US Leaving UN Human Rights Council     06/20 06:13

   The United States is leaving the United Nations' Human Rights Council, which 
Ambassador Nikki Haley called "an organization that is not worthy of its name." 
It's the latest withdrawal by the Trump administration from an international 
institution.

   WASHINGTON (AP) -- The United States is leaving the United Nations' Human 
Rights Council, which Ambassador Nikki Haley called "an organization that is 
not worthy of its name." It's the latest withdrawal by the Trump administration 
from an international institution.

   Haley said Tuesday the U.S. had given the human rights body "opportunity 
after opportunity" to make changes. She lambasted the council for "its chronic 
bias against Israel" and lamented the fact that its membership includes accused 
human rights abusers such as China, Cuba, Venezuela and Congo.

   "We take this step because our commitment does not allow us to remain a part 
of a hypocritical and self-serving organization that makes a mockery of human 
rights," Haley said.

   Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, appearing alongside Haley at the State 
Department, said there was no doubt that the council once had a "noble vision."

   But today we need to be honest," Pompeo said. "The Human Rights Council is a 
poor defender of human rights."

   The announcement came just a day after the U.N. human rights chief, Zeid 
Ra'ad al-Hussein, denounced the Trump administration for separating migrant 
children from their parents. But Haley cited longstanding U.S. complaints that 
the 47-member council is biased against Israel. She had been threatening the 
pull-out since last year unless the council made changes advocated by the U.S.

   "Regrettably, it is now clear that our call for reform was not heeded," 
Haley said.

   Still, she suggested the decision need not be permanent, adding that if the 
council did adopt reforms, "we would be happy to rejoin it." She said the 
withdrawal notwithstanding, the U.S. would continue to defend human rights at 
the United Nations.

   Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office called the U.S. decision 
"courageous," calling it "an unequivocal statement that enough is enough."

   The move extends a broader Trump administration pattern of stepping back 
from international agreements and forums under the president's "America First" 
policy. Although numerous officials have said repeatedly that "America First 
does not mean America Alone," the administration has retreated from multiple 
multilateral accords and consensuses since it took office.

   Since January 2017, it has announced its withdrawal from the Paris climate 
accord, left the U.N. educational and cultural organization and pulled out of 
the Iran nuclear deal. Other contentious moves have included slapping tariffs 
on steel and aluminum against key trading partners, recognizing Jerusalem as 
Israel's capital and moving the U.S. Embassy there from Tel Aviv.

   Opposition to the decision from human rights advocates was swift. A group of 
12 organizations including Save the Children, Freedom House and the United 
Nations Association-USA said there were "legitimate concerns" about the 
council's shortcomings but that none of them warranted a U.S. exit.

   "This decision is counterproductive to American national security and 
foreign policy interests and will make it more difficult to advance human 
rights priorities and aid victims of abuse around the world," the organizations 
said in a joint statement.

   Added Kenneth Roth, the executive director of Human Rights Watch: "All Trump 
seems to care about is defending Israel."

   On Twitter, al-Hussein, the U.N. human rights chief, said it was 
"Disappointing, if not really surprising, news. Given the state of #HumanRights 
in today's world, the US should be stepping up, not stepping back."

   And the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank close to the Trump 
administration, defended the move, calling the council "notably incurious about 
the human rights situations in some of the world's most oppressive countries." 
Brett Schaefer, a senior fellow, pointed out that Trump could have withdrawn 
immediately after taking office but instead gave the council 18 months to make 
changes.

   Haley has been the driving force behind withdrawing from the human rights 
body, unprecedented in the 12-year history of the council. No country has ever 
dropped out voluntarily. Libya was kicked out seven years ago.

   The move could reinforce the perception that the Trump administration is 
seeking to advance Israel's agenda on the world stage, just as it prepares to 
unveil its long-awaited Israeli-Palestinian peace plan despite Palestinian 
outrage over the embassy relocation. Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, 
Jared Kushner, is visiting the Middle East this week as the White House works 
to lay the groundwork for unveiling the plan.

   Israel is the only country in the world whose rights record comes up for 
discussion at every council session, under "Item 7" on the agenda. Item 7 on 
"Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories" has been part of the 
council's regular business almost as long as it has existed.

   The United States' current term on the council ends next year. Although the 
U.S. could have remained a non-voting observer on the council, a U.S. official 
said it was a "complete withdrawal" and that the United States was resigning 
its seat "effective immediately." The official wasn't authorized to comment 
publicly and insisted on anonymity.

   That means the council will be left without one of its traditional defenders 
of human rights. In recent months, the United States has participated in 
attempts to pinpoint rights violations in places like South Sudan, Congo and 
Cambodia.

   The U.S. pullout was bound to have ripple effects for at least two countries 
at the council: China and Israel. The U.S., as at other U.N. organizations, is 
Israel's biggest defender. At the rights council, the United States has 
recently been the most unabashed critic of rights abuses in China --- whose 
growing economic and diplomatic clout has chastened some other would-be 
critics, rights advocates say.

   The Chinese government expressed regret over Washington's decision to pull 
out of the council. In Beijing, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said the 
council is "an important platform" for countries to discuss human rights and 
that Beijing has been committed to supporting the group's work.

   But the Chinese government is often accused by Western countries of human 
rights violations and by rights groups of seeking to undermine the mechanisms 
of the U.N. human rights council. In March, a Chinese diplomat repeatedly 
interrupted a speech by a prominent Chinese dissident to block him from 
addressing the U.N. Human Rights Council, a failed attempt that bared China's 
sensitivity on human rights.

   The foreign ministry spokesman, Geng Shuang, dismissed the U.S. criticism 
that the council is problematic because it includes China and other 
authoritarian governments, saying that claim is "a total disregard of facts." 
''Everyone without bias can see clearly China's great achievement and progress 
in terms of human rights," Geng said.

   There are 47 countries in the Human Rights Council, elected by the U.N.'s 
General Assembly with a specific number of seats allocated for each region of 
the globe. Members serve for three-year terms and can serve only two terms in a 
row.

   The United States has opted to stay out of the Human Rights Council before: 
The George W. Bush administration opted against seeking membership when the 
council was created in 2006. The U.S. joined the body only in 2009 under 
President Barack Obama.


(KA)

Govs Pull Nat'l Guard Over Immigration 06/20 06:16

   ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) -- The governors of multiple East Coast states have 
announced that they will not deploy National Guard resources near the 
U.S.-Mexico border, a largely symbolic but politically significant rejection of 
the Trump administration's "zero-tolerance" immigration policy that has 
resulted in children being separated from their families.

   Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, announced Tuesday morning on his 
Twitter account that he has ordered four crewmembers and a helicopter to 
immediately return from where they were stationed in New Mexico.

   "Until this policy of separating children from their families has been 
rescinded, Maryland will not deploy any National Guard resources to the 
border," Hogan tweeted.

   Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, who like Hogan is a Republican governor in 
a blue state, on Monday reversed a decision to send a National Guard helicopter 
to the border, citing the Trump administration's "cruel and inhuman" policy.

   On the Democratic side, governors in Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, 
Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, New York and Virginia have all indicated their 
refusal to send Guard resources to assist with immigration-related issues.

   The resources in question from each state are relatively small, so the 
governors' actions aren't likely to have a huge practical impact. But they are 
a strong symbolic political gesture, said Mileah Kromer, the director of the 
Sarah T. Hughes field Politics Center at Goucher College in Towson, Maryland.

   "I think at a time when you have a large percentage of the country 
questioning the leadership of the Trump administration, it certainly is a 
moment for the governors across the country to show leadership, particularly at 
a time when this is so divisive," Kromer said.

   The forced separation of migrant children from their parents has fueled 
criticism across the political spectrum and sparked nationwide protests of 
President Donald Trump's immigration policies.

   "Ever since our founding - and even before - our nation has been a beacon 
for families seeking freedom and yearning for a better life," Democratic New 
Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said Tuesday as he signed an executive order 
prohibiting the use of state resources. "President Trump has turned this 
promise on its head by doubling down on his inhumane and cruel policy of 
separating families."

   In New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday reiterated a decision he first made 
earlier this year to not send Guard resources to the border to assist with 
immigration-related duties. He's also asked for a federal investigation of the 
policy relating to the separation of the children from their families.

   Delaware Gov. John Carney, a Democrat, said he turned down a request he 
received on Tuesday to send National Guard troops to the southwest border, 
while the Democratic governors of Virginia and North Carolina said they would 
recall Guard members and equipment they already had sent to the border.

   "If President Trump revokes the current inhumane policy of separating 
children from their parents, Delaware will be first in line to assist our 
sister states in securing the border," Carney said in a statement.

   Governors are not the only ones taking action: Mayors from across the U.S. 
announced plans to travel to the Texas border on Thursday to protest the "zero 
tolerance" policy. The mayors will gather at a point of entry near where 
migrant minors began arriving at a tent-like shelter last week.

   The U.S. Conference of Mayors last week unanimously passed a resolution 
registering its opposition to separating children from their families at the 
border.


(KA)

Trump Firm on Immigration Policy       06/20 06:17

   Calling the shots as his West Wing clears out, President Donald Trump sees 
his hard-line immigration stance as a winning issue heading into a midterm 
election he views as a referendum on his protectionist policies.

   WASHINGTON (AP) -- Calling the shots as his West Wing clears out, President 
Donald Trump sees his hard-line immigration stance as a winning issue heading 
into a midterm election he views as a referendum on his protectionist policies.

   "You have to stand for something," Trump declared Tuesday, as he defended 
his administration's immigration policy amid mounting criticism over the forced 
separation of children from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border. The chorus 
of condemnation includes Democrats, as well as Republicans, who are 
increasingly worried that reports about bereft children taken from their 
parents could damage the GOP's chances in November.

   Still, Trump believes that his immigration pledges helped win him the 
presidency and that his most loyal supporters want him to follow through. He 
made a rare trip to Capitol Hill late Tuesday to meet with GOP legislators and 
endorse a pair of bills that would keep detained families together, among other 
changes, but he remains confident that projecting toughness on immigration is 
the right call, said five White House officials and outside advisers who spoke 
on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

   "It's amazing how people are surprised that he's keeping the promises he 
made on the campaign trail now," said Trump political adviser Bill Stepien.

   While the White House signaled Trump may be open to a narrow fix to deal 
with the problem, the president spent the day stressing immigration policies 
that he has championed throughout his surprise political career. He has 
resisted calls to reverse the separation policy, saying any change must come 
through Congress.

   In a speech to a business group earlier Tuesday, Trump said he wanted to see 
legislation deal with family separation, which, he said, "We don't want." He 
also emphasized border security and again made the false argument that 
Democrats are to blame for the family separation problem. Said Trump: 
"Politically correct or not, we have a country that needs security, that needs 
safety, that has to be protected."

   Several White House aides, led by adviser Stephen Miller, have encouraged 
the president to make immigration a defining issue for the midterms. And Trump 
has told advisers he believes he looks strong on the matter, suggesting that it 
could be a winning culture war issue much like his attacks on NFL players who 
take a knee for the national anthem.

   Former Trump senior adviser Steve Bannon said the president is emphasizing 
the policies that brought him to the White House.

   "I think this is one of his best moments. I think this is a profile in 
courage. This is why America elected him," Bannon said. "This is not doubling 
down, it is tripling down."

   Still, Trump, a voracious watcher of cable news who is especially attuned to 
the power of images, appeared to acknowledge later Tuesday that the optics 
could be doing damage.

   During his closed-door meeting with lawmakers on the Hill, Trump said his 
daughter Ivanka had encouraged him to find a way to end the practice, and he 
said separating families at the border "looked bad," according to several 
attendees.

   "He said, 'Politically, this is bad,'" said Rep. Randy Weber, R-Texas. "It's 
not about the politics. This is the right thing to do."

   Trump's immigration standoff comes as he escalates his nationalist trade 
moves, imposing new tariffs on imports and threating more. With few powerful 
opposing voices remaining in the West Wing, Trump is increasingly making these 
decisions solo. Some key advisers have left, and chief of staff John Kelly 
appears sidelined.

   Republicans, particularly those in more moderate districts, are worried they 
will be damaged by the searing images of children held in cages at border 
facilities, as well as by audio recordings of young children crying for their 
parents. The House Republicans' national campaign chairman, Ohio Rep. Steve 
Stivers, said Monday that he's asking "the administration to stop needlessly 
separating children from their parents."

   Other conservatives also raised concerns, but many called for Congress to 
make changes instead of asking Trump to directly intervene. Ralph Reed, 
chairman of the Faith & Freedom coalition of evangelical voters, added to the 
drumbeat to end the child separation policy Tuesday, calling on Congress to 
pass legislation that would end the process as part of a broader immigration 
overhaul.

   But asked if the border policy was bad for Trump politically, Reed suggested 
core supporters remain on the president's side. He said the group's members are 
"more than willing to give the president and his administration the benefit of 
the doubt that this is being driven by a spike in people crossing the border, a 
combination of existing law and court decisions require this separation, and 
the fact that the Democrats refused to work with the administration to increase 
judges so that this can be dealt with more expeditiously." Trump on Tuesday 
mocked the idea of hiring thousands of new judges, asking, "Can you imagine the 
graft that must take place?"

   Worried that the lack of progress on his signature border wall will make him 
look "soft," according to one adviser, Trump has unleashed a series of tweets 
playing up the dangers posed by members of the MS-13 gang --- which make up a 
minuscule percentage of those who cross the border. He used the loaded term 
"infest" to reference the influx of immigrants entering the country illegally.

   As the immigration story becomes a national flashpoint, Trump has been 
watching the TV coverage with increasing anger, telling confidants he believes 
media outlets are deliberately highlighting the worst images --- the cages and 
screaming toddlers --- to make him look bad.

   The president has long complained about his treatment by the media, but his 
frustrations reached a boiling point after he returned from his Singapore 
summit with North Korea's Kim Jong Un to face news reports questioning his 
negotiating skills. He complained to one adviser that the media had not given 
him enough credit after the summit and was continuing to undermine him on 
immigration, according to a person familiar with the conversation but not 
authorized to speak publicly.

   On Tuesday, Trump argued that sticking by his policies was a winning 
political strategy as he took a fresh shot at Democrats.

   "They can't win on their policies, which are horrible," he said. "They found 
that out in the last presidential election."


(KA)

Yemen Forces Take Airport Runway       06/20 06:19

   SANAA, Yemen (AP) -- Yemeni fighters backed by the United Arab Emirates said 
they seized the southern runway of the international airport near the key 
Yemeni city of Hodeida, as fighting raged Wednesday between pro-government 
forces backed by a Saudi-led coalition and Iranian-backed Shiite Houthi rebels.

   The Amaleqa brigades, a fighting force backed by the coalition that includes 
the UAE, also said in a statement they seized areas on the west and east sides 
of the airport. They have been advancing toward an area near Kilo 16 road, 
aiming to cut off the link between Hodeida and the capital Sanaa, a statement 
said.

   Col. Turki al-Malki, coalition spokesman, claimed the forces took over the 
airport and that Yemeni forces are currently clearing the airport of Houthi 
land-mines. He added in a statement that there were no civilian casualties in 
the fighting and that after liberation of the airport, the coalition will press 
the Houthis to accept a political settlement.

   Yemeni officials said Saudi-led coalition warplanes have been hitting parts 
of the airport including the main compound, where the rebels are holed up. They 
confirmed that government forces have been clearing land mines the Houthis used 
to slow the forces' advance.

   Meanwhile, fierce battles ensued in the ad-Durayhimi district outside 
Hodeida, about 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) south of the airport, the officials 
said.

   The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not 
authorized to brief media.

   Hodeida is some 150 kilometers (90 miles) southwest of Sanaa, Yemen's 
capital.

   The Saudi-led coalition launched the campaign to retake Hodeida last 
Wednesday, with Emirati troops leading the force of government soldiers and 
irregular militia fighters backing Yemen's exiled government. Saudi Arabia has 
provided air support, with targeting guidance and refueling from the U.S.

   The campaign to seize control of Hodeida threatens to worsen Yemen's 
humanitarian situation.

   The offensive has faced criticism from international aid groups, who fear a 
protracted fight could force a shutdown of the port and potentially tip 
millions into starvation. Some 70 percent of Yemen's food enters via the port, 
as well as the bulk of humanitarian aid and fuel supplies. Around two-thirds of 
the country's population of 27 million relies on aid and 8.4 million are at 
risk of starving.

   The Houthis seized control of Sanaa in September 2014, later pushing south 
toward the port city of Aden. The Saudi-led coalition entered the conflict in 
March 2015 and has faced criticism for a campaign of airstrikes that has killed 
civilians and destroyed hospitals and markets.

   The Houthis, meanwhile, have laid land mines, killing and wounding 
civilians, targeted religious minorities and imprisoned opponents.


(KA)

SKorea Pres. Urges Denuclearization    06/20 06:20

   BEIJING (AP) -- South Korea's president urged North Korea on Wednesday to 
present a plan with concrete steps toward denuclearization, raising the 
pressure on its leader Kim Jong Un during his visit to Beijing to discuss the 
outcome of his summit with U.S. President Donald Trump.

   Kim left for Pyongyang later in the day after making his third visit to 
China this year, according to China's official Xinhua News Agency, underscoring 
the major improvement in relations between the communist neighbors.

   Xinhua said Kim met Chinese President Xi Jinping for a second day of talks 
on Wednesday and cited Kim as saying the visit was an opportunity to "deepen 
the friendship" between the two leaders and advance bilateral ties.

   Kim earlier visited an agricultural technology park and rail traffic control 
center, accompanied by Beijing's top official, Cai Qi, Xinhua said.

   Kim's motorcade was seen leaving the North Korean Embassy on Wednesday 
afternoon as police closed off major roads and intersections in central 
Beijing. Gawking pedestrians watched the passing motorcade that included Kim's 
limousine --- a black Mercedes-Benz Maybach with gold emblems on the rear doors 
--- as well as several minibuses and 15 motorcycle police clad in white suits.

   The motorcade traveled to Beijing's airport, where the limousine entered the 
charter flight terminal.

   In Seoul, South Korean President Moon Jae-in urged North Korea to present 
actionable plans on how it will scrap its nuclear program, and for the United 
States to swiftly take unspecified corresponding measures.

   "It's necessary for North Korea to present far more concrete 
denuclearization plans, and I think it's necessary for the United States to 
swiftly reciprocate by coming up with comprehensive measures," Moon said. 
Moon's office said he made the remarks to Russian media ahead of his trip to 
Moscow later this week.

   Moon, who has met with Kim twice in recent months, said the North Korean 
leader is willing to give up his nuclear program and focus on economic 
development if he's provided with a reliable security guarantee. Moon described 
Kim as "forthright," ''careful" and "polite."

   China backs the North's call for a "phased and synchronous" approach to 
denuclearization, as opposed to Washington's demand for an instant, total and 
irreversible end to the North's nuclear programs.

   A report by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency said Kim 
expressed his gratitude to Chinese President Xi Jinping for China's support 
when they met on Tuesday. KCNA said Kim told Xi at a welcoming banquet that 
North Korea-China ties are developing into "unprecedentedly special relations."

   At his summit with Trump last week in Singapore, Kim pledged to work toward 
denuclearization in exchange for U.S. security guarantees. The U.S. and South 
Korea also suspended a major joint military exercise that was planned for 
August in what was seen as a major victory for North Korea and its chief 
allies, China and Russia.

   China has touted the prospects of more trade and investment if North Korea 
makes progress in talks on abandoning its nuclear weapons and long-range 
missile programs.

   That could allow the lifting of U.N. Security Council economic sanctions 
that have hamstrung North Korea's foreign trade, although the U.S. insists 
those measures can only be eased after the North shows it has ended its nuclear 
programs. The U.S. says China is in agreement on that point, although Chinese 
officials say sanctions should not be an end in themselves.


(KA)

DC Mayor Wins Dem Nomination           06/20 06:23

   WASHINGTON (AP) -- Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser easily secured the 
Democratic Party nomination Tuesday night as she seeks a second term in office.

   Voters also approved a ballot initiative that will restructure the payment 
system for waiters, bartenders and other tipped employees in bars and 
restaurants.

   Bowser campaigned on her record of leading the District of Columbia through 
an economic turnaround and a development boom. However, her administration has 
struggled in recent months to contain multiple scandals in the Washington 
public school system, including the revelation that chronic student absences 
were ignored or covered up in order to maintain high graduation rates.

   Bowser, 45, a former member of the D.C. Council, defeated incumbent Mayor 
Vincent Gray in 2014.

   The actual election in November is considered a formality in the District of 
Columbia, where the Republican Party holds little sway.

   Initiative 77 passed with 55 percent of the vote. It will eliminate the 
"tipped minimum wage" --- the two-tiered system under which restaurant and bar 
owners pay servers, bartenders and bussers a lower hourly wage with the 
expectation that they will be compensated with tips from customers.

   Currently, these employees can make as little as $3.33 per hour; however, 
the employer is legally required to make up the difference if the employee's 
salary plus tips add up to less than the current minimum wage of $12.50 per 
hour. The ballot initiative will require employers to pay everyone at least the 
minimum wage.

   The proposal has touched off a spirited public debate inside Washington's 
robust restaurant and bar scene, with signs on the walls and many waiters, 
waitresses and bartenders wearing pins expressing their opinion.

   Proponents argued it would protect employees from unscrupulous owners who 
refuse to follow the law and match wages to bring earnings up to $12.50 per 
hour. They also said it would reduce sexual harassment by making servers less 
dependent on the whims of sometimes-inappropriate customers.

   However, the proposal was opposed by a large percentage of both owners and 
tipped employees. Owners claimed that the financial hit could force many bars 
and restaurants to close --- and those that stay in business would only do so 
by introducing a new service charge, which would have the effect of eliminating 
most tipping.

   Many servers and bartenders also said they are already guaranteed at least 
the minimum wage under the current law while retaining the potential to earn 
far more depending on those tips.

   In other votes, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Washington's non-voting delegate to 
the House of Representatives, and several incumbent members of the D.C. Council 
won their primary races. Incumbent councilmembers securing nominations Tuesday 
include Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne Nadeau, 
Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie, Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen and 
At-Large Councilmember Anita Bonds. Ward 3 Councilmember Mary Cheh ran 
unopposed.

   The District's non-voting shadow senator Michael Brown also won his primary 
race.


(KA)

House GOP Escalates DOJ Standoff       06/20 06:24

   House Republicans escalated their monthslong standoff with the Justice 
Department, saying the FBI hasn't adequately addressed bias within the agency 
and threatening to hold top department officials in contempt -- or even impeach 
them.

   WASHINGTON (AP) -- House Republicans escalated their monthslong standoff 
with the Justice Department, saying the FBI hasn't adequately addressed bias 
within the agency and threatening to hold top department officials in contempt 
--- or even impeach them.

   The stepped-up criticism followed the department's internal watchdog report, 
released last week, criticizing the FBI's handling of the 2016 probe into 
Democrat Hillary Clinton's emails. It said political bias didn't affect the 
outcome of the investigation that eventually cleared her.

   Bolstered by President Donald Trump, some Republicans say there's no way 
that bias against then-candidate Trump found among some employees didn't taint 
the Clinton probe --- and, by extension, special counsel Robert Mueller's 
investigation into Trump's Republican campaign and Russia.

   At a House hearing Tuesday, Republicans angrily asked Justice Department 
inspector general Michael Horowitz how anti-Trump texts found between some 
employees who worked on the Clinton probe didn't influence the outcome. They 
also complained that they have not yet received some of the documents they have 
demanded from the department.

   "We can't survive with a justice system we don't trust," said Republican 
Rep. Trey Gowdy of South Carolina, the chairman of the House Oversight and 
Government Reform Committee.

   Horowitz said in the report and repeated at the hearing that he had 
concluded the outcome of the investigation was determined by prosecutors' 
assessment of the facts, not by bias.

   Democrats accused the Republicans of trying to distract from or undermine 
the Mueller investigation by focusing on a few employees who were biased. 
Several Democrats talked about children separated from their parents at the 
border, asking why the committee's focus was still on the candidate who lost 
the presidency in 2016 instead of on current crises.

   Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland said Republicans were stuck in a 
"time warp." Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of California noted that the 
Judiciary Committee oversees immigration issues and should be focused on that.

   Trump, who falsely claimed last week that the report exonerated him in the 
Russia probe, took the opposite view. In a speech to the National Federation of 
Independent Business on Tuesday, Trump said Democrats "want to focus on 
immigration because they want to keep the cameras away from the hearings."

   The inspector general report did not touch on the Russia investigation.

   The outrage in the wake of the inspector general's report is the latest in a 
series of complaints from Republicans about the FBI. Multiple committees are 
investigating the agency's actions in 2016 related to the Clinton email probe 
and the beginning of the investigation into Russian election meddling and 
whether Trump's campaign was involved. Mueller took over the Russia 
investigation last year and is also investigating whether Trump obstructed 
justice.

   As part of their investigations, Republicans have requested more than a 
million documents. The Justice Department has provided some of them, but GOP 
lawmakers say they haven't provided enough --- leading to the threats of 
contempt or impeachment. House Speaker Paul Ryan has backed the document 
requests, and he led a meeting last week with three committee chairmen and 
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to try to resolve the issue.

   A person familiar with the speaker's meeting said Ryan and the other 
Republicans made clear to the Justice Department that they need to comply with 
the requests or "face consequences from the whole House." The person spoke on 
condition of anonymity because the meeting was not public.

   Rep. Devin Nunes, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said in 
an interview Sunday with Maria Bartiromo of the Fox Business Network that the 
deadline is "this week" and that if they don't get the documents in time, 
"there's going to be hell to pay."

   The relationship between the Justice Department and Nunes has been 
particularly tense. Nunes has demanded multiple sensitive documents as he has 
investigated, among other things, whether the FBI abused the Foreign 
Intelligence Surveillance Act when prosecutors and agents in 2016 applied for 
and received a secret warrant to monitor the communications of a Trump campaign 
associate.

   Recently Nunes requested documents related to an informant who spoke to 
members of the Trump campaign during the election as the FBI's Russia 
investigation began. Rosenstein has now held three classified briefings with 
congressional leaders on that topic, and the department says it has provided 
those members with documents during those briefings. But Nunes is still 
unsatisfied, telling The Associated Press after the third briefing last week 
that he wants the entire intelligence committee to see the documents and "my 
patience is out."

   The documents he is requesting are classified, so Nunes has not described 
them publicly.


(KA)

Stocks Higher as Trade Fears Ease      06/20 09:40

   U.S. stocks are mostly higher Wednesday morning as global markets let go of 
some of their fears about the growing trade dispute between the U.S. and China. 

   NEW YORK (AP) -- U.S. stocks are mostly higher Wednesday morning as global 
markets let go of some of their fears about the growing trade dispute between 
the U.S. and China. Technology companies and banks are making some of the 
largest gains. Twenty-First Century Fox is jumping after it agreed to a new 
deal with Disney, which will buy Fox's entertainment businesses for $71.3 
billion. Walgreens rose after it was added to the Dow Jones industrial average, 
where it will replace General Electric next week.

   KEEPING SCORE: The S&P 500 index rose 5 points, or 0.2 percent, to 2,767 as 
of 10:15 a.m. Eastern time. The Dow slipped 10 points to 24,690. The Nasdaq 
composite gained 45 points, or 0.7 percent, to 7,771, which put it on track for 
a record high. The Russell 2000 index of smaller-company stocks added 5 points, 
or 0.3 percent, to 1,699 after it closed at another record high Tuesday.

   The S&P fell as much as 1.1 percent early Tuesday as trade tensions between 
the U.S. and China increased, but the benchmark index wound up with a loss of 
just 11 points, or 0.4 percent. While President Donald Trump threatened to put 
new tariffs on as much as $400 billion in imports from China and China 
threatened to retaliate, investors felt that many industries don't face a major 
threat from the proposals and that smaller, more U.S.-focused companies are 
likely to keep doing well.

   Both countries plan to put tariffs on about $50 billion in imports in early 
July, which still leaves them with several weeks to negotiate.

   SEQUEL: Twenty-First Century Fox jumped again after it accepted a new offer 
from Disney that values Fox's entertainment and international businesses at 
$71.3 billion in cash and stock. Fox accepted a $52.4 billion bid from Disney 
in December before Comcast offered to buy those businesses for $65 billion. Fox 
surged 6.2 percent to $47.48 while Disney added 0.9 percent to $107.01. Comcast 
edged up 0.2 per cent to $32.86.

   DOW AND OUT: General Electric is coming out of the Dow Jones industrial 
average after more than a century and it will be replaced by Walgreens Boots 
Alliance on Tuesday. GE was part of the Dow when the index was created 1896 and 
it's the last component that remains an independent publicly traded company.

   GE is by far the least expensive Dow stock in terms of share price, which is 
how the Dow is weighted. Walgreens jumped 2.9 percent to $66.45 Wednesday while 
GE added 0.1 percent to $12.96 after several days of losses.

   For years GE has been struggling in critical markets and selling off 
businesses. It's also given some weak forecasts and early this year said the 
Securities and Exchange Commission was investigating the company over a $15 
billion hit taken to cover miscalculations made within an insurance unit. 
Adjusted for inflation, GE was worth around $860 billion in mid-2000, but it's 
worth $112 billion now, including a drop of more than 50 percent over the last 
12 months.

   BITTER TASTE: Starbucks said it will close more stores than usual next year 
to try to boost its sales growth. It plans to close 150 locations and also said 
it expects 1 percent sales growth in the third quarter. The stock dropped 6.7 
percent to $53.58.

   DIDN'T SEE IT COMING: Oracle lost 4.5 percent to $44.21. The software maker 
had a solid fiscal fourth quarter, but investors were concerned about its sales 
projections.

   ENERGY: Oil futures ticked up ahead of Friday's OPEC meeting, where most 
experts think the group will increase production. As a result of that view, 
crude prices have dropped over the last few weeks. Benchmark U.S. crude rose 
1.3 percent to $65.77 a barrel in New York. Brent crude, the international 
standard for oil prices, rose 0.7 percent to $75.57 a barrel in London.

   BONDS: Bond prices inched lower. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose 
to 2.91 percent from 2.90 percent.

   CURRENCIES: The dollar rose to 110.16 yen from 110.07 yen. The euro edged up 
to $1.1578 from $1.1575.

   OVERSEAS: The FTSE 100 in Britain jumped 0.8 percent and Germany's DAX was 
up 0.1 percent. France's CAC 40 lost 0.1 percent. After sharp losses the day 
before, Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 index rebounded 1.2 percent and South 
Korea's Kospi gained 1 percent. Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 0.8 percent.


(BE)