EU: Brexit Deal Possible This Week 10/15 06:05
EU: Brexit Deal Possible This Week 10/15 06:05 The European Union said Tuesday that a Brexit divorce deal is possible this week but that the British government's proposals so far are not sufficient to seal an agreement. LUXEMBOURG (AP) -- The European Union said Tuesday that a Brexit divorce deal is possible this week but that the British government's proposals so far are not sufficient to seal an agreement. The EU's Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said ahead of a meeting of EU ministers that the main challenge now is to turn British proposals on the complex issue of the border on the island of Ireland into something binding. Barnier said it is "high time to turn good intentions into a legal text." Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok said the British proposals to keep the Irish border protected from smuggling and fraud once the U.K. leaves the bloc remain insufficient. "The U.K. proposal contained some steps forward but not enough to guarantee that the internal market will be protected," Blok said. EU leaders are meeting for a two-day summit in Brussels from Thursday. Brexit will top the agenda as the Oct. 31 Brexit deadline looms. "Even if an agreement will be difficult --- more and more difficult, we think --- it is still possible this week," Barnier said. EU ministers insisted it was for Prime Minister Boris Johnson to make the next move, with French Europe Minister Amelie de Montchalin saying that the EU nations "will be firm on our fundamentals." Meanwhile, the insistence that the summit this week would be a cutoff moment is quickly fading. Three EU nations have predicted the negotiations could spill over into next week. Antti Rinne, prime minister of Finland, which currently holds the rotating EU presidency, said in Helsinki late Monday that he had given up hope for a quick breakthrough ahead of the Brexit summit. "There is no time in a practical way, and in legal base, to reach an agreement before the meeting," Rinne said. "We need to have more time." Blok agreed. "Let's use the remaining time until the Oct. 31." There has been increasing talk about an extra summit close to the end of the month. Technical teams from Britain and the EU worked through the weekend and Monday, but both sides said significant gaps remained between their positions. (KR)
Climate Activists Keep Up Protests 10/15 06:08
Climate Activists Keep Up Protests 10/15 06:08 LONDON (AP) -- Climate protesters in London plan to keep up their campaign despite being ousted by police order from their Trafalgar Square encampment. The Metropolitan Police had said Extinction Rebellion protesters and their tents must leave the square by Monday evening. The force said it was a "proportionate and reasonable" move to end a major disruption. More than 1,400 people have been arrested since the group began blocking roads, bridges and airports in London a week ago to demand faster action on climate change. Most have been released without charge. Extinction Rebellion said Tuesday it had "let the Trafalgar Square site go" but "the international rebellion continues." On Tuesday, a member of the group climbed atop an entrance to the Department for Transport to protest the downing of trees for a high-speed rail project. (KR)
Trump Imposes Sanctions on Turkey 10/15 06:09
Trump Imposes Sanctions on Turkey 10/15 06:09 Targeting Turkey's economy, President Donald Trump announced sanctions aimed at restraining the Turks' assault against Kurdish fighters and civilians in Syria -- an assault Turkey began after Trump announced he was moving U.S. troops out of the way. WASHINGTON (AP) -- Targeting Turkey's economy, President Donald Trump announced sanctions aimed at restraining the Turks' assault against Kurdish fighters and civilians in Syria --- an assault Turkey began after Trump announced he was moving U.S. troops out of the way. The United States on Monday also called on Turkey to stop the invasion and declare a cease-fire, and Trump is sending Vice President Mike Pence and national security adviser Robert O'Brien to Ankara as soon as possible in an attempt to begin negotiations. Pence said Trump spoke directly to Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who promised not to attack the border town of Kobani, which in 2015 witnessed the Islamic State group's first defeat in a battle by U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters. "President Trump communicated to him very clearly that the United States of America wants Turkey to stop the invasion, implement an immediate cease-fire and to begin to negotiate with Kurdish forces in Syria to bring an end to the violence," Pence said. The Americans were scrambling for Syria's exits, a move criticized at home and abroad as opening the door to a resurgence of the Islamic State group, whose violent takeover of Syrian and Iraqi lands five years ago was the reason American forces went in the first place. Trump said the approximately 1,000 U.S. troops who had been partnering with local Kurdish fighters to battle the Islamic State in northern Syria are leaving the country. They will remain in the Middle East, he said, to "monitor the situation" and to prevent a revival of IS --- a goal that even Trump's allies say has become much more difficult as a result of the U.S. pullout. The Turks began attacks in Syria last week against the Syrian Kurdish fighters, whom the Turks see as terrorists. On Monday, Syrian government troops moved north toward the border region, setting up a potential clash with Turkish-led forces. Trump said Turkey's invasion is "precipitating a humanitarian crisis and setting conditions for possible war crimes," a reference to reports of Turkish-backed fighters executing Kurdish fighters on the battlefield. The Kurdish forces previously allied with the U.S. said they had reached a deal with President Bashar Assad's government to help them fend off Turkey's invasion, a move that brings Russian forces deeper into the conflict. In his sanctions announcement, Trump said he was halting negotiations on a $100 billion trade deal with Turkey and raising steel tariffs back up to 50%. Trump also imposed sanctions on three senior Turkish officials and Turkey's defense and energy ministries. "I am fully prepared to swiftly destroy Turkey's economy if Turkish leaders continue down this dangerous and destructive path," Trump said. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the sanctions will hurt an already weak Turkish economy. Pence said the U.S. will continue to ramp up the sanctions "unless Turkey is willing to embrace a cease-fire, come to the negotiating table and end the violence." American troops consolidated their positions in northern Syria on Monday and prepared to evacuate equipment in advance of a full withdrawal, a U.S. defense official said. The official, who was not authorized to be quoted by name, said U.S. officials were weighing options for a potential future counter-IS campaign, including the possibility of waging it with a combination of air power and special operations forces based outside Syria, perhaps in Iraq. The hurried preparations for a U.S. exit were triggered by Trump's decision Saturday to expand a limited troop pullout into a complete withdrawal. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Monday he would travel to NATO headquarters in Brussels next week to urge European allies to impose "diplomatic and economic measures" against Turkey --- a fellow NATO ally --- for what Esper called Ankara's "egregious" actions. Esper said Turkey's incursion had created unacceptable risk to U.S. forces in northern Syria and "we also are at risk of being engulfed in a broader conflict." The only exception to the U.S. withdrawal from Syria is a group of perhaps 200 troops who will remain at a base called Tanf in southern Syria near the Jordanian border along the strategically important Baghdad-to-Damascus highway. Those troops work with Syrian opposition forces unrelated to the Kurdish-led fighters in northern Syria. Esper said the U.S. withdrawal would be done carefully to protect the troops and to ensure no U.S. equipment was left behind. He declined to say how long that might take. In a series of tweets Monday, Trump defended his gamble that pulling U.S. forces out of Syria would not weaken U.S. security and credibility. He took sarcastic swipes at critics who say his Syria withdrawal amounts to a betrayal of the Kurds and plays into the hands of Russia. "Anyone who wants to assist Syria in protecting the Kurds is good with me, whether it is Russia, China, or Napoleon Bonaparte," he wrote. "I hope they all do great, we are 7,000 miles away!" Trump has dug in on his decision to pull out the troops, believing it fulfills a key campaign promise and will be a winning issue in the 2020 election, according to White House officials. This has effectively ended a five-year effort to partner with Syrian Kurdish and Arab fighters to ensure a lasting defeat of the Islamic State group. Hundreds of IS supporters escaped a holding camp amid clashes between invading Turkish-led forces and Kurdish fighters, and analysts said an IS resurgence seemed more likely, just months after Trump declared the extremists defeated. Trump spoke about the IS detainees in a phone call Monday with Kurdish General Mazloum Kobani. Pence said Mazloum assured the president that Kurdish forces would continue to support the prisons holding IS fighters. Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell, normally a staunch Trump supporter, said he was "gravely concerned" by events in Syria and Trump's response so far. Withdrawing U.S. forces from Syria "would re-create the very conditions that we have worked hard to destroy and invite the resurgence of ISIS," he said in a statement. "And such a withdrawal would also create a broader power vacuum in Syria that will be exploited by Iran and Russia, a catastrophic outcome for the United States' strategic interests." New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Trump is weakening America. "To be clear, this administration's chaotic and haphazard approach to policy by tweet is endangering the lives of U.S. troops and civilians," Menendez said in a statement. However, Trump got quick support from Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who earlier had lambasted his withdrawal decision as "shortsighted," ''irresponsible" and "unnerving to its core." Graham said he was asked to join the president and his team for phone calls with the key leaders in the conflict. "President Trump made it clear to President Erdogan this incursion is widely unpopular in the United States, greatly destabilizing to the region, is putting in jeopardy our successes against ISIS, and will eventually benefit Iran," Graham said. The Kurds have turned to the Syrian government and Russia for military assistance, further complicating the battlefield. The prospect of enhancing the Syrian government's position on the battlefield and inviting Russia to get more directly involved is seen by Trump's critics as a major mistake. But he tweeted that it shouldn't matter. "Others may want to come in and fight for one side or the other," he wrote. "Let them!" (KR)
Putin Seeks to Enhance Ties With UAE 10/15 06:11
Putin Seeks to Enhance Ties With UAE 10/15 06:11 DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, as part of a Mideast tour aimed at strengthening ties between Moscow and this longtime U.S. ally amid tensions in the wider Persian Gulf. Abu Dhabi's powerful crown prince, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, met Putin at the airport and traveled with him to the Qasr Al Watan palace. As they arrived, troops on horseback flanked their limousine as military jets flew overhead and left a trail of smoke in the color of the Russian flag. The martial demonstrations, mirroring one given to Pope Francis in February, showed the importance the UAE, a federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula, put on Putin's first visit since 2007. Part of that is simply business. Russians increasingly have turned to the UAE's skyscraper-studded city of Dubai to both do business and vacation along its beaches. Other emirates as well see Russian travelers, with some hotels having their signs in Cyrillic. Russia and other nations also have joined OPEC in a grouping called OPEC+, cutting their production to help boost prices. Crude oil sold for over $100 a barrel in the summer of 2014 before bottoming out below $30 a barrel in January 2016. On Monday, it traded just under $60 a barrel for benchmark Brent crude. The region's security situation is the other part. Russia has worked with Iran to support embattled Syrian President Bashar Assad in his country's long war. While opposing Assad at the beginning of the conflict, the UAE now seems to accept Assad will remain in power there. Abu Dhabi has reopened its embassy in Damascus and is encouraging renewed business ties. Meanwhile, the Emirates has tried to ease tensions with Iran after President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw the U.S. from Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers over a year ago. Oil tankers off the UAE's coast came under attack by what the U.S. Navy described as Iranian magnetic mines, something denied by Tehran. Iran also seized a UAE-based oil tanker in recent months as well. In the time since, Abu Dhabi quietly has reached out to Iran and pulled troops from a Saudi-led war in Yemen targeting Shiite rebels there aligned with Tehran. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Monday acknowledged a high-level official from the UAE had traveled to Iran for talks recently and said the relations between the two countries had improved recently. Yet all this comes as the U.S. remains the major security partner for the UAE. Some 5,000 American troops are stationed in the UAE and Dubai's Jebel Ali port remains the Navy's top overseas port of call. In remarks at Qasr Al Watan, Sheikh Mohammed praised Russia's relationship with the Emirates. "I hope this visit will have a deep effect to enhance the strategic relationship between our countries," the crown prince said. (KR)
Money, Hatred Drives Turkey's Fighters 10/15 06:12
Money, Hatred Drives Turkey's Fighters 10/15 06:12 BEIRUT (AP) -- The Syrian fighters vowed to kill "pigs" and "infidels," paraded their Kurdish captives in front of cameras and, in one graphic video, fired several rounds into a man lying on the side of a highway with his hands bound behind his back. They are part of the self-styled Syrian National Army, the shock troops in Turkey's offensive against U.S.-allied Kurdish forces who were abandoned last week after President Donald Trump ordered the withdrawal of American troops from northern Syria. The Syrian fighters, trained and funded by Turkey, present themselves as heirs to the uprising against Syrian President Bashar Assad. But while they include some Islamic extremists and past members of some Syrian rebel factions, many are Arab and Turkmen fighters from northern and eastern Syria who have an ax to grind against the Kurds and a reputation for violence and looting. "The main problem with these forces is their criminality," said Elizabeth Tsurkov, a fellow at the U.S.-based Foreign Policy Research Institute who has interviewed dozens of the fighters and said they appear to be driven by a desire for power and money rather than by any specific ideology. "Hatred of Kurds, a sense of Arab chauvinism, complete intolerance for any dissent, and just a desire to make a profit is what's driving most of the abuses," she said. Since Turkey began funding the force in 2016, its fighters have yet to battle Assad's troops. Instead, they have mostly fought in Turkey's cross-border offensives against the Islamic State group and the Syrian Democratic Forces, a Kurdish-led militia that had partnered with the United States and battled IS extremists with far greater success. In the latest offensive, the Turkish-led Syrian forces have pushed deep into northeastern Syria, an ethnically and religiously mixed region, raising fears of ethnic conflict and human rights abuses. Some of the factions allied with Turkey have been accused of banditry, and others include hard-line Islamic militants in their ranks. Turkey views the Kurdish militia that forms the core of the SDF as a terrorist group because of its links to Kurdish fighters who have waged a decades-long insurgency inside Turkey. After threatening for months to invade northeastern Syria and carve out a "safe zone" along the border, Turkey launched an offensive last week after Trump cleared the way for it by moving U.S. troops out of the way. As the situation on the ground descends into chaos and Syrian government troops move north to lend support to their former foes, the Kurds, Turkey's Syrian fighters are pouring across the border from Turkey, posting videos in which they threaten Kurdish "pigs" and "atheists." Backed by Turkish airstrikes and artillery, the fighters have provided the bulk of the ground forces and taken the most casualties. At least 16 Syrian fighters have been killed compared to four Turkish soldiers since the operation began last week. Over the weekend they captured a major highway that runs across northern Syria. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said the Turkey-backed fighters shot and killed six civilians along the road, including Hevreen Khalaf, a woman who led a Kurdish political party. In a video circulated online, fighters can be seen rushing toward a bullet-ridden armored vehicle, saying they have captured a "pig." A woman's faint voice can be heard from within, saying she is the head of a political party. The video indicates Khalaf was captured alive and later died or was killed. A U.S. military official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss operational details, said "extremist Turkish proxies" had advanced along the highway, setting up checkpoints where they posed as Kurdish fighters and killed civilians. In a series of tweets, one of the Turkey-backed groups, known as Ahrar al-Sharqiya, posted pictures of two supposed Kurdish fighters it said it had captured. Another video posted online showed the Syrian fighters screaming "God is greatest!" as they fired several rounds into a bound prisoner who resembled one of the captured men in the previous video. A spokesman for Ahrar al-Sharqiya, Al-Harith Rabah, said his force had set up a checkpoint on the highway and fired at those who refused to stop. He said the man killed in the video was a Kurdish fighter in civilian clothes who had fought until he ran out of ammunition. He said the Turkey-backed force is investigating the shooting and had summoned the gunmen for questioning. "We provided proof they were armed men," Rabah told The Associated Press. "Anyone on the battlefield, when there is resistance, one is obligated to react and deal with those who resist." Turkish officials did not respond to a request for comment on the Syrian forces, some of whom are heard using religious language in some of the videos, even borrowing slogans from the IS group. At least some of the factions include Islamic extremists. The Rojava Information Center, an activist collective in the Kurdish-held areas, has identified at least 40 former IS militants among the Turkey-backed fighters. Tsurkov said one faction is made up of fighters from Idlib, a stronghold for an al-Qaida-linked group, who are "less prone to criminality and just straight-up extremists." That bodes ill for northeastern Syria, home to a patchwork of Kurdish, Christian and other minority communities that have already suffered throughout the rise of IS and the devastating war that dismantled its self-styled caliphate. The U.N. said more than 130,000 people have fled since the Turkish operation began. As Syrian Kurdish forces fall back, there are fears that those who remain will end up like the residents of Afrin, a Kurdish enclave in northwestern Syria seized by Turkey and its Syrian allies early last year. Rights groups say the Turkish-backed fighters looted and destroyed the property of Kurdish civilians in Afrin. Last month, a U.N. commission said the overall security situation in and around Afrin "remained dire " as armed groups carved out their own fiefdoms. The Rojava Information Center said some factions have imposed a strict form of Islamic law. "There is a general absence of rule of law and repeated incidents of kidnappings, torture, extortion and assassination," the U.N. commission said, adding that victims were "often of Kurdish origin as well as civilians perceived as being prosperous, including doctors, businessmen and merchants." (KR)
Top Dems Face Scrutiny at Debate 10/15 06:15
Top Dems Face Scrutiny at Debate 10/15 06:15 WESTERVILLE, Ohio (AP) -- Joe Biden is facing baseless --- but persistent--- allegations of wrongdoing overseas that could undermine his argument that he's best positioned to defeat the president. Bernie Sanders is recovering from a heart attack that raised questions about his ability to withstand the vigor of a presidential campaign. And Elizabeth Warren is fending off new scrutiny of her biography. A dozen Democratic presidential candidates will meet on Tuesday for the most crowded presidential debate in modern history. But it's the three leading candidates --- Biden, Sanders and Warren --- who face the most intense spotlight that could expose glaring liabilities in their quest for the White House. The debate marks the first time the candidates will meet since the House moved forward with an impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump. While they are united on that issue, the debate will again expose a political party struggling to coalesce around a unifying message or messenger with the first primary contest just over three months away. The event, hosted by CNN and The New York Times, will be held in Ohio, a state that has long helped decide presidential elections but has drifted away from Democrats in recent years. The White House hopefuls will represent the political and personal diversity that has come to define the Democratic Party of 2019: four women, four people of color, an openly gay man and an age range that spans four decades. Sanders, a Vermont senator, will be under pressure to prove he has the physical and mental stamina to stand on a podium for three hours less than two weeks after suffering a heart attack. Age was already a concern for the 78-year-old even before he was taken to a Nevada hospital earlier this month and had two stents put in to clear a clogged artery in his heart. Sanders and his allies insist the health scare has only strengthened his commitment to the 2020 contest --- and his case for his signature health care plan, "Medicare for All." Sanders plans to note, as he has in recent days, that millions of Americans without health insurance could have been forced into bankruptcy --- or worse --- under the same circumstances. "Bernie is a political marathon runner," said Sanders' confidante RoseAnn DeMoro, the former executive director of National Nurses United. "I think the debate is going to be a great reassurance to the public." The stakes are also high for Warren, Sanders' ideological ally, who stands on the debate stage for the first time as a front-runner, a status that makes her a top target of rivals in both political parties. Biden, 76, and others have jabbed her intense focus on detailed liberal policies that may be difficult to implement with a divided Congress. South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg has highlighted the absence of a specific Warren health care plan; she has embraced Sanders' single-payer plan instead. Republicans, meanwhile, have raised questions about whether Warren, 70, was actually forced from her teaching job because of a pregnancy nearly a half century ago, a claim that has become a core part of her personal message. Critics have pointed to past speeches and documents that suggest she left on her own. Warren is standing by her story. The issue is particularly threatening because it's not the first time she has been accused of embellishing her biography. Warren, a Massachusetts senator, has already apologized for claiming Native American heritage decades ago. While it showed distant tribal ancestry, it also sparked a rebuke of Warren from some Native Americans for attributing tribal membership to genetics. "The good news is that most attempts to attack Warren actually make her stronger," said Adam Green, a Warren supporter and co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee. "Questioning whether she got fired for being pregnant ended up increasing her breadth and intensity of support, particularly among women." Biden is no stranger to the pressure of front-runner status. But he enters his fourth debate under the weight of intensifying questions from Trump about his family's work overseas. Without proof, Trump has repeatedly said that Biden's 49-year-old son, Hunter, improperly profited from work in Ukraine and China while the elder Biden was vice president. Trump also insists that Biden used his office to protect his son from allegations of wrongdoing. There is no evidence to any of the claims, and some of Biden's Democratic rivals have defended him against Trump's baseless attacks. But he will almost certainly be asked by the debate moderators to defend himself. Hunter Biden will participate in a series of interviews on ABC in the hours before the debate. Biden addressed the situation over the weekend, promising to bar family members from occupying any office within the White House if elected. But he has yet to address Trump's allegations facing a national debate audience. How he fares could determine whether he maintains his place atop the crowded field. Many other candidates, meanwhile, are fighting for their very political survival. The debate will also feature Buttigieg, California Sen. Kamala Harris, New York entrepreneur Andrew Yang, former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, former Obama housing chief Julin Castro, billionaire activist Tom Steyer and Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard. With the Iowa caucuses scheduled for Feb. 3, time is quickly running out for the lower-tier candidates to make a move. Based on current polling, several wouldn't qualify for the next round of debates. The risks offer a compelling reason for the struggling White House hopefuls to be more aggressive. Buttigieg has squabbled with O'Rourke recently over guns, and he signaled over the weekend that he planned to make a sharper distinction between himself and Warren. Health care emerged as a key contrast among candidates in recent debates and it likely will again, at least according to the 37-year-old mayor, whose plan would give people a choice of whether to join a government-backed health care system or their private insurer. Speaking to a labor union audience at a presidential candidate forum in Iowa, he warned that some of his competitors, without explicitly naming Warren, would give Americans no choice. "I'm not pushing Medicare for All whether you want it or not," Buttigieg said. (KR)
Trump Advisor Opposed Ambassador Firing10/15 06:16
Trump Advisor Opposed Ambassador Firing10/15 06:16 Fiona Hill, a former White House adviser on Russia, told House impeachment investigators behind closed doors that she had strongly and repeatedly objected to the ouster earlier this year of former ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, according to a person familiar with the testimony. WASHINGTON (AP) -- Fiona Hill, a former White House adviser on Russia, told House impeachment investigators behind closed doors that she had strongly and repeatedly objected to the ouster earlier this year of former ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, according to a person familiar with the testimony. Yovanovitch previously testified that President Donald Trump pressured the State Department to fire her. Hill made the remarks on Monday as she testified for more than 10 hours in the Democratic inquiry, which is probing Trump's pleas to Ukrainian officials for investigations into political rival Joe Biden's family and into the country's involvement in the 2016 presidential election. The person requested anonymity to discuss the confidential interview. The interview is one of what could eventually become dozens of closed-door depositions in the impeachment probe. There are five more scheduled this week, mostly with State Department officials, though it is unclear if they will all appear after Trump declared he wouldn't cooperate with the probe. While interviews have focused on the interactions with Ukraine, the probe could broaden as soon as next week to include interviews with White House budget officials who may be able to shed light on whether military aid was withheld from Ukraine as Trump and his lawyer Rudy Giuliani pushed for the investigations. The three committees leading the probe are seeking interviews next week with Russell Vought, acting director of the Office of Management and Budget, and Michael Duffey, another OMB official who leads national security programs, according to a person familiar with those requests. That person wasn't authorized to discuss the invitations and requested anonymity. The packed schedule of interviews comes as Democrats are methodically working to pin down the details of Trump's pressure on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Once Democrats have completed the probe and followed any other threads it produces, they will use their findings to help determine whether to vote on articles of impeachment. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she wants the committees to move "expeditiously." Democrats have already obtained documents and testimony that verify parts of an original whistleblower's complaint that launched the probe. A cache of text messages between three diplomats provided by one of the inquiry's first witnesses, former Ukrainian envoy Kurt Volker, detailed attempts by the diplomats to serve as intermediaries around the time Trump urged Zelenskiy to start the investigations into a company linked to Biden's son. Yovanovitch told lawmakers on Friday that there was a "concerted campaign" against her based on "unfounded and false claims by people with clearly questionable motives." One of the diplomats in the text exchanges, U.S. ambassador Gordon Sondland, is expected to appear for a deposition under subpoena Thursday. He's expected to tell Congress that his text message reassuring another envoy that there was no quid pro quo in their interactions with Ukraine was based solely on what Trump told him, according to a person familiar with his coming testimony. Also up this week: Michael McKinley, a former top aide to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo who resigned last week. McKinley, a career foreign service officer and Pompeo's de facto chief of staff, resigned Friday, ending a 37-year career. He is scheduled to testify behind closed doors Wednesday. The committees are also scheduled to talk to Deputy Assistant Secretary of State George Kent on Tuesday and Ulrich Brechbuhl, a State Department counselor, on Thursday. On Friday, the lawmakers have scheduled an interview with Laura Cooper, who is the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia. It is unclear if any of those officials will show up after Trump's vow of non-cooperation. Because of the Trump administration's edict, the Democrats have been subpoenaing witnesses as they arrived for their interviews --- a move sometimes known as a "friendly" subpoena that could give the witnesses additional legal protection as they testify. Both Yovanovitch and Hill received subpoenas the mornings of their testimony. One witness who may not be called before Congress is the still-anonymous government whistleblower who touched off the impeachment inquiry. Top Democrats say testimony and evidence coming in from other witnesses, and even the Republican president himself, are backing up the whistleblower's account of what transpired during Trump's July 25 phone call with Zelenskiy. Lawmakers have grown deeply concerned about protecting the person from Trump's threats and may not wish to risk exposing the whistleblower's identity. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said Sunday it "may not be necessary" to reveal the whistleblower's identity as the House gathers evidence. He said Democrats "don't need the whistleblower, who wasn't on the call, to tell us what took place on the call." Schiff said the "primary interest right now is making sure that that person is protected." Trump showed no signs of backing down. "Adam Schiff now doesn't seem to want the Whistleblower to testify. NO!" the Republican president tweeted Monday. "We must determine the Whistleblower's identity to determine WHY this was done to the USA." Republican lawmakers have aimed their ire at Democrats and the process, saying Pelosi should hold a vote to begin the inquiry and hold the meetings out in the open, not behind closed doors. "The tragedy here and the crime here is that the American people don't get to see what's going on in these sessions," said Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, the top Republican on the House Oversight and Reform panel. (KR)
US Stocks Higher on Solid Earnings 10/15 11:16
US Stocks Higher on Solid Earnings 10/15 11:16 Stocks marched higher in morning trading on Wall Street Tuesday after some of the nation's largest companies reported surprisingly good financial results. NEW YORK (AP) -- Stocks marched higher in morning trading on Wall Street Tuesday after some of the nation's largest companies reported surprisingly good financial results. The earnings reports from a mix of health care and financial companies gave the market direction after a wobbly Monday as investors weighed the impact of a truce in the U.S.-China trade war. The latest round of corporate earnings will give them a clearer picture of that long-running dispute's impact on the broader economy and various industries. Health care stocks led the market as insurer UnitedHealth Group and health care products company Johnson & Johnson raised their annual financial forecasts following third-quarter results that beat Wall Street expectations. Chipmaker Nvidia rose 4.7% and led technology stocks higher. Solid financial results from JPMorgan Chase and Charles Schwab helped push financial stocks higher. Bond prices fell. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 1.75% from 1.73% late Friday. Bond markets were closed Monday for Columbus Day. Utilities, real estate companies and makers of consumer goods all fell as investors regained an appetite for more risk. The sectors are considered safe-play holdings and usually lag the market when investors are more confident. Tuesday marks the beginning of a busy few days for corporate earnings. United Airlines Holdings will report later in the day and give investors an early glimpse into the health of the airline industry. Banks continue their earnings reports on Wednesday with Bank of America and PNC Financial. Railroad giant CSX, Netflix and IBM will also report results on Wednesday. KEEPING SCORE: The S&P 500 index rose 1.1% as of 11:15 a.m. Eastern time. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 271 points, or 1%, to 27,054. The Nasdaq rose 1.1%. OVERSEAS: European markets rose. The European Union said that a deal with Britain is still possible ahead of their expected separation on Oct. 31. The trading bloc said that Britain needs to move ahead with more compromises to seal an agreement. Markets in Asia were mixed. EARNINGS WORRIES: The early batch of upbeat financial reports come amid broader concerns for another rough round of quarterly earnings reports as a wide range of industries absorb the impact of ongoing trade disputes and growing economic uncertainty. Corporate earnings are expected to contract by nearly 5% during the third quarter, according to FactSet. The dire prediction could soften as more companies report earnings. Similar forecasts were made ahead of both the first and second quarter reporting periods and companies in the S&P 500 managed to deliver only a modest contraction each time. Once again, analysts and investors will be listening closely to company forecasts for the rest of the year to gauge the economic impact of the U.S.-China trade war and other issues that could crimp economic growth. HEALTHY FORECASTS: UnitedHealth Group rose 8.3% after it hiked its 2019 profit forecast. The nation's largest health insurance company said the addition of hundreds of clinics to its health care services business helped drive revenue and profit during the third quarter, both of which beat Wall Street forecasts. Johnson & Johnson, the world's biggest maker of health care products, rose 1.8% after it also raised its profit forecast for the year following solid third quarter results. The company cited higher sales of key medicines for cancer and immune disorders. BANKS AT BAT: JPMorgan Chase rose 3.8% after the bank beat Wall Street's third quarter profit forecasts on growth from higher interest rates and solid performance from its investment banking business. Other major banks reported mixed results. Goldman Sachs fell 1.5% after reporting a dive in third quarter profits on losses from some of its public investments and as it struggled to drum up advisory business. Citigroup rose 1.9% while Wells Fargo rose 1.3%. (CZ)
