Russia,Ukraine to Revive Peace Process 12/10 06:07
Russia,Ukraine to Revive Peace Process 12/10 06:07 The presidents of Ukraine and Russia agreed Monday to revive the peace process on the bloody separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine and exchange all their prisoners, but they failed to resolve crucial issues such as a timeline on local elections and control of the borders in the rebel-held region. PARIS (AP) -- The presidents of Ukraine and Russia agreed Monday to revive the peace process on the bloody separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine and exchange all their prisoners, but they failed to resolve crucial issues such as a timeline on local elections and control of the borders in the rebel-held region. At the first meeting between new Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Russian President Vladimir Putin, the two leaders failed to find a compromise to bring an end to the 5-year-old war that has killed 14,000 people, emboldened the Kremlin and reshaped European geopolitics. But they did agree to try again in four months to find new solutions, said French President Emmanuel Macron, who mediated the talks along with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and called them "fruitful" in that it brought all four leaders together. "There are disagreements, especially on timeline and next steps. We had a very long discussion on this," Macron said at a news conference after the talks in the Elysee palace. The talks focused on reviving a largely stalled 2015 peace agreement intended to end fighting between Ukrainian troops and Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. Putin said they agreed that there was no alternative to the 2015 accord reached in the Belarusian capital of Minsk. He emphasized that Ukraine should quickly extend a law giving wide autonomy to the rebel-held regions in line with the deal and also approve a legislation granting amnesty to the rebels. He added that in addition to the prisoner swap, agreement was reached to continue pulling back troops in other areas in the east, clear mines there and remove fortifications. Zelenskiy acknowledged many previous cease-fire deals didn't hold but he added that "this time we agreed to treat it seriously." "I'm convinced that if all parties want it strongly, we will be able to implement it," he said. Ukraine and Russia conducted several rounds of prisoner exchange, most recently in September. Monday's deal goes further, envisaging a blanket "all for all" exchange of all known prisoners held by Ukraine and the rebels. Zelenskiy made a particular emphasis on that. "I would very much like our people to come home in time to spend the New Year holidays with their families," Zelenskiy said after the talks. But there was little clarity on the key contentious issues --- autonomy for the east and control of the border. Russia wanted the summit to increase pressure on Zelenskiy to fulfill the 2015 Minsk peace accord, which promises wide autonomy to Ukraine's rebel-held regions. The Minsk deal puts forth that Ukraine can regain control over the border with Russia in the separatist-held regions only after they are granted a broad self-rule and hold local elections. In particular, it stipulates that the Ukrainian law should allow municipal authorities in the east to appoint judges and prosecutors in the region and form local police. It notes that the law should also provide for an amnesty for those who took part in the fighting. Those provisions were anathema to many in Ukraine. The 2015 deal was a diplomatic coup for Russia, ensuring that the rebel regions get a broad authority and resources to survive on their own without cross-border support. Zelenskiy wants to tweak the timeline laid out in the accord, which calls for Ukraine to be able to regain control of its border with Russia only after local elections are held in the separatist regions and the regions receive autonomous status. He says Ukraine must get control of its border first before local elections are held, but the Kremlin insists that's not an option. The summit was the biggest test yet for Zelenskiy, a comic actor and political novice who won the presidency this year in a landslide --- partly on promises to end the war. Macron praised Zelenskiy's courage and determination, adding that he made "gestures" that allowed peace talks to be relaunched. "Today an important step was made. That's the first time in three years such a summit is being held,"Macron said. "That's the first time President Zelenskiy and President Putin are meeting... and we have tangible results." A major breakthrough at the Paris talks had been seen as unlikely, and Ukrainian protesters in Kyiv had put pressure on their new leader not to surrender too much to Putin, who has been in office nearly 20 years. But the fact that Putin and Zelenskiy met at all was a significant step after years of war. Putin and Zelenskiy faced each other across the table, flanked by Macron and Merkel. Putin and Zelenskiy also held a separate one-on-one meeting. While opinion surveys have shown an overwhelming support for Zelenskiy's peace efforts, a minority opposing them is highly-mobilized and energetic. Thousands rallied on Kyiv's man square Sunday to warn him against making any concessions, and some set up a tent camp around his headquarters. Cries of "shame"!" and whistles of derision greeted announcements from the leaders' news conference in Paris. "We didn't see any real steps --- Putin did not promise control of the border or the withdrawal of his troops," 38-year-old demonstrator Nina Onufrik said. Despite the 2015 peace agreement, Ukrainian soldiers and Russia-backed separatists have continued to exchange fire. Germany and France helped to broker the Minsk accord, in hopes of ending a conflict on Europe's eastern edge that has complicated relations with Russia, a powerful trading partner and diplomatic player. But with progress stalled, the leaders haven't met since 2016. Ukraine and Russia struck a prisoner exchange deal in September and agreed on a troop and heavy weapons pullback from two locations in eastern Ukraine. Russia has also released three Ukrainian navy ships that were seized a year ago. While Zelenskiy still enjoys broad public support, he has been embarrassed by the scandal around his discussions with U.S. President Donald Trump that have unleashed an impeachment inquiry in Washington. The U.S. is an important military backer for Ukraine, which is hugely out-gunned by Russia. While the U.S. was never part of this peace process, U.S. backing has strengthened Ukraine's overall negotiating position with Russia in the past. Now that support is increasingly in doubt, after the Trump administration froze military aid earlier this year and is increasingly focused on Trump's re-election bid. With U.S. influence waning around the world, many in Kyiv see one clear winner: Russia. Russia denies providing troops and weapons to help the separatists but has maintained political support and sent aid. It argues that people in eastern Ukraine feel stronger cultural and linguistic ties with Russia than with Western-leaning Kyiv. The Kremlin hopes that an end to the conflict could also lead to the eventual lifting of EU sanctions against Russia linked to the fighting, which European businesses have pushed for. The EU and U.S. imposed separate sanctions on Russia over its annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014. The EU is expected to extend sanctions this week by another six months. Arriving for meetings in Brussels on Monday, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said: "At the moment I see no grounds to change anything in the European Union's sanctions policy toward Russia in this matter. It would be good if we could get there at some point." Macron and Merkel said they agreed to intensify the monitoring by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which is now only active for 12 hours a day and conduct it 24 hours a day. (KR)
French Pension Strikes Expand 12/10 06:10
French Pension Strikes Expand 12/10 06:10 PARIS (AP) -- French airport employees, teachers and other workers joined nationwide strikes Tuesday as unions cranked up pressure on the government to scrap upcoming changes to the country's national retirement system. As the strike entered a sixth straight day, commuters and tourists in Paris used used apps, shared bikes and creativity to find ways to get to work, school and museums. Many French commuters still express support for the strike, fearing their own pensions will shrink under President Emmanuel Macron's new plan. But some admitted their patience is wearing thin with the transportation woes, and with train workers who are striking to keep their right to retire years earlier than other workers. Paris police ordered shops and restaurants closed on boulevards around the gold-domed Invalides monument, fearing violence on the fringes of what government opponents hope is another mass march Tuesday afternoon. At least 800,000 people turned out for demonstrations around France when the strike movement kicked off last Thursday. Protests were being held around the country Tuesday, with union activists waving red flags from Marseille on the Mediterranean to Lille in the north. Unions fear Macron's retirement reform will force people to work longer for smaller pensions, even though the government says it won't raise the official retirement age of 62. Nationwide, only about a fifth of French trains ran normally Tuesday, frustrating tourists who found train stations empty and trains canceled. Most Paris subways were at a halt, and just one bus in three was running normally. Paris roads were jammed with traffic. Some commuters used ride-sharing apps or stayed with friends and family near their offices. Others dusted off old bicycles, tested electric scooters for the first time or walked several miles to avoid sitting in traffic-choked intersections. "Usually it takes me 1 hour and 10 minutes (to get to work), but today I left home at 8 a.m. and it's already 10 a.m. and I'm still not at work yet," said commuter Nabil Nouali, disembarking from a tram on the edge of Paris after coming from the suburbs. "I understand the situation, (retirement reform) concerns us all," he told The Associated Press. "But at the same time, it penalizes all the people who have to go to work and don't have a car." Air France, the national carrier, said more than 25% of its domestic traffic was grounded Tuesday by the strike, along with more than 10% of its medium-range flights, on the orders of the French civil aviation authority. About half of Paris schools were closed and others had many classes canceled. Overall the number of striking workers is lower than last week, and the strike may fizzle after the government releases long-awaited details of the retirement plan Wednesday. The strikes are a big test for Macron, who promised to reform France's retirement system while campaigning for president in 2017. He has ordered two years of consultations with workers and employers about the new system, which aims to blend 42 separate retirement plans into one. Macron argues that the reform is needed to keep the pension system from sinking into billions of euros of debt as life spans lengthen, and to make it more universally fair to all workers, not just those in certain professions. Unions, however, fear the pension changes are part of a broader mission to dismantle hard-won worker protections. (KR)
Taiwan May Step In, Help Hong Kong 12/10 06:13
Taiwan May Step In, Help Hong Kong 12/10 06:13 TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) -- Taiwan's top diplomat says his government stands with Hong Kong citizens pushing for "freedom and democracy," and would help those displaced from the semi-autonomous Chinese city if Beijing intervenes with greater force to quell the protests. Speaking to The Associated Press in Taipei on Tuesday, Foreign Minister Joseph Wu was careful to say his government has no desire to intervene in Hong Kong's internal affairs, and that existing legislation is sufficient to deal with a relatively small number of Hong Kong students or others who seek to reside in Taiwan. But he added that Hong Kong police have already responded with "disproportionate force" to the protests. He said that any intervention by mainland Chinese forces would be "a new level of violence" that would prompt Taiwan to take a different stance toward helping those seeking to leave Hong Kong. "When that happens, Taiwan is going to work with the international community to provide necessary assistance to those who are displaced by the violence there," he said. "The people here understand that how the Chinese government treats Hong Kong is going to be the future way of them treating Taiwan. And what turned out in Hong Kong is not very appealing to the Taiwanese people," he added. China's Communist Party insists that Taiwan is part of China and must be reunited with it, even if by force. Modern Taiwan was founded when Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalists, who once ruled on the mainland, were forced to retreat to the island in 1949 after Mao Zedong's Communists took power in the Chinese Civil War. Beijing has suggested that Taiwan could be reunited under the "one country, two systems" model that applied to Hong Kong after the former British colony was returned to China in 1997. That agreement allowed Hong Kong to keep its civil liberties, independent courts and capitalist system, though many in Hong Kong accuse Beijing of undermining those freedoms. Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen has said that the "one country, two systems" model has failed in Hong Kong and brought the city to "the brink of disorder." Government surveys earlier this year showed that about 80% of Taiwanese citizens oppose reunification with China. (KR)
Trump, Pompeo, Russia Minister to Meet 12/10 06:14
Trump, Pompeo, Russia Minister to Meet 12/10 06:14 WASHINGTON (AP) -- Arms control, Ukraine and Syria are to headline President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's meetings Tuesday with Russia's foreign minister. The visit by Sergey Lavrov, however, could be overshadowed by Ukraine-related impeachment proceedings that are picking up steam in the House. Lawmakers are drafting articles of impeachment alleging Trump abused his power by withholding military aid to Ukraine unless its new leader pledged to investigate the son of his political rival Joe Biden. Although the impeachment inquiry centers on Ukraine, which is fighting Russian-backed separatists in its east, Russia has been a major topic in the proceedings. Numerous witnesses have told investigators that Trump's defenders are echoing a Russian disinformation campaign by accusing Ukraine of meddling in the 2016 presidential election. The meeting also comes a day after the Justice Department's internal watchdog found that the FBI was justified in opening its investigation into ties between the Trump presidential campaign and Russia. Pompeo told One America News Network on Monday that the president has asked him to work on the U.S.-Russia business relationship and that he and Lavrov will also discuss arms control issues that hopefully can be expanded to include China. "We didn't pick this date to coincide with the process on Capitol Hill, but we can't allow the zaniness that's taking place on Capitol Hill to impact our job,'' Pompeo said. Trump will meet at the White House with Lavrov, according to a senior administration official, who was not authorized to publicly disclose Trump's meeting and spoke only on condition of anonymity. Lavrov also is slated to spend time at the State Department where he and Pompeo are to hold a joint news conference. The presidents of Ukraine and Russia agreed Monday to revive the peace process on the bloody separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine and exchange all their prisoners, but they failed to resolve crucial issues such as a timeline on local elections and control of the borders in the rebel-held region. (KR)
Cambodia Dismayed Over US Sanctions 12/10 06:17
Cambodia Dismayed Over US Sanctions 12/10 06:17 PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) -- The Cambodian government expressed "strong dismay" Tuesday over a U.S. Treasury decision to sanction two businessmen suspected of corruption and illegal logging. A Foreign Ministry statement said the sanctions were based on groundless accusations. "The Executive Order is an ambush against the ongoing efforts to restore trust and confidence between Cambodia and the United States," the statement said. It defended both of the influential businessmen and former officials targeted by the sanctions, which freeze their U.S.-based assets and ban doing business with them. The ministry "expressed strong dismay over the arbitrary designation" of the Cambodian citizens. It said Kim had made a "great contribution" to the country's peace, stability and social order. Pheap has "played an active role in supporting Cambodia's socio-economic development," it said. The U.S. Treasury Department said it had designated Try Pheap and 11 companies owned or by controlled by him for sanctions for alleged graft and illegal logging. The companies engage in various businesses including tourism, real estate development and energy. It said Pheap, who has been an advisor to Prime Minister Hun Sen, has built up a vast illegal logging network that purchases protection from government officials and the military and export lumber to Vietnam, China, Russia and European countries. Pheap has responded to past corruption allegations in Facebook postings saying his businesses are all legal and abide by the law. The Treasury Department also designated former Gen. Kun Kim, three of his relatives and their family businesses for sanctions for allegedly engaging in corruption and illegal extraction of natural resources. Kim is a longtime associate and supporter of Hun Sen and now is the senior minister for veterans' affairs. The businesses and people cited in the announcement also are involved in rubber plantations and financial and security services. Treasury Secretary Stephen Mnuchin said the sanctions, announced Monday on International Corruption Day, targeted people and entities based in Latvia, Serbia, Venezuela, Hong Kong and Cambodia suspected of illicit activities that "undermine the foundations of stable, secure and functioning societies." The human rights group Global Witness welcomed the Treasury Department's announcement, saying both Pheap and Kim are suspected of serious human rights and environmental abuses. "As Hun Sen's supporters have accumulated more and more wealth and impunity, their incentive to help him cling to power has increased," Patrick Alley, director of Global Witness, said in a statement. "Accountability for those sustaining the corrupt dictatorship that is oppressing Cambodians on a daily basis is long overdue," he said. Hun Sen has been prime minister since 1985. Critics say he has kept his hold on power by rewarding cronies and family members and allowing them to plunder the country's forests and farmlands. The Treasury statement cites a Chinese resort development project in Koh Kong, on the scenic southern coast, that involved land seizures carried out by armed soldiers. In late 2017, Cambodia's Supreme Court ordered the main opposition party dissolved on the unsupported pretext that it conspired with the United States to overthrow Prime Minister Hun Sen's government. That move was seen as a government effort to ensure his ruling Cambodian People's Party won a July 2018 general election. It ended up sweeping all 125 National Assembly seats. Because they considered the elections neither free nor fair, some Western nations applied diplomatic sanctions against Hun Sen's government. The European Union is considering withdrawing preferential tariff privileges from Cambodia. That would be a blow to its economy, which is powered by garment exports. (KR)
Watchdog:FBI Justified in Russia Probe 12/10 06:18
Watchdog:FBI Justified in Russia Probe 12/10 06:18 The FBI was justified in opening its investigation into ties between the Trump presidential campaign and Russia and did not act with political bias, the Justice Department's internal watchdog declared, undercutting President Donald Trump's repeated claims that he has been the target of a "witch hunt." WASHINGTON (AP) -- The FBI was justified in opening its investigation into ties between the Trump presidential campaign and Russia and did not act with political bias, the Justice Department's internal watchdog declared, undercutting President Donald Trump's repeated claims that he has been the target of a "witch hunt." The long-awaited report, issued Monday, rejected theories and criticism spread by Trump and his supporters, though it also found "serious performance failures" up the bureau's chain of command that Republicans are citing as evidence that Trump was targeted by an unfair investigation. The affirmation of the investigation's legitimacy, balanced by criticism of the way it was conducted, ensured that partisan battles would persist over one of the most politically sensitive investigations in FBI history. Another review of the origins of the probe continues, and the prosecutor picked by Attorney General William Barr to lead that effort hinted Monday he'll take a harder view of the FBI's actions. Monday's review by Inspector General Michael Horowitz knocked down multiple lines of attack against the Russia investigation, finding that it was properly opened and that law enforcement leaders were not motivated by political bias. Contrary to the claims of Trump and other critics, it said that opposition research compiled by an ex-British spy named Christopher Steele had no bearing on the decision to open the investigation known as Crossfire Hurricane. And it rejected allegations that a former Trump campaign aide at the center of the probe was set up by the FBI. It found that the FBI had an "authorized purpose" when it opened its investigation in July 2016 into whether the Trump campaign was coordinating with Russia to tip the election in his favor. The report said the FBI had cause to investigate a potential national security threat. FBI Director Chris Wray, in an interview with The Associated Press, noted that the report did not find political bias but did find problems that are "unacceptable and unrepresentative of who we are as an institution." The FBI is implementing more than 40 actions aimed at fixing some of the bureau's most fundamental operations, such as applying for surveillance warrants and interacting with confidential sources. Those changes are in response to some of the report's criticisms. They largely centered on how agents and prosecutors set about eavesdropping on a former Trump campaign aide who they said they feared was being targeted for Russian government recruitment. The inspector general identified 17 "significant inaccuracies or omissions" in applications for a warrant and later renewals from the secretive Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to monitor the communications of former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page. The report also details that the FBI used an informant to set up and record a September 2016 meeting with a high-level Trump campaign official. The official wasn't identified by name, but was not a subject of the Russia investigation, the report said. While the information collected wasn't used during the Russia probe, it does lend support to the assertions by Trump and Barr that the Trump campaign was spied upon. The report said the errors resulted in "applications that made it appear that the information supporting probable cause was stronger than was actually the case." The watchdog found that the FBI had overstated the significance of Steele's past work as an informant and omitted information about one of his sources who he said "may engage in some embellishment." Republicans have long criticized the process since the FBI relied in part on opposition research from Steele, whose work was financed by Democrats and Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign and that fact was not disclosed to the judges who approved the warrant. Though the surveillance has been central to Republican objections about the investigation, the eavesdropping was not necessarily central to the probe itself --- which had been underway for months before the warrant was sought. The report's release, coming as a House Judiciary Committee impeachment hearing centers on the president's interactions with Ukraine, brought fresh attention to the legal and political investigations that have entangled the White House from the moment Trump took office. Political divisions were evident in responses to the report. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said it makes clear that the basis for the FBI's investigation was "valid and without political bias." Trump, in remarks at the White House, claimed it showed "an attempted overthrow and a lot of people were in on it." The president has repeatedly said he is more eager for the report of John Durham, the prosecutor Barr selected to investigate how intelligence was gathered. Both Barr and Durham issued statements rejecting the inspector general's conclusion that there was sufficient evidence to open the FBI investigation. The attorney general's reaction was especially unusual in that the head of the Justice Department typically would not take issue with an internal investigation that clears a department agency of serious misconduct. "The Inspector General's report now makes clear that the FBI launched an intrusive investigation of a U.S. presidential campaign on the thinnest of suspicions that, in my view, were insufficient to justify the steps taken," Barr said in a statement. Durham, in a brief statement, said he had informed the inspector general that he also didn't agree with the conclusion that the inquiry was properly opened, and suggested his own investigation would back up his disagreement. The FBI's Russia investigation, which was ultimately taken over by special counsel Robert Mueller, began in July 2016 after the FBI learned that a former Trump campaign aide, George Papadopoulos, had been saying before it was publicly known that Russia had dirt on Democratic opponent Clinton in the form of stolen emails. Those emails, which were hacked from Democratic email accounts by Russian intelligence, were released by WikiLeaks before the election in what U.S. officials have said was an effort to harm Clinton's campaign and help Trump. The report concluded that that revelation was a sufficient basis for opening the investigation and it knocked down claims by Papadopoulos that he had been set up by the FBI or that the professor who told him about the hacked emails was an FBI informant. Months later, the FBI sought and received the Page warrant. Officials were concerned that Page was being targeted for recruitment by the Russian government, though he has denied wrongdoing and has never been charged with a crime. The inspector general also found that an FBI lawyer is suspected of altering an email to make it appear that an official at another government agency had said Page was not a source for that agency, even though he was. Agents were concerned that if Page had worked as a source for another government agency, the FBI would have needed to tell the surveillance court about that, the report said, and contacted the other agency to obtain additional information. But the FBI lawyer "did not accurately convey, and in fact altered, the information he received from the other agency. The lawyer is not identified by name in the report, but people familiar with the situation have said he is Kevin Clinesmith. The inspector general's report said officials notified the attorney general and FBI director and provided them with information about the altered email. The inspector general conducted more than 170 interviews involving more than 100 witnesses. (KR)
Dems Unveil 2 Articles of Impeachment 12/10 08:26
Dems Unveil 2 Articles of Impeachment 12/10 08:26 House Democrats announced two articles of impeachment Tuesday against President Donald Trump -- abuse of power and obstruction of Congress -- pushing toward historic votes over charges he corrupted the U.S. election process and endangered national security. WASHINGTON (AP) -- House Democrats announced two articles of impeachment Tuesday against President Donald Trump --- abuse of power and obstruction of Congress -- pushing toward historic votes over charges he corrupted the U.S. election process and endangered national security. Speaker Nancy Pelosi, flanked by the chairmen of the impeachment inquiry committees, stood at the Capitol in what she called a "solemn act.'' Voting is expected in a matter of days in the Judiciary Committee and by Christmas in the full House. Trump insisted he did "NOTHING'' wrong. "He endangers our democracy, he endangers our national security," said Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., the Judiciary chairman announcing the charges before a portrait of George Washington. "Our next election is at risk... That is why we must act now." Trump tweeted ahead of the announcement that impeaching a president with a record like his would be "sheer Political Madness!" The outcome, though, appears increasingly set as the House prepares for voting, as it has only three times in history against a U.S. president. In drafting the articles of impeachment, Pelosi is facing a legal and political challenge of balancing the views of her majority while hitting the Constitution's bar of "treason, bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanors." Some liberal lawmakers wanted more expansive charges encompassing the findings from former special counsel Robert Mueller's probe of Russian interference in the 2016 election. Centrist Democrats preferred to keep the impeachment articles more focused on Trump's actions toward Ukraine. House Democrats have announced two articles of impeachment charging President Donald Trump with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The charges unveiled Tuesday stem from Trump's pressure on Ukraine to announce investigations of his political rivals as he withheld aid to the country. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP's earlier story follows below. WASHINGTON (AP) --- House Democrats are expected to unveil two articles of impeachment Tuesday against President Donald Trump --- abuse of power and obstruction of Congress --- pushing toward historic votes as the president insists he did "NOTHING" wrong. Speaker Nancy Pelosi said ahead of the morning announcement that Trump tried to "corrupt our upcoming elections" and remains a "threat to our democracy and national security." Pelosi said in a tweet that the House was taking next steps to "defend' the democracy." Democratic leaders are laying out next steps after their impeachment inquiry determined Trump put U.S. elections and national security at risk when he asked Ukraine to investigate his rivals, including Democrat Joe Biden, while withholding needed military aid. They say he then tried to obstruct Congress' investigation. Trump, meanwhile, insisted he did "NOTHING" wrong and that impeaching a president with a record like his would be "sheer Political Madness!" Democrats have not public released their plans. Details were shared by multiple people familiar with the discussions but not authorized to discuss them and granted anonymity. Pelosi declined during an event Monday evening to discuss the articles or the coming announcement. Details were shared by multiple people familiar with the discussions but not authorized to discuss them and granted anonymity. When asked if she has enough votes to impeach the Republican president, Pelosi leader said she would let House lawmakers vote their conscience. "On an issue like this, we don't count the votes. People will just make their voices known on it," Pelosi said at The Wall Street Journal CEO Council. "I haven't counted votes, nor will I." The outcome, though, appears increasingly set as the House prepares to vote, as it has only three times in history against a U.S. president. Trump, who has declined to mount a defense in the impeachment proceedings, tweeted Tuesday just as the five Democratic House committee chairmen prepared to make their announcement. "To Impeach a President who has proven through results, including producing perhaps the strongest economy in our country's history, to have one of the most successful presidencies ever, and most importantly, who has done NOTHING wrong, is sheer Political Madness! #2020Election," he wrote on Twitter. The president also spent part of Monday tweeting against the impeachment proceedings. He and his allies have called the process "absurd." Pelosi convened a meeting of the impeachment committee chairmen at her office in the Capitol late Monday following an acrimonious, nearly 10-hour hearing at the Judiciary Committee, which could vote as soon as this week. "I think there's a lot of agreement," Rep. Eliot Engel of New York, the Democratic chairman of the Foreign Affairs committee, told reporters as he exited Pelosi's office. "A lot of us believe that what happened with Ukraine especially is not something we can just close our eyes to." At the Judiciary hearing, Democrats said Trump's push to have Ukraine investigate rival Joe Biden while withholding U.S. military aid ran counter to U.S. policy and benefited Russia as well as himself. "President Trump's persistent and continuing effort to coerce a foreign country to help him cheat to win an election is a clear and present danger to our free and fair elections and to our national security," said Dan Goldman, the director of investigations at the House Intelligence Committee, presenting the finding of the panel's 300-page report of the inquiry. Republicans rejected not just Goldman's conclusion of the Ukraine matter; they also questioned his very appearance before the Judiciary panel. In a series of heated exchanges, they said Rep. Adam Schiff, the chairman of the Intelligence Committee, should appear rather than sending his lawyer. From the White House, Trump tweeted repeatedly, assailing the "Witch Hunt!" and "Do Nothing Democrats." In drafting the articles of impeachment, Pelosi is facing a legal and political challenge of balancing the views of her majority while hitting the Constitution's bar of "treason, bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanors." Some liberal lawmakers wanted more expansive charges encompassing the findings from former special counsel Robert Mueller's probe of Russian interference in the 2016 election. Centrist Democrats preferred to keep the impeachment articles more focused on Trump's actions toward Ukraine. Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., was blunt as he opened Monday's hearing, saying, "President Trump put himself before country." Trump's conduct, Nadler said at the end of the daylong hearing, "is clearly impeachable." Rep. Doug Collins of Georgia, the top Republican on the committee, said Democrats are racing to jam impeachment through on a "clock and a calendar" ahead of the 2020 presidential election. "They can't get over the fact that Donald Trump is the president of the United States, and they don't have a candidate that can beat him," Collins said. In one testy exchange, Republican attorney Stephen Castor dismissed the transcript of Trump's crucial call with Ukraine as "eight ambiguous lines" that did not amount to the president seeking a personal political favor. Democrats argued vigorously that Trump's meaning could not have been clearer in seeking political dirt on Biden, his possible opponent in the 2020 election. The Republicans tried numerous times to halt or slow the proceedings, and the hearing was briefly interrupted early on by a protester shouting, "We voted for Donald Trump!" The protester was escorted from the House hearing room by Capitol Police. The White House is refusing to participate in the impeachment process. Trump and and his allies acknowledge he likely will be impeached in the Democratic-controlled House, but they also expect acquittal next year in the Senate, where Republicans have the majority. The president was focused instead on Monday's long-awaited release of the Justice Department report into the 2016 Russia investigation. The inspector general found that the FBI was justified in opening its investigation into ties between the Trump presidential campaign and Russia and that the FBI did not act with political bias, despite "serious performance failures" up the bureau's chain of command. Democrats say Trump abused his power in a July 25 phone call when he asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy for a favor in investigating Democrats. That was bribery, they say, since Trump was withholding nearly $400 million in military aid that Ukraine depended on to counter Russian aggression. Pelosi and Democrats point to what they call a pattern of misconduct by Trump in seeking foreign interference in elections from Mueller's inquiry of the Russia probe to Ukraine. In his report, Mueller said he could not determine that Trump's campaign conspired or coordinated with Russia in the 2016 election. But Mueller said he could not exonerate Trump of obstructing justice in the probe and left it for Congress to determine. (KR)
US Stocks Dip Ahead of Trade Deadline 12/10 16:07
US Stocks Dip Ahead of Trade Deadline 12/10 16:07 U.S. stocks edged lower on Tuesday ahead of a looming weekend deadline for trade talks between Washington and Beijing. NEW YORK (AP) -- U.S. stocks edged lower on Tuesday ahead of a looming weekend deadline for trade talks between Washington and Beijing. A new round of U.S. tariffs is scheduled to take effect on Chinese goods Sunday, the latest escalation in a trade dispute that has dragged on economies around the world. But media reports suggested the U.S. may delay the tariffs on phones, laptops and other popular products as the two sides negotiate a limited "Phase 1" deal. The S&P 500 flipped repeatedly between small gains and losses throughout the day, and the market was nearly evenly split between losers and winners as markets await more certainty about what the rules of global trade will be. Losses for Comcast, Netflix and other communications companies weighed most heavily on the market, but gains for health care and energy stocks helped limit the damage. The S&P 500 slipped 3.44 points, or 0.1%, to 3,132.52. It earlier swung between a gain of 0.2% and a loss of 0.3%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 27.88, or 0.1%, to 27,881.72, and the Nasdaq composite fell 5.64, or 0.1%, to 8,616.18. The Russell 2000 index of smaller stocks was an outlier and rose 2.10 points, or 0.1%, to 1,631.71. Sunday's deadline isn't the only big potential event for markets in the coming days. The Federal Reserve and European Central Bank will make decisions on interest rate policy this week. Big moves by both of them earlier this year helped send prices for stocks and bonds around the world surging. A report will also arrive Wednesday on inflation in the United States, which is key because tame inflation has allowed the Fed to keep interest rates low. Investors are nearly unanimous that the Fed will vote Wednesday to keep interest rates steady. The biggest wild card for stocks recently has been trade, though, and markets have been swinging on every iota of progress in talks between Washington and Beijing. The longstanding conflict has hurt manufacturing around the world and caused U.S. businesses to hold back on making investments. The saving grace for the economy has been a strong job market and consumer spending, and the economy grew at a 2.1% annual rate in the third quarter. "The market does seem to be pricing in somewhat good news," said Mike Dowdall, investment strategist at BMO Global Asset Management. "And by good news, I define that as tariffs not going into effect. But beyond that, it's quite unclear." That long-term perspective in any potential deal is likely to be the most important thing for markets. "The real issue is not the exact details or timing, but the durability," said David Kelly, chief global strategist at JPMorgan Funds. "Multiple changes of direction on trade over the last few years means nobody can trust that what we're headed for here is a durable peace, rather it is a fragile cease-fire." Elsewhere on the trade front, Democrats in the House of Representatives and the White House announced a revised deal with Mexico and Canada. The deal would replace the North American Free Trade Agreement and would offer more provisions for U.S. workers. Bond trading was nearly as quiet as stock trading was. The yield on the 10-year Treasury held steady at 1.83%, the same as late Monday. Overseas markets were mixed. In Asia, Japan's Nikkei 225 index slipped 0.1%, South Korea's Kospi gained 0.4% and the Hang Seng in Hong Kong slipped 0.2%. In Europe, France's CAC 40 gained 0.2%, and the German DAX lost 0.3%. The FTSE 100 in London also slipped 0.3%. Benchmark crude oil rose 22 cents to settle at $59.24 a barrel. Brent crude oil, the international standard, rose 9 cents to $64.34 a barrel. Wholesale gasoline was unchanged at $1.65 per gallon. Heating oil climbed 2 cents to $1.97 per gallon. Natural gas rose 3 cents to $2.26 per 1,000 cubic feet. Gold rose $3.30 to $1,462.60 per ounce, silver rose 7 cents to $16.60 per ounce and copper rose 1 cent to $2.76 per pound. The dollar rose to 108.73 Japanese yen from 108.62 yen on Monday. The euro strengthened to $1.1096 from $1.1064. (AG)
