington Times
Donald Trump says July 4 ‘Salute to America’ set for Lincoln Memorial – Washington Times

President Trump on Sunday said he plans to make good on his pledge to piggy back on Washington’s Independence Day celebrations by staging — and addressing — a new event at the Lincoln Memorial.

Mr. Trump claimed on Twitter it will be one of the biggest gatherings in the history of D.C. on July 4 and titled “A Salute to America.”

“Major fireworks display, entertainment and an address by your favorite President, me!” he said.

The nation’s capital already holds a big concert at the Capitol as a salute to military veterans and their families, before a huge fireworks display above the National Mall.

Mr. Trump wanted to hold a big military parade in D.C. on Veterans Day last year, but plans were scrapped due to the high price tag.

Copyright © 2019 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.

Source Article from https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/feb/24/donald-trump-says-july-4-salute-america-set-lincol/

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Kamala Harris: "I’m A Progressive Democrat… I’m Not A Socialist" – RealClearPolitics
Kamala Harris: "I’m A Progressive Democrat… I’m Not A Socialist" – RealClearPolitics

Sen. Kamala Harris, a Democratic candidate for president in 2020, sets the record straight on her political philosophy, telling CNN’s John King in an interview that she is “not a socialist.”


“I certainly think that we should all want that our leaders do not engage in name-calling because that’s really just a very low-level of discourse,” Harris said. “I’m a progressive Democrat. I am a Democrat, I’m a proud Democrat. I’m not a socialist.”


Watch the full interview below:

HARRIS: Well, I think, first of all, it’s important to distinguish between where someone is on a policy issue with a label with name-calling. All of those are different points. And I certainly think that we should all want that. Our leaders do not engage in name-calling, because that’s really just very low level of discourse and we should expect more from leaders.


In terms of where I am, who I am — I’m a progressive Democrat. I’m a Democrat. I’m a proud Democrat. I’m not a socialist.


I believe that the people in our country today want leaders who understand that right now, everyone does not have equal opportunity to success. And we need to restore America’s promise for equal opportunity to success. I believe that right now, we’ve got a country of folks who, in particular the working middle class who deserve to have more support and that the rules have been written over the last several decades, frankly, in a way that have excluded them.


And we can look most recently at the tax bill that was passed that benefits the top 1 percent and big corporations, to the exclusion of helping middle class Americans, which is why I’m proposing we change the tax code.


KING: What you propose is to take back the Trump tax cut?


HARRIS: Yes, repeal it, repeal it.


KING: To the wealthy and the corporations.


HARRIS: Absolutely.


KING: Give that to the middle class? Your LIFT tax, as you call it?


HARRIS: That’s right.


KING: Is that it for you or do you think the government needs to raise more revenue?


HARRIS: Well, I think —


KING: Elizabeth Warren has the plan, the mega tax — mega rich get taxed higher. Is that a good idea or do you think you start by taking away the Trump tax cut and redistribute more fairly?


HARRIS: Well, we start there. We start there, but I absolutely believe we have to look at the fact that the top 1 percent can pay more and should pay their fair share.

Source Article from https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2019/02/24/kamala_harris_im_a_progressive_democrat_im_not_a_socialist.html

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With women in combat roles, a federal court rules the male-only draft unconstitutional – USA TODAY
With women in combat roles, a federal court rules the male-only draft unconstitutional – USA TODAY

A federal judge in Texas has declared that the all-male military draft is unconstitutional, ruling that “the time has passed” for a debate on whether women belong in the military.

The decision deals the biggest legal blow to the Selective Service System since the Supreme Court upheld the draft in 1981. In Rostker v. Goldberg, the court ruled that the male-only draft was “fully justified” because women were ineligible for combat roles.

But U.S. District Judge Gray Miller ruled late Friday that while historical restrictions on women serving in combat “may have justified past discrimination,” men and women are now equally able to fight. In 2015, the Pentagon lifted all restrictions for women in military service. 

The case was brought by the National Coalition For Men, a men’s rights group, and two men who argued the all-male draft was unfair.

Men who fail to register with the Selective Service System at their 18th birthday can be denied public benefits such as federal employment and student loans. Women cannot register for Selective Service.

The ruling comes as an 11-member commission is studying the future of the draft, including whether women should be included or whether there should continue to be draft registration at all.

The National Commission on Military, National and Public Service released an interim report last month giving no hints on where it would come down on those issues. But commission chairman Joe Heck told USA TODAY, “I don’t think we will remain with the status quo.”

More: Should women be required to register for the military draft?

The government had argued that the court should delay its ruling until that commission makes its recommendations. But Miller said Congress has been debating the issue since 1980, and the commission’s final report won’t come until next year. And because the commission is advisory, there’s no guarantee that Congress will act, he said.

Miller said Congress has never fully examined the issue of whether men are physically better able to serve than women. In fact, he noted in a footnote, “the average woman could conceivably be better suited physically for some of today’s combat positions than the average man, depending on which skills the position required. Combat roles no longer uniformly require sheer size or muscle.”

Quoting the Supreme Court’s ruling overturning bans on same-sex marriage, Miller ruled that restrictions based on gender “must substantially serve an important governmental interest today.“

The judge denied the government’s request for a stay of the ruling, and Justice Department officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

But the ruling came in the form of a declaratory judgment and not an injunction, meaning that the court didn’t specifically order the government how to change Selective Service to make it constitutional.

“Yes, to some extent this is symbolic, but it does have some real-world impact,” said Marc Angelucci, the lawyer for the men challenging the draft. “Either they need to get rid of the draft registration, or they need to require women to do the same thing that men do.”

Source Article from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/02/24/military-draft-judge-rules-male-only-registration-unconstitutional/2968872002/

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After Stinging Presidential Loss, Popular Vote Movement Gains Momentum In States – NPR
After Stinging Presidential Loss, Popular Vote Movement Gains Momentum In States – NPR

Hillary Clinton concedes after her loss in 2016 presidential election, though Clinton won 3 million more votes nationally than Donald Trump.

Andrew Harnik/AP


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Hillary Clinton concedes after her loss in 2016 presidential election, though Clinton won 3 million more votes nationally than Donald Trump.

Andrew Harnik/AP

An attempt at an Electoral College workaround is gaining momentum in the Mountain West.

Democrats in Colorado and New Mexico are pushing ahead with legislation to pledge their 14 collective electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote — no matter who wins each state.

The plan only goes into effect if the law passes in states representing an electoral majority. That threshold is 270 votes, which is the same number needed to win the presidency.

Democrats have been stung by the fact that President Trump’s victory marked the second time in five cycles that a Democrat lost the presidency while winning the popular vote. 2016 was the most egregious example, with Hillary Clinton winning 3 million more votes than Donald Trump, but losing the election. It was the largest margin ever for someone who won the popular vote, but lost the Electoral College.

Proponents of the national popular vote measures have argued that it’s not political, but Republicans, who have benefited in recent elections from the Electoral College system, disagree.

And while a majority of the country has expressed support for giving the presidency to the person who wins the most votes — 55 percent in the latest Pew Research Center poll — there are sharp partisan divides. Three-quarters of Democrats are in favor of amending the Constitution to do so, but less than a third of Republicans are.

So far, 11 states — including New York, California and New Jersey — have joined the effort along with the District of Columbia, putting the effort 98 votes short of its goal.

Colorado appears poised to join as the 12th state. The state legislature passed the bill Thursday, and Gov. Jared Polis is expected to sign it. In New Mexico, the legislation is awaiting consideration in the state Senate after the House approved it earlier this month.

If the bills pass, it would show the plan has momentum outside of the Coastal U.S., especially in places where Democrats have full control of state government.

John Koza devised the plan and chairs the organization behind it. Koza also co-invented the scratch lottery ticket and taught computer science at Stanford. He turned his attention to the Electoral College, however, after growing frustrated with “winner-take-all” laws.

Koza said the rules are why presidential candidates only campaign in a handful of states. He recognized what might be a potential loophole in the Constitution — that while the Electoral College is in the Constitution, nothing says a candidate who wins a state has to get all of its electoral votes.

“The political power to the choose the president was basically given by the founders to the state legislatures,” Koza said. “And over the years they’ve passed different laws specifying how to allocate their state’s electoral votes.”

In fact, Maine and Nebraska do not have “winner-take-all” systems. They allocate their electoral votes to presidential candidates by congressional district, with an additional two electoral votes going to the winner of the state.

Colorado state Sen. Mike Foote, who’s sponsoring legislation, insisted that it’s not a partisan response to Trump’s 2016 win. Rather, he said, it’s about upholding the democratic principle of one person, one vote.

“It’s about time that every vote in the country counts equally,” he said. “Right now, if you live in a state that is not a battleground state, then your vote doesn’t count nearly as much.”

Bipartisan appeals have not gone far in Colorado. Not a single Republican voted for the bill as it moved through the state legislature. During a debate on the House floor, one Republican even suggested renaming the bill the “We Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Hate Donald Trump Act of 2019.”

Republican state Sen. Jerry Sonnenberg, who represents the plains east of Denver, worries about the impact of a popular vote on rural America. He said it would lead candidates to only campaign in the largest media markets, like New York and Los Angeles.

“You drop us from nine [electoral] votes to 5.5 million people, all of sudden Colorado is irrelevant,” he said. “This is all about making sure presidential candidates realize Colorado is important to the rest of the country.”

That partisan divide isn’t limited to Colorado. Across the country, pollsters have seen a steep drop in Republican support for a popular vote for president since 2016. National Popular Vote’s Koza said it has been much harder to get Republicans to support his plan in recent years.

While those opinions could change over time, it signals the compact is unlikely to succeed in the short-term. Only Democratic-leaning states have joined so far. Swing states, like Ohio and Florida, have the least reason to sign on, which means it likely needs support from deep red states.

There’s also a broader question as to whether it would be constitutional. The Electoral College is clearly written into the nation’s founding document. Some insist that Congress would have to approve it since it would overhaul national election procedures. Other scholars have argued that states can’t bind their electors to voters outside their boundaries.

Koza insists Article II gives states broad power to decide how they choose electoral delegates. Still, he expects a series of lawsuits if enough of the National Popular Vote efforts went into effect.

Seth Masket, a political science professor at the University of Denver, said those legal battles are a long way off. In the short term, he sees it as a way to center a familiar debate over the unique way the country decides its president.

“It’s about saying the status quo is unacceptable,” he said. “This might not be the best way of changing it, but it’s at least a way of forcing some change and forcing some discussion of it.”

NPR’s Domenico Montanaro contributed to this report.

Source Article from https://www.npr.org/2019/02/24/696827778/after-stinging-presidential-loss-popular-vote-movement-gains-momentum-in-states

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Mike Pompeo denounces Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro as a ‘sick tyrant’ – CNN
Mike Pompeo denounces Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro as a ‘sick tyrant’ – CNN

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By Susannah Cullinane and Jackie Castillo, CNN

Updated 4:28 AM ET, Sun February 24, 2019

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David Byrd, a Tennessee state legislator, has been accused of sexual assault by women he once trained as a basketball coach. CNN’s Victor Blackwell speaks to one of Byrd’s accusers who confronted the state lawmaker about the abuse. “,”descriptionText”:”Rep. David Byrd, a Tennessee state legislator, has been accused of sexual assault by women he once trained as a basketball coach. 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Kelly, who has been associated with accusations of abusing young women for more than two decades, has been indicted, two sources with knowledge of the development tell CNN.”},{“title”:”Patriots owner accused of soliciting sex”,”duration”:”01:52″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”https://www.cnn.com/”,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/us/2019/02/22/robert-kraft-patriots-owner-allegations-carroll-ip-vpx.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”us/2019/02/22/robert-kraft-patriots-owner-allegations-carroll-ip-vpx.cnn”,”videoImage”:”http://www.noticiasdodia.onlinenewsbusiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/190222120040-robert-kraft-0203-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/us/2019/02/22/robert-kraft-patriots-owner-allegations-carroll-ip-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/top-news-videos/”,”description”:”Jupiter Police announced that New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft is being charged with two counts of soliciting another to commit prostitution stemming from a raid in a day spa in Jupiter, 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‘imploded'”,”duration”:”01:24″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”https://www.cnn.com/”,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/business/2019/02/21/duke-north-carolina-nike-shoe-stock-quest-vpx.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”business/2019/02/21/duke-north-carolina-nike-shoe-stock-quest-vpx.cnn”,”videoImage”:”http://www.noticiasdodia.onlinenewsbusiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/190221104106-zion-williamson-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/business/2019/02/21/duke-north-carolina-nike-shoe-stock-quest-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/top-news-videos/”,”description”:”Duke basketball’s star player Zion Williamson left a game against North Carolina with an injury after breaking through his Nike sneaker less than a minute into the rivalry game.”,”descriptionText”:”Duke basketball’s star player Zion Williamson left a game against North Carolina with an injury after breaking through his Nike sneaker less than a minute into the rivalry game.”},{“title”:”Roger Stone banned from publicly speaking on 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(CNN)US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has denounced President Nicolas Maduro’s obstruction of aid deliveries to Venezuela as the actions of a “sick tyrant.”

    CNN’s Laura Smith-Spark, Jorge Luis Perez Valery, Claudia Dominguez and Christina Maxouris contributed to this report.

Source Article from https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/24/americas/venezuela-pompeo-maduro-colombia/index.html

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Sheriff: No likely survivors in jetliner crash near Houston – WYFF Greenville
Sheriff: No likely survivors in jetliner crash near Houston – WYFF Greenville
ANAHUAC, Texas —

One body has been recovered in the ongoing investigation of a cargo plane that crashed in Texas.

The jetliner went into shallow water nose first Saturday with three people aboard, Chambers County Sheriff Brian Hawthorne said.

The body is the only one recovered “thus far,” the sheriff’s office said.

“The joint operation between the Chambers County Sheriff’s Office, the National Transportation Safety Board and the FBI will continue to attempt recovery of victims and the aircraft,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.

Hawthorne said the crash site in Trinity Bay near Anahuac, Texas, is in water just five feet deep and is reachable by airboats and other flat-bottom craft. The scene extends over 3 miles, he said.

Multiple dive teams from the Texas Department of Public Safety, Houston Police, and the Baytown Police are at the crash site, he added.

The plane was operated by Atlas Air Inc. on behalf of Amazon, the operator said in a statement. It was traveling from Miami to Houston when it went down about 40 miles southeast of George Bush Intercontinental Airport.

The sheriff described seeing the contents of packages and cardboard boxes as he traveled across the water, then seeing parts of the twin-engine Boeing 767.

“There was nothing intact of the airplane,” he said. “Knowing what I saw, I don’t think anyone could survive it.”

He said about six people saw the plane go into the water. Some said it sounded like the engines were “surging,” the sheriff said.

“There’s no doubt he was having some kind of problem with the airplane, according to the eyewitnesses,” the sheriff said. “Then it turned and went into a nosedive.”

The 767 was in a normal descent as it approached the airport, then went into a “very, very rapid descent” at 6,300 feet, National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Robert Sumwalt told reporters in Washington before his team left for Texas.

Atlas Air said three people on the plane “and their family members are our top priority at this time.” The operator said it was cooperating with federal investigators.

The president of the Airline Professionals Association, Teamsters Local 1224, said the three people on the flight were union members.

“Our union stands together as a family and in support of our members’ families,” said Daniel C. Wells, who is also an Atlas Air captain. “Our focus is on our friends and colleagues who were on that plane, and we are doing everything we can to support their families.”

Aerial images from KPRC showed emergency responders on airboats near the site of a significant amount of debris.

The plane was located in Jack’s Pocket at the north end of Trinity Bay, the Chambers County Sheriff’s Office said on Facebook.

According to the FAA website, the plane was built in 1992 and the flight number was 3591.

Boeing said it was saddened to hear about the crash.

“We are concerned about the safety of the three people reported to be on board the airplane,” it said. “We are prepared to provide technical assistance to the National Transportation Safety Board as it investigates the accident.”

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Source Article from https://www.wyff4.com/article/boeing-767-cargo-jetliner-with-3-aboard-crashes-near-houston/26487590

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First Saudi female ambassador replaces king’s son in US – Fox News
First Saudi female ambassador replaces king’s son in US – Fox News

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Saudi Arabia appointed its first female ambassador early Sunday to serve as its top diplomat in the United States, pulling a son of King Salman back to the kingdom to serve as deputy defense minister amid deteriorating ties with America after the killing of Jamal Khashoggi.

Princess Reema bint Bandar Al Saud, a daughter of the kingdom’s longtime ambassador to Washington Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud, faces a stark challenge in improving ties between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia.

She replaces Prince Khalid bin Salman Al Saud, a son of King Salman and a former fighter pilot who insisted after Khashoggi’s disappearance Oct. 2 that the Washington Post columnist simply left the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul.

Instead, members of the entourage of his brother, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, allegedly assassinated and dismembered Khashoggi inside the diplomatic post.

The Post, citing unnamed sources in November, also reported that U.S. intelligence agencies reviewed a phone call that Prince Khalid had with Khashoggi, in which he allegedly told the writer he’d be safe going to the consulate to retrieve the documents he needed to get married.

The newspaper said it was not known whether the ambassador knew Khashoggi would be killed, though he made the call at the direction of the crown prince. The Saudi Embassy in Washington has denied the call took place.

Princess Reema, who studied in America and is known in the kingdom for her philanthropic work, lived in the U.S. during her father’s over 20 years as the Saudi ambassador there. Her father also served as the head of the country’s intelligence service.

“I will work with God’s permission to serve my country, its leaders and all its children and I will spare no effort to that end,” Princess Reema wrote on Twitter after her appointment.

Her posting comes as Saudi Arabia under King Salman and Prince Mohammed allowed women to drive last year. However, the kingdom meanwhile has arrested women’s rights activists as part of a wider crackdown on any perceived dissent in the OPEC-member nation.

Prince Khalid returns to Riyadh as a deputy defense minister. Prince Mohammed has held the position of defense minister even after becoming the next in line to the throne of the oil-rich kingdom.

In a tweet, Prince Khalid said his posting would allow him to again “be the sword” of the defense minister.

“I ask God to help me achieve the vision of our leadership and serve the men I know who are faithful to their religion and homeland,” he wrote.

Prince Khalid’s naming as deputy defense minister comes as Saudi Arabia remains mired in its yearslong war in Yemen, which also have strained American relations to the kingdom.

Saudi Arabia has faced growing Western criticism over its airstrikes hitting markets and clinics, killing civilians. U.S. lawmakers increasingly are pushing to withdraw American support for the conflict, which pits the kingdom and its allies against the Houthi rebels that hold the capital of the Arab world’s poorest nation.

Another royal decree from King Salman overnight granted a month’s salary as a bonus to Saudi soldiers defending the kingdom’s southern border with Yemen, where the Houthis have launched a series of bloody attacks.

___

This story has been corrected to show Prince Khalid will serve as deputy defense minister.

Source Article from https://www.foxnews.com/us/first-saudi-female-ambassador-replaces-kings-son-in-us

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Man Who Spent 38 Years in Prison After Wrongful Murder Convictions Gets $21 Million Settlement – KTLA Los Angeles
Man Who Spent 38 Years in Prison After Wrongful Murder Convictions Gets $21 Million Settlement – KTLA Los Angeles

Craig Coley is seen in an undated photo (Credit: Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

Simi Valley reached a $21-million settlement with a man who spent more than 38 years wrongfully incarcerated in the brutal 1978 murders of a woman and her 4-year-old son, officials said.

Craig Coley, 71, was released from prison in 2017 after he was pardoned by then-Gov. Jerry Brown, who said that DNA evidence and a painstaking re-investigation of the Simi Valley murders proved his innocence.

The city said Saturday that the agreement would mitigate long, costly and unnecessary legal proceedings. Simi Valley will be on the hook for roughly $4.9 million of the settlement, while the rest is expected to be paid by insurance and other sources, officials said.

“While no amount of money can make up for what happened to Mr. Coley, settling this case is the right thing to do for Mr. Coley and our community,” City Manager Eric Levitt said in a statement. “The monetary cost of going to trial would be astronomical and it would be irresponsible for us to move forward in that direction.”

Read the full story on LATimes.com.

Source Article from https://ktla.com/2019/02/23/man-who-spent-38-years-in-prison-after-wrongful-murder-convictions-gets-21-million-settlement/

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Human remains recovered at Texas plane crash site; no survivors found, officials say – Fox News
Human remains recovered at Texas plane crash site; no survivors found, officials say – Fox News
Video

At least three dead in Texas cargo plane crash

Officials said they recovered human remains and debris that includes women’s clothing and bedsheets from a Texas bay where a cargo jetliner operating for Amazon crashed minutes before it was set to arrive in Houston.

Federal aviation officials were investigating the scene around Trinity Bay near Anahuac on Saturday where the three crewmembers on board Atlas Air Flight 3591 were feared lost.

“Knowing what I saw, I don’t believe anyone could have survived it,” said Chambers County Sheriff Brian Hawthorne, who described the scene as “total devastation.” He said recovery efforts would resume Sunday.

“Knowing what I saw, I don’t believe anyone could have survived it.”

— Chambers County Sheriff Brian Hawthorne

Local and federal officials gather at a staging area during the investigation of a plane crash in Trinity Bay in Anahuac, Texas, Saturday, Feb. 23, 2019. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)

The twin-engine Boeing 767 contracted by Amazon plunged from the sky minutes before it was expected to arrive at George Bush International Airport, the Houston Chronicle reported. The aircraft was part of the Amazon Prime Air Fleet and was traveling from Miami to Houston. It had been at Ontario International Airport in California earlier in the day, the Press-Enterprise of Riverside reported.

Witnesses said they heard the plane sputtering before it “went in nose first” around 12:40 p.m., leaving a half-mile of debris along the shallow bay.

The Federal Aviation Administration lost contact with the airliner when it was 30 miles southeast of the airport, according to the paper.

2 KILLED AFTER SMALL PLANE CRASHES, CATCHES FIRE AT MASSACHUSETTS AIRPORT: POLICE

“I would venture to say that it’s probably going to be mechanical,” Hawthorne said of a possible cause.

In a statement, Amazon said its “thoughts and prayers are with the flight crew, their families and friends along with the entire team at Atlas Air during this terrible tragedy. We appreciate the first responders who worked urgently to provide support.”

A helicopter flies overhead as emergency personnel work the scene of a plane crash site in Trinity Bay in Anahuac, Texas on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2019. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Multiple agencies responded to the crash site. The shallow bay and surrounding marsh present challenges for responders, said Brian Ligon, a spokesman for the city of Mont Belvieu.

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“I’ve been out there on a boat a few times where you’re basically boating on dry sand and then just a few feet from there it’s super deep,” Ligon said.

The Coast Guard dispatched boats and at least one helicopter to assist in recovery efforts. The National Transportation Safety Board is heading the investigation.

The Associated Press and Fox News reporter Paulina Dedaj contributed to this report. 

Source Article from https://www.foxnews.com/us/human-remains-found-at-texas-plane-crash-site-no-survivors-found-officials-say

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Mueller called Manafort a ‘hardened’ criminal who ‘repeatedly and brazenly violated the law’ in a harsh sentencing memo – Business Insider
Mueller called Manafort a ‘hardened’ criminal who ‘repeatedly and brazenly violated the law’ in a harsh sentencing memo – Business Insider

The special counsel Robert Mueller’s team called Paul Manafort a “bold” and “hardened” criminal in a new sentencing memo unsealed on Saturday.

Manafort’s conduct, even after he pleaded guilty to two federal crimes, “reflects a hardened adherence to committing crimes and lack of remorse,” prosecutors wrote, adding that he “repeatedly and brazenly violated the law.”

The memo comes after US District Judge Amy Berman Jackson ruled last week that Manafort violated his plea deal with Mueller by lying to prosecutors after agreeing to cooperate. Prosecutors were also angry when they found out last year that Manafort’s lawyers were briefing President Donald Trump’s legal team on everything he was being asked about. The conduct was unusual, given that Trump is a defendant in the Russia probe.

Saturday’s memo was public but contained several redactions. Prosecutors did not make a specific sentencing recommendation in Manafort’s case, as has been their practice so far, but noted that federal sentencing guidelines call for a prison term of 17 to 22 years.

Read more:New York state prosecutors are reportedly putting together a criminal case against Manafort in the event Trump pardons him

Manafort and his longtime associate, Rick Gates, were first indicted in October 2017 on several counts of money laundering, failure to register as a foreign agent, failure to report foreign bank accounts, and false statements.

A superseding indictment in February 2018 charged Manafort with tax and bank fraud related to his political consulting and lobbying work for the Ukrainian government and pro-Russian interests in the region. In June 2018, Manafort and the former Russian intelligence operative Konstantin Kilimnik were charged with additional counts of obstruction of justice and conspiracy to obstruct justice.

Manafort was set to face two trials for the charges against him. But after a jury convicted him on eight counts in his first trial in Virginia, the former Trump campaign chairman struck a deal with prosecutors and pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy and obstruction.

After agreeing to cooperate, prosecutors learned that Manafort had lied to them about several interactions and events that are under scrutiny in the Russia investigation.

Read more:The 2 reasons why Paul Manafort would lie to prosecutors and risk life in prison

Manafort’s attorneys argued that Manafort’s statements were misrepresented and that any false statements were not intentionally made, but Jackson ultimately ruled that Manafort’s conduct represented a violation of his plea deal and, as a result, nullified his agreement with the special counsel.

In their sentencing memo, prosecutors wrote that not only did Manafort engage in criminal conduct leading up to his first indictment, but his actions “remarkably went unabated even after indictment.”

“The sentence in this case must take into account the gravity of this conduct, and serve both to specifically deter Manafort and generally deter those who would commit a similar series of crimes,” the memo said.

Robert Mueller.
Alex Wong/Getty Images

‘Manafort may be rethinking his decision to violate his plea deal right about now’

Manafort’s conduct after coming to a plea deal with Mueller flummoxed Justice Department veterans, many of whom said he would have had a good chance at getting a reduced sentence had he cooperated fully and abided by the terms of the deal.

Experts told INSIDER that there were only a handful of reasons that could explain Manafort’s actions.

The first, they said, was that he was angling for a presidential pardon. Trump, for his part, has been publicly sympathetic toward Manafort even as the White House distanced itself from the former campaign chairman.

But getting a pardon may not be that simple.

With the 2020 presidential election around the corner and a newly empowered Democratic-led House of Representatives, “Trump knows that a Manafort pardon is politically risky right now and will only hasten talk of impeachment,” Jens David Ohlin, a vice dean at Cornell Law School who is an expert in criminal law, told INSIDER.

“Ironically, Manafort’s best hope is that Trump loses the 2020 election and then pardons Manafort on his way out of the White House,” he added.

Even then, it looks like Manafort won’t be out of the woods. This week, Bloomberg News reported that state prosecutors in New York are preparing a criminal case against Manafort in the event that Trump pardons him.

The Constitution grants the president authority to pardon federal crimes but not state crimes.

Following Bloomberg’s report, a former senior Justice Department official who worked closely with Mueller didn’t mince words, telling INSIDER, “Manafort may be rethinking his decision to violate his plea deal right about now.”

Source Article from https://www.businessinsider.com/mueller-manafort-criminal-sentencing-memo-2019-2

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Pervy rich guys are drawn to sketchy sex spas for ‘clandestine thrill’ – New York Post
Pervy rich guys are drawn to sketchy sex spas for ‘clandestine thrill’ – New York Post

Wealthy powerbrokers like Patriots’ owner Robert Kraft are drawn to sketchy rub-and-tug massage parlors for “the clandestine thrill,” said ex-NYPD sex crimes detective John Savino.

“A lot of it has to do with the danger of it, the excitement of getting away with it,” said the former New York City crime fighter, adding he doubted the 77-year-old Kraft wanted to be caught or expected to be.

“It’s just the ease of the mission being accomplished. There’s no strings attached.”

Savino, who lives in Florida and wrote a textbook for law-enforcement investigators on sex probes, says it’s rare to see parlors keep women captive, as the Orchids of Asia Day Spa allegedly did.

“I haven’t seen a lot of the trafficking,” he said. “My experience is that the women are there because they want to be there.”

But another local lawman, Martin County Sheriff William Snyder disagreed, saying, “These men held the keys to the women’s freedom. They were exploited, kept inside.”

Police sources say that South Florida is crawling with sex-for-sale massage parlors, a multibillion-dollar industry dominated by Chinese and Korean operators.

To be sure, there was nothing glamorous about Orchids of Asia, in a shopping mall off US Highway 1 in Jupiter, Fla., where cops say Kraft paid for sex acts with trafficked Chinese workers.

Kraft, who lives in a luxury rental at The Breakers resort, is not the only loaded client of the spa.

Also charged in the case were former Citigroup President John Havens, 62, and billionaire buyout king John Childs, 77, who lives in Indian River Shores and owns J.W. Childs Associates, a private equity firm based in Massachusetts.

They are among 25 accused johns whose names were released by cops. Police say that as many as 100 or so will be charged.

Nor is Kraft the only billionaire sports owner who in Palm Beach.

There’s also Philadelphia Phillies co-owner John Middleton, who built a $20 million house on 1.6 acres at 947 N. Ocean Blvd. in Palm Beach, and Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie, who owns a $28.75 million mansion at 1275 S. Ocean Blvd.

Other area residents or part-time residents include Karl Rove, Sean Hannity, Rudy Giuliani and Rush Limbaugh.

Additional reporting by Dana Schuster

Source Article from https://nypost.com/2019/02/23/pervy-rich-guys-are-drawn-to-sketchy-sex-spas-for-clandestine-thrill/

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Venezuela standoff turns deadly as troops block aid delivery – Fox News
Venezuela standoff turns deadly as troops block aid delivery – Fox News

  • Venezuelan demonstrators throw stones during clashes with authorities, at the border between Brazil and Venezuela, Saturday, Feb.23, 2019. Tensions are running high in the Brazilian border city of Pacaraima. Thousands remained at the city’s international border crossing with Venezuela to demand the entry of food and medicine.(AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)

  • A woman carries a cross during clashes between the opposition and the Bolivarian National Guard in Urena, Venezuela, near the border with Colombia, Saturday, Feb. 23, 2019. Venezuela’s National Guard fired tear gas on residents clearing a barricaded border bridge between Venezuela and Colombia on Saturday, heightening tensions over blocked humanitarian aid that opposition leader Juan Guaido has vowed to bring into the country over objections from President Nicolas Maduro. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

CUCUTA, Colombia – A U.S.-backed drive to deliver foreign aid to Venezuela met strong resistance as troops loyal to President Nicolas Maduro blocked the convoys at the border and fired tear gas on protesters in clashes that left two people dead and some 300 injured.

As night fell Saturday, opposition leader Juan Guaido refrained from asking supporters to continue risking their lives trying to break through the government’s barricades at the Colombian and Brazilian borders. Instead, he said he would meet U.S. Vice President Mike Pence on Monday in Bogota at an emergency meeting of mostly conservative Latin American governments to discuss Venezuela’s crisis.

But he did make one last appeal to troops to let the aid in and urged the international community to keep “all options open” in the fight to oust Maduro given Saturday’s violence.

“How many of you national guardsmen have a sick mother? How many have kids in school without food,” he said, standing alongside a warehouse in the Colombian city of Cucuta where 600 tons of mostly U.S.-supplied boxes of food and medicine have been stockpiled. “You don’t owe any obedience to a sadist…who celebrates the denial of humanitarian aid the country needs.”

Earlier, Maduro, who considers the aid part of a coup plot, struck a defiant tone, breaking diplomatic relations with Colombia, accusing its “fascist” government of serving as a staging ground for a U.S.-led effort to oust him from power and possibly a military invasion.

“My patience has run out,” Maduro said, speaking at a rally of red-shirted supporters in Caracas and giving Colombian diplomats 24 hours to leave the country.

Throughout the turbulent day Saturday, as police and protesters squared off on two bridges connecting Venezuela to Colombia, Guaido made repeated calls for the military to join him in the fight against Maduro’s “dictatorship.” Colombian authorities said more than 60 soldiers answered his call, deserting their posts in often-gripping fashion, though most were lower in rank and didn’t appear to dent the higher command’s continued loyalty to Maduro’s socialist government.

In one dramatic high point, a group of activists led by exiled lawmakers managed to escort three flatbed trucks of aid past the halfway point into Venezuela when they were repelled by security forces. In a flash the cargo caught fire, with some eyewitnesses claiming the National Guardsmen doused a tarp covering the boxes with gas before setting it on fire. As a black cloud rose above, the activists — protecting their faces from the fumes with vinegar-soaked cloths — unloaded the boxes by hand in a human chain stretching back to the Colombian side of the bridge.

“They burned the aid and fired on their own people,” said 39-year-old David Hernandez, who was hit in the forehead with a tear gas canister that left a bloody wound and growing welt. “That’s the definition of dictatorship.”

For weeks, U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration and its regional allies have been amassing emergency food and medical supplies on three of Venezuela’s borders with the aim of launching a “humanitarian avalanche.” It comes exactly one month after Guaido, in a direct challenge to Maduro’s rule, declared himself interim president at an outdoor rally.

Even as the 35-year-old lawmaker has won the backing of more than 50 governments around the world, he’s so far been unable to cause a major rift inside the military — Maduro’s last-remaining plank of support in a country ravaged by hyperinflation and widespread shortages.

Late Saturday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called on Venezuelan security forces to “do the right thing” by allowing humanitarian assistance into the country.

The clashes started well before Guaido straddled a semi-truck and waved to supporters in a ceremonial send-off of the aid convoy from Cucuta. In the Venezuelan border town of Urena, residents began removing yellow metal barricades and barbed wire blocking the Santander bridge. Some were masked youth who threw rocks and later commandeered a city bus and set it afire.

“We’re tired. There’s no work, nothing,” Andreina Montanez, 31, said as she sat on a curb recovering from the sting of tear gas used to disperse the crowd.

The single mom said she lost her job as a seamstress in December and had to console her 10-year-old daughter’s fears that she would be left orphaned when she decided to join Saturday’s protest.

“I told her I had to go out on the streets because there’s no bread,” she said. “But still, these soldiers are scary. It’s like they’re hunting us.”

At the Simon Bolivar bridge, a group of aid volunteers in blue vests calmly walked up to a police line and shook officers’ hands, appealing for them to join their fight.

But the goodwill was fleeting and a few hours later the volunteers were driven back with tear gas, triggering a stampede.

At least 60 members of security forces, most of them lower-ranked soldiers, deserted and took refuge inside Colombia, according to migration officials. One was a National Guard major. Colombian officials said 285 people were injured, most left with wounds caused by tear gas and metal pellets that Venezuelan security forces fired.

A video provided by Colombian authorities shows three soldiers at the Simon Bolivar bridge wading through a crowd with their assault rifles and pistols held above their heads in a sign of surrender. The young soldiers were then ordered to lie face down on the ground as migration officials urged angry onlookers to keep a safe distance.

“I’ve spent days thinking about this,” said one of the soldiers, whose identity was not immediately known. He called on his comrades to join him: “There is a lot of discontent inside the forces, but also lots of fear.”

Guaido, who has offered amnesty to soldiers who join the opposition’s fight, applauded their bravery, saying it was a sign that support for Maduro was crumbling. Later, he greeted five of the military members, who in turn offered a salute, calling the opposition leader Venezuela’s “constitutional president” and their commander in chief.

“They aren’t deserters,” Guaido said. “They’ve decided to put themselves on the side of the people and the constitution. … The arrival of liberty and democracy to Venezuela can’t be detained.”

Analysts warn that there may be no clear victor and humanitarian groups have criticized the opposition as using the aid as a political weapon.

“Today marked a further blow to the Maduro regime, but perhaps not the final blow that Guaido, the U.S. and Colombia were hoping for,” said Michael Shifter, president of the Inter-American Dialogue in Washington. “Threats and ultimatums from Washington directed to the generals may not be the best way to get them to flip. In fact, they are likely to have the opposite effect.”

International leaders including U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres are appealing for the sides to avoid violence. But at least two people were killed and another 21 injured in the town of Santa Elena de Uairen, near the border with Brazil, according to local health officials.

Amid the sometimes-chaotic and hard-to-verify flow of information, opposition lawmakers and Guaido said the first shipment of humanitarian aid had crossed into Venezuela from Brazil — although reports from the ground revealed that two trucks carrying the aid had only inched up to the border itself.

Late Saturday, Guaido tweeted that the day’s events had obliged him to “propose in a formal manner to the international community that we keep all options open to liberate this country which struggles and will keep on struggling.”

___

Henao reported from Urena, Venezuela. AP Writers Joshua Goodman and Scott Smith contributed to this report from Caracas, Venezuela.

Source Article from https://www.foxnews.com/world/venezuela-standoff-turns-deadly-as-troops-block-aid-delivery

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Mueller called Manafort a ‘hardened’ criminal who ‘repeatedly and brazenly violated the law’ in a harsh sentencing memo – Business Insider
Mueller called Manafort a ‘hardened’ criminal who ‘repeatedly and brazenly violated the law’ in a harsh sentencing memo – Business Insider

The special counsel Robert Mueller’s team called Paul Manafort a “bold” and “hardened” criminal in a new sentencing memo unsealed on Saturday.

Manafort’s conduct, even after he pleaded guilty to two federal crimes, “reflects a hardened adherence to committing crimes and lack of remorse,” prosecutors wrote, adding that he “repeatedly and brazenly violated the law.”

The memo comes after US District Judge Amy Berman Jackson ruled last week that Manafort violated his plea deal with Mueller by lying to prosecutors after agreeing to cooperate. Prosecutors were also angry when they found out last year that Manafort’s lawyers were briefing President Donald Trump’s legal team on everything he was being asked about. The conduct was unusual, given that Trump is a defendant in the Russia probe.

Saturday’s memo was public but contained several redactions. Prosecutors did not make a specific sentencing recommendation in Manafort’s case, as has been their practice so far, but noted that federal sentencing guidelines call for a prison term of 17 to 22 years.

Read more:New York state prosecutors are reportedly putting together a criminal case against Manafort in the event Trump pardons him

Manafort and his longtime associate, Rick Gates, were first indicted in October 2017 on several counts of money laundering, failure to register as a foreign agent, failure to report foreign bank accounts, and false statements.

A superseding indictment in February 2018 charged Manafort with tax and bank fraud related to his political consulting and lobbying work for the Ukrainian government and pro-Russian interests in the region. In June 2018, Manafort and the former Russian intelligence operative Konstantin Kilimnik were charged with additional counts of obstruction of justice and conspiracy to obstruct justice.

Manafort was set to face two trials for the charges against him. But after a jury convicted him on eight counts in his first trial in Virginia, the former Trump campaign chairman struck a deal with prosecutors and pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy and obstruction.

After agreeing to cooperate, prosecutors learned that Manafort had lied to them about several interactions and events that are under scrutiny in the Russia investigation.

Read more:The 2 reasons why Paul Manafort would lie to prosecutors and risk life in prison

Manafort’s attorneys argued that Manafort’s statements were misrepresented and that any false statements were not intentionally made, but Jackson ultimately ruled that Manafort’s conduct represented a violation of his plea deal and, as a result, nullified his agreement with the special counsel.

In their sentencing memo, prosecutors wrote that not only did Manafort engage in criminal conduct leading up to his first indictment, but his actions “remarkably went unabated even after indictment.”

“The sentence in this case must take into account the gravity of this conduct, and serve both to specifically deter Manafort and generally deter those who would commit a similar series of crimes,” the memo said.

Robert Mueller.
Alex Wong/Getty Images

‘Manafort may be rethinking his decision to violate his plea deal right about now’

Manafort’s conduct after coming to a plea deal with Mueller flummoxed Justice Department veterans, many of whom said he would have had a good chance at getting a reduced sentence had he cooperated fully and abided by the terms of the deal.

Experts told INSIDER that there were only a handful of reasons that could explain Manafort’s actions.

The first, they said, was that he was angling for a presidential pardon. Trump, for his part, has been publicly sympathetic toward Manafort even as the White House distanced itself from the former campaign chairman.

But getting a pardon may not be that simple.

With the 2020 presidential election around the corner and a newly empowered Democratic-led House of Representatives, “Trump knows that a Manafort pardon is politically risky right now and will only hasten talk of impeachment,” Jens David Ohlin, a vice dean at Cornell Law School who is an expert in criminal law, told INSIDER.

“Ironically, Manafort’s best hope is that Trump loses the 2020 election and then pardons Manafort on his way out of the White House,” he added.

Even then, it looks like Manafort won’t be out of the woods. This week, Bloomberg News reported that state prosecutors in New York are preparing a criminal case against Manafort in the event that Trump pardons him.

The Constitution grants the president authority to pardon federal crimes but not state crimes.

Following Bloomberg’s report, a former senior Justice Department official who worked closely with Mueller didn’t mince words, telling INSIDER, “Manafort may be rethinking his decision to violate his plea deal right about now.”

Source Article from https://www.businessinsider.com/mueller-manafort-criminal-sentencing-memo-2019-2

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From a golden gun to a bear hug … Saudi Prince’s Asia tour tells the West: You may shun me, but I’m not alone – CNN
From a golden gun to a bear hug … Saudi Prince’s Asia tour tells the West: You may shun me, but I’m not alone – CNN

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Analysis by Jenni Marsh, CNN

Updated 2:03 AM ET, Sun February 24, 2019

Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. Find out what’s happening in the world as it unfolds.

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CNN’s\u003ca href=\”https://www.cnn.com/profiles/frederik-pleitgen\” target=\”_blank\”> Frederik Pleitgen\u003c/a> reports. “},{“title”:”Catholic cardinal: Potential proof of abuse destroyed”,”duration”:”02:27″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”https://www.cnn.com/”,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/world/2019/02/23/catholic-church-cardinal-proof-abuse-evidence-destroyed-flores-lklv-newday-vpx.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”world/2019/02/23/catholic-church-cardinal-proof-abuse-evidence-destroyed-flores-lklv-newday-vpx.cnn”,”videoImage”:”http://www.noticiasdodia.onlinenewsbusiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/190223073926-cardinal-evidence-destroyed-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/world/2019/02/23/catholic-church-cardinal-proof-abuse-evidence-destroyed-flores-lklv-newday-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/around-the-world/”,”description”:”According to a top Catholic cardinal in Munich, files that may have contained proof of abuse in the Catholic church may have been intentionally destroyed. CNN’s \u003ca href=\”https://www.cnn.com/profiles/rosa-flores-profile\” target=\”_blank\”>Rosa Flores\u003c/a> reports. “,”descriptionText”:”According to a top Catholic cardinal in Munich, files that may have contained proof of abuse in the Catholic church may have been intentionally destroyed. CNN’s \u003ca href=\”https://www.cnn.com/profiles/rosa-flores-profile\” target=\”_blank\”>Rosa Flores\u003c/a> reports. “},{“title”:”Defectors reveal gruesome details of Kim Jong Un’s reign”,”duration”:”03:29″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”https://www.cnn.com/”,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/world/2019/02/22/north-korea-defectors-todd-pkg-tsr-vpx.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”world/2019/02/22/north-korea-defectors-todd-pkg-tsr-vpx.cnn”,”videoImage”:”http://www.noticiasdodia.onlinenewsbusiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/180418080925-kim-jong-un-1-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/world/2019/02/22/north-korea-defectors-todd-pkg-tsr-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/around-the-world/”,”description”:”Defectors from North Korea share gruesome stories of life under leader Kim Jong Un. CNN’s Brian Todd reports.”,”descriptionText”:”Defectors from North Korea share gruesome stories of life under leader Kim Jong Un. CNN’s Brian Todd reports.”},{“title”:”30 diners sickened from Michelin-starred restaurant”,”duration”:”00:47″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”https://www.cnn.com”,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/world/2019/02/22/spain-valencia-food-poisoning-riff-orig-vstop-bdk.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”world/2019/02/22/spain-valencia-food-poisoning-riff-orig-vstop-bdk.cnn”,”videoImage”:”http://www.noticiasdodia.onlinenewsbusiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/190222105530-valencia-food-poisoning-riff-1-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/world/2019/02/22/spain-valencia-food-poisoning-riff-orig-vstop-bdk.cnn/video/playlists/around-the-world/”,”description”:”Health inspectors in Valencia, Spain, are trying to determine what made 30 people sick after they dined at the same restaurant between February 13 and 16.”,”descriptionText”:”Health inspectors in Valencia, Spain, are trying to determine what made 30 people sick after they dined at the same restaurant between February 13 and 16.”},{“title”:”World’s largest bee rediscovered”,”duration”:”00:54″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:””,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/world/2019/02/21/worlds-largest-bee-orig-sd.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”world/2019/02/21/worlds-largest-bee-orig-sd.cnn”,”videoImage”:”http://www.noticiasdodia.onlinenewsbusiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/190221133900-giant-bee-composite-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/world/2019/02/21/worlds-largest-bee-orig-sd.cnn/video/playlists/around-the-world/”,”description”:”A bee with a 2.5 inch wingspan and body roughly the size of a human thumb \u003ca href=\”https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/21/world/giant-bee-megachile-pluto-found-trnd/index.html\” target=\”_blank\”>has been rediscovered\u003c/a> after being thought by some to be extinct. “,”descriptionText”:”A bee with a 2.5 inch wingspan and body roughly the size of a human thumb \u003ca href=\”https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/21/world/giant-bee-megachile-pluto-found-trnd/index.html\” target=\”_blank\”>has been rediscovered\u003c/a> after being thought by some to be extinct. “},{“title”:”Netanyahu courts extreme right ahead of Israel election”,”duration”:”02:21″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”https://www.cnn.com”,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/world/2019/02/23/netanyahu-extreme-right-israel-election-liebermann-pkg-vpx.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”world/2019/02/23/netanyahu-extreme-right-israel-election-liebermann-pkg-vpx.cnn”,”videoImage”:”http://www.noticiasdodia.onlinenewsbusiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/190222144912-israel-netanyahu-elecciones-pkg-jose-levy-00001807-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/world/2019/02/23/netanyahu-extreme-right-israel-election-liebermann-pkg-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/around-the-world/”,”description”:”As Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeks a fifth term as the country’s leader, he turns to a far right extremist group making a comeback. CNN’s Oren Liebermann explains. “,”descriptionText”:”As Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeks a fifth term as the country’s leader, he turns to a far right extremist group making a comeback. CNN’s Oren Liebermann explains. “},{“title”:”Venezuela’s army of volunteers offer to deliver aid”,”duration”:”02:26″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”https://www.cnn.com/?refresh=1″,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/world/2019/02/22/guaid-venezuela-army-volunteers-soares-pkg-vpx.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”world/2019/02/22/guaid-venezuela-army-volunteers-soares-pkg-vpx.cnn”,”videoImage”:”http://www.noticiasdodia.onlinenewsbusiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/190222005110-venezuela-army-of-voluneers-aid-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/world/2019/02/22/guaid-venezuela-army-volunteers-soares-pkg-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/around-the-world/”,”description”:”In the center of Caracas, a group of neighbors are heeding the call of Juan Guaidó. They’re his army of volunteers and they’re preparing to do battle to bring the much-needed humanitarian aid into Venezuela. CNN’s Isa Soares reports.”,”descriptionText”:”In the center of Caracas, a group of neighbors are heeding the call of Juan Guaidó. They’re his army of volunteers and they’re preparing to do battle to bring the much-needed humanitarian aid into Venezuela. CNN’s Isa Soares reports.”},{“title”:”Transforming a centuries-old Chinese tradition”,”duration”:”01:47″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:””,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/travel/2019/02/20/stilt-walkers-breakdance-china-beijing-lon-orig.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”travel/2019/02/20/stilt-walkers-breakdance-china-beijing-lon-orig.cnn”,”videoImage”:”http://www.noticiasdodia.onlinenewsbusiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/190219161551-dsc04246-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/travel/2019/02/20/stilt-walkers-breakdance-china-beijing-lon-orig.cnn/video/playlists/around-the-world/”,”description”:”Northern China’s professional stilt walkers are looking to new styles of dance to keep audiences interested and their tradition alive.”,”descriptionText”:”Northern China’s professional stilt walkers are looking to new styles of dance to keep audiences interested and their tradition alive.”},{“title”:”Sexual abuse in the Catholic Church is a global crisis”,”duration”:”03:05″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:””,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/world/2019/02/21/catholic-church-abuse-scandal-timeline-explainer-orig.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”world/2019/02/21/catholic-church-abuse-scandal-timeline-explainer-orig.cnn”,”videoImage”:”http://www.noticiasdodia.onlinenewsbusiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/190221022933-02-catholic-church-scandal-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/world/2019/02/21/catholic-church-abuse-scandal-timeline-explainer-orig.cnn/video/playlists/around-the-world/”,”description”:”For years the Catholic Church has been plagued by abuse scandals, which have tarnished its reputation. CNN’s Delia Gallagher explains the scope of the crisis. “,”descriptionText”:”For years the Catholic Church has been plagued by abuse scandals, which have tarnished its reputation. CNN’s Delia Gallagher explains the scope of the crisis. “},{“title”:”Deadly blaze rips through historic Dhaka district”,”duration”:”01:17″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:””,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/world/2019/02/21/deadly-blaze-rips-through-dhaka-district-lon-orig-sc.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”world/2019/02/21/deadly-blaze-rips-through-dhaka-district-lon-orig-sc.cnn”,”videoImage”:”http://www.noticiasdodia.onlinenewsbusiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/190221035318-0221-dhaka-fire-10-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/world/2019/02/21/deadly-blaze-rips-through-dhaka-district-lon-orig-sc.cnn/video/playlists/around-the-world/”,”description”:”A deadly fire has spread through the historic Chawkbazar area of the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka. “,”descriptionText”:”A deadly fire has spread through the historic Chawkbazar area of the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka. “},{“title”:”Report exposes NATO vulnerability to social media”,”duration”:”02:20″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”https://www.cnn.com”,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/world/2019/02/20/nato-troops-social-media-threat-foreman-dnt-lead-vpx.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”world/2019/02/20/nato-troops-social-media-threat-foreman-dnt-lead-vpx.cnn”,”videoImage”:”http://www.noticiasdodia.onlinenewsbusiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/150617185640-02-nato-0617-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/world/2019/02/20/nato-troops-social-media-threat-foreman-dnt-lead-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/around-the-world/”,”description”:”Researchers used fake social media accounts to engage with NATO and were able to glean personal and strategic details from soldiers. CNN’s Tom Foreman reports. “,”descriptionText”:”Researchers used fake social media accounts to engage with NATO and were able to glean personal and strategic details from soldiers. CNN’s Tom Foreman reports. “},{“title”:”Barber offers free Trump and Kim Jong Un haircuts”,”duration”:”01:08″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:””,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/world/2019/02/20/free-trump-and-kim-jong-un-haircuts-orig-tc.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”world/2019/02/20/free-trump-and-kim-jong-un-haircuts-orig-tc.cnn”,”videoImage”:”http://www.noticiasdodia.onlinenewsbusiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/190220133918-trump-kim-haircut-3-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/world/2019/02/20/free-trump-and-kim-jong-un-haircuts-orig-tc.cnn/video/playlists/around-the-world/”,”description”:”A Hanoi-based barber is giving free haircuts inspired by President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, for their historic meeting in Vietnam.”,”descriptionText”:”A Hanoi-based barber is giving free haircuts inspired by President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, for their historic meeting in Vietnam.”},{“title”:”Putin threatens US after missile treaty withdrawal”,”duration”:”02:31″,”sourceName”:”CNN”,”sourceLink”:”http://www.cnn.com”,”videoCMSUrl”:”/video/data/3.0/video/world/2019/02/20/putin-threat-us-missile-treaty-withdrawal-frederik-pleitgen-nr-vpx.cnn/index.xml”,”videoId”:”world/2019/02/20/putin-threat-us-missile-treaty-withdrawal-frederik-pleitgen-nr-vpx.cnn”,”videoImage”:”http://www.noticiasdodia.onlinenewsbusiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/190202074327-trump-putin-split-0202-large-169.jpg”,”videoUrl”:”/videos/world/2019/02/20/putin-threat-us-missile-treaty-withdrawal-frederik-pleitgen-nr-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/around-the-world/”,”description”:”In his annual speech to Russian parliament, Russian President Vladimir Putin promised an \”asymmetric\” response to the deployment of intermediate-range nuclear weapons in Europe, saying Russia would target \”decision-making centers\” if the US stations such missiles there. CNN’s Frederik Pleitgen has more.”,”descriptionText”:”In his annual speech to Russian parliament, Russian President Vladimir Putin promised an \”asymmetric\” response to the deployment of intermediate-range nuclear weapons in Europe, saying Russia would target \”decision-making centers\” if the US stations such missiles there. CNN’s Frederik Pleitgen has more.”}],’js-video_headline-featured-3t9y5m’,”,”js-video_source-featured-3t9y5m”,true,true,’around-the-world’);if (typeof configObj.context !== ‘string’ || configObj.context.length

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(CNN)It’s hard to think of anywhere else in the world right now where Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman would get such a warm welcome.

    Source Article from https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/23/asia/mbs-saudi-arabia-crown-prince-asia-tour-round-up-intl/index.html

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    Officials Play Down Appearance of Rift Between Trump and Lighthizer on Trade – Wall Street Journal
    Officials Play Down Appearance of Rift Between Trump and Lighthizer on Trade – Wall Street Journal

    “An MOU is a contract,” Mr. Lighthizer said, turning to reporters. “A memorandum of understanding is a binding agreement between two people. And that’s what we’re talking about.”

    That provoked what many saw as a rebuke from the president.

    “The real question is, Bob, so we do a memorandum of understanding, which, frankly, you could do or not do. I don’t care if you do it or not. To me, it doesn’t mean very much. But if you do a memorandum of—how long will it take to put that into a final, binding contract?” the president said.

    Mr. Lighthizer responded quickly that he would call any agreement with China a “trade agreement,” not an MOU. “We’ll never use the term again,” Mr. Lighthizer said.

    The dispute was less significant than it appeared, according to people familiar with the discussions, and mainly involved a disagreement over terminology.

    Mr. Trump was trying to make clear that he wasn’t interested in a short-term agreement; rather, he wanted a longer-term deal, these people said. Mr. Trump’s understanding of an MOU comes from his experience in real estate, where an MOU is preliminary to a deal, they said.

    Mr. Lighthizer, said the individuals, was using MOU as a trade-deal term, meant to indicate that a deal wouldn’t require Congressional approval. One of the individuals said that the MOUs in draft form are very detailed and could total 100 pages.

    U.S. negotiators are cognizant of the need to present a unified front as trade talks reach a crucial stage. Mr. Lighthizer, a skilled bureaucratic infighter, also is aware of the need to keep on the good side of his volatile boss. At various times, Mr. Trump has sidelined Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in China policy.

    “The talks with China are still ongoing,” said a senior official in the USTR’s office. “Thanks to President Trump’s strong leadership, we are making strong progress on substantive, structural issues.”

    If the two sides don’t reach a deal by March 1, tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese goods are set to rise to 25% from 10% at 12:01 a.m., the following day. Mr. Trump indicated on Friday that he is inclined to extend the deadline as long as talks are progressing, with an eye toward closing a deal in a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida later in March.

    Some U.S. officials are worried that Mr. Trump is so focused on a deal that could help boost markets that he wouldn’t fight hard for so-called structural issues, including Beijing’s pressure on U.S. companies to transfer technology to their Chinese partners, illicit subsidies for domestic firms and changes in regulations and laws needed to enforce intellectual property.

    In recent remarks, Mr. Trump has focused far more on potential Chinese purchases of soybeans and other commodities than on structural issues.

    Until last fall, Mr. Trump had regularly sided with Mr. Lighthizer over Mr. Mnuchin in deciding to impose tariffs on China and to focus on structural issues. But when the stock market swooned amid trade jitters late last year, Mr. Trump stepped up pressure on his deputies to reach an accord with Beijing.

    Negotiations continued Saturday and are expected to wrap up on Sunday. One individual familiar with the discussions said that USTR continues to press Chinese counterparts for important structural changes.

    That includes getting Beijing to allow U.S. cloud-computing companies to operate in China on the same terms as Chinese ones. Now, U.S. cloud-computing companies must sell their technology to Chinese firms, which pay licensing fees to the U.S. companies. U.S. cloud-computing companies, including

    Amazon.com
    Inc.

    and

    Microsoft
    Corp.

    can’t offer their own services in China.

    Beijing has long considered cloud-computing issues off limits, arguing they were issues of national security. A senior administration official said a few weeks ago that China had agreed to add more subjects to the negotiations.

    Write to Bob Davis at bob.davis@wsj.com

    Source Article from https://www.wsj.com/articles/officials-play-down-appearance-of-rift-between-trump-and-lighthizer-on-trade-11550974778

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    ‘A crash that nobody would survive’: Boeing 767 cargo plane crashes outside Houston with 3 on board – USA TODAY
    ‘A crash that nobody would survive’: Boeing 767 cargo plane crashes outside Houston with 3 on board – USA TODAY

    HOUSTON — A Boeing 767 cargo jetliner heading to Houston with three people aboard disintegrated after crashing Saturday into a bay east of the city, according to a Texas sheriff.

    Witnesses told emergency personnel that the twin-engine plane “went in nose first,” leaving a debris field three-quarters of a mile long in Trinity Bay, Chambers County Sheriff Brian Hawthorne said.

    “It’s probably a crash that nobody would survive,” he said, referring to the scene as “total devastation.”

    The cargo plane made a steep descent shortly before 12:45 p.m. from 6,525 feet to 3,025 feet in 30 seconds, according to tracking data from FlightAware.com.

    The flight was being operated for Amazon by Atlas Air, according to a statement from the airline.

    “Our main priority at this time is caring for those affected and we will ensure we do all we can to support them now and in the days and weeks to come,” Atlas Air said in a statement.

    Dave Clark, senior vice president of Worldwide Operations at Amazon, said: “Our thoughts and prayers are with the flight crew, their families and friends along with the entire team at Atlas Air during this terrible tragedy. We appreciate the first responders who worked urgently to provide support.”

    Witnesses said they heard the plane’s engines surging and that the craft turned sharply before falling into a nosedive, Hawthorne said.

    Aerial footage shows emergency personnel walking along a spit of marshland flecked by debris that extends into the water.

    Hawthorne told the Houston Chronicle late Saturday afternoon that police had found human remains at the site of the crash.

    Investigators have also recovered parts of the plane, he said. “There’s everything from cardboard boxes to women’s clothing and bed sheets,” Hawthorne said.

    The largest piece from the Boeing 767 that police have recovered is 50 feet long, Hawthorne told the newspaper.

    The sheriff said recovering pieces of the plane and its black box containing flight data records will be difficult in muddy marshland that extends to about 5 feet deep in the area. Air boats are needed to access the area.

    The plane had departed from Miami and was likely only minutes away from landing at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston.

    The Federal Aviation Administration issued an alert after officials lost radar and radio contact with Atlas Air Flight 3591 when it was about 30 miles southeast of the airport, FAA spokesman Lynn Lunsford said.

    Air traffic controllers in Houston tried at least twice to contact the plane but received no response.

    After losing contact, they asked a United Airlines pilot if he had seen “ground contact” – wreckage – to his right or behind him, according to recordings of the conversation. “That’s a negative,” he said.

    They also asked a Mesa Airlines pilot: “See if you can make ground contact. We are looking for a lost aircraft … it’s a heavy Boeing 767,” meaning it’s a big, two-aisle plane.

    “No ground contact from here,” the Mesa pilot said.

    The Coast Guard dispatched boats and at least one helicopter to assist in the search for survivors. A dive team with the Texas Department of Public Safety will be tasked with finding the black box, Hawthorne said.

    Trinity Bay is just north of Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.

    FAA investigators are traveling to the scene as are authorities with the National Transportation Safety Board, which will lead the investigation.

    Source Article from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2019/02/23/cargo-plane-crashes-outside-houston-no-survivors-likely/2964491002/

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    Venezuela’s Maduro cuts ties with Colombia amid border conflict – NBC News
    Venezuela’s Maduro cuts ties with Colombia amid border conflict – NBC News

    President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela cut off diplomatic ties with neighbor Colombia after that nation was used to stage U.S.-backed humanitarian aid that he has vowed to block.

    Opposition leader Juan Guaidó, who is recognized by President Trump as Venezuela’s legitimate leader, was in Colombia for a concert organized by billionaire Richard Branson.

    “We can’t keep putting up with Colombian territory being used for attacks against Venezuela,” Maduro said at a rally Saturday. “For that reason I’ve decided to sever all ties with the fascist government of Colombia. All consul employees should leave within 24 hours. Out! Get out. Enough is enough.”

    Colombia’s Foreign Ministry responded in a statement that the nation “does not recognize the legitimacy of the usurper Maduro” and instead backs Guaidó.

    “Colombia has always acted in a humanitarian and peaceful way and will continue to do so in order to help create the conditions that will give rise to democracy and freedom in Venezuela once again,” the statement reads.

    Maduro is refusing food and medical supplies based on his belief that it will be used by the United States as a means to curry favor with his troops and overthrow him.

    Late Saturday Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted that the United States would respond to Maduro’s recalcitrance. “The U.S. will take action against those who oppose the peaceful restoration of democracy in #Venezuela,” he said.

    Source Article from https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/venezuela-s-maduro-cuts-ties-colombia-amid-border-conflict-n974991

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    Paul Manafort "Brazenly" Broke The Law, Special Counsel Says In Sentencing Memo – NPR
    Paul Manafort "Brazenly" Broke The Law, Special Counsel Says In Sentencing Memo – NPR

    Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort talks to reporters on the floor of the Republican National Convention in 2016. Prosecutors say Manafort “brazenly violated the law.”

    Matt Rourke/AP


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    Matt Rourke/AP

    Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort talks to reporters on the floor of the Republican National Convention in 2016. Prosecutors say Manafort “brazenly violated the law.”

    Matt Rourke/AP

    Prosecutors for special counsel Robert Mueller say they take no position on what Paul Manafort’s prison sentence should be, but say President Trump’s former campaign chairman acted in “bold” fashion to commit a multitude of crimes.

    Manafort is scheduled to be sentenced next month after pleading guilty in a Washington, D.C. court last year to charges of conspiracy against the United States and conspiracy to obstruct justice.

    In a sentencing memo submitted to the court on Friday but made public on Saturday, prosecutors told Judge Amy Berman Jackson that Manafort “brazenly violated the law.”

    “Manafort chose repeatedly and knowingly to violate the law— whether the laws proscribed garden-variety crimes such as tax fraud, money laundering, obstruction of justice, and bank fraud, or more esoteric laws that he nevertheless was intimately familiar with, such as the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA),” they wrote in the filing.

    Manafort shows a “hardened adherence to committing crimes,” the memo said. “His criminal actions were bold, some of which were committed while under a spotlight due to his work as the campaign chairman and, later, while he was on bail from this Court.”

    Manafort had agreed to cooperate with the Mueller investigation after initially pleading guilty. But the plea deal fell apart after Jackson ruled earlier this month that he intentionally lied to Mueller’s office, the FBI and the grand jury in his case. The ruling meant prosecutors were no longer bound by the plea deal.

    Jackson found Manafort broke the agreement after he lied about his interactions with Konstantin Kilimnik, who has also been indicted by the special counsel and whom the FBI believes has ties to Russian intelligence. Authorities said Manafort was also untruthful in response to questions about his finances and his contacts with members of the Trump administration. Manafort’s attorneys say he did not intentionally give false information.

    In D.C. the statutory maximum Manafort, 69, faces is 10 years.

    In a separate case in Virginia, Manafort was found guilty on eight counts in a sprawling bank and tax fraud case. He faces up to 24 years in prison and tens of millions of dollars in possible fines for that conviction.

    Manafort’s sentencing in the Virginia case is also scheduled for March. Prosecutors have urged Jackson to consider stacking his sentence in D.C. on top of his punishment in Virginia. Lawyers for Manafort are due to file their sentencing recommendation in D.C. on Monday.

    Separately, authorities in New York are preparing charges against Manafort for violating state tax laws and other financial crimes, according to reports by Bloomberg News and The New York Times on Friday.

    Source Article from https://www.npr.org/2019/02/23/697391538/paul-manafort-brazenly-broke-the-law-special-counsel-says-in-sentencing-memo

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