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Barr to release Mueller report to Congress by ‘mid-April, if not sooner;’ will not transmit to White House for privilege review

Attorney General Bill Barr plans to submit the full version of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation report to Congress by "mid-April, if not sooner," and will not give the White House a sneak peek, Fox News has learned.

The timetable comes as lawmakers on both sides of the aisle – and especially Democrats – demand that Barr turn over the full report. Barr submitted a four-page summary to congressional leaders on Sunday reporting Mueller did not find evidence of Trump-Russia collusion, while he did not reach a conclusion on whether President Trump obstructed justice.

ON OFFENSE IN RUSSIA PROBE, TRUMP URGED TO CONSIDER NEW SPECIAL COUNSEL, CRIMINAL REFERRALS

"As we have discussed, I share your desire to ensure that Congress and the public had the opportunity to read the Special Counsel’s report. The Special Counsel is assisting us in this process,” Barr wrote to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y.

Barr said the Justice Department and the special counsel are “well along in the process of identifying and redacting” sensitive material, including material that “by law cannot be made public,” “material the intelligence community identifies as potentially compromising sensitive sources and methods; material that could affect other ongoing matters, including those that the Special Counsel has referred to other Department offices; and information that would unduly infringe on the personal privacy and reputational interests of peripheral third parties.”

Barr said that he anticipates they “will be in a position to release the report by mid-April, if not sooner.” A Justice Department official this week told Fox News that the Mueller report is more than 300 pages long.

Barr added that: “Although the President would have the right to assert privilege over certain parts of the report, he has stated publicly that he intends to defer to me and, accordingly, there are no plans to submit the report to the White House for privilege review."

Barr also responded to requests from Nadler and Graham to testify before their respective committees, saying he believes "it would be appropriate for me to testify publicly on behalf of the Department shortly after the Special Counsel's report is made public." He added that he is available to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on May 1, 2019, and before the House Judiciary Committee on May 2, 2019.

The Democratic chairs of six House committees set a deadline of April 2 to submit the “full report.” They also called on him to start turning over “the underlying evidence and documents that same day.”

MUELLER REPORT MORE THAN 300 PAGES LONG: DOJ 

“Your four-page summary of the Special Counsel’s review is not sufficient for Congress, as a coequal branch of government, to perform [its] critical work. The release of the full report and the underlying evidence and documents is urgently needed by our committees to perform their duties under the Constitution,” they wrote.

But Congress is likely to see a partially redacted version of the report.

The Justice Department leader and a small team of senior officials have been reviewing the report since its submission, working to remove sensitive material related to ongoing grand jury investigations.

Barr cited these considerations in his original memo to Congress, noting that federal law “protects the integrity of grand jury proceedings and ensures that the unique and invaluable investigative powers of a grand jury are used strictly for their intended criminal justice function.” He said his team must determine what material can and cannot be made public and, “As soon as that process is complete, I will be in a position to move forward expeditiously in determining what can be released in light of applicable law, regulations, and Departmental policies.”

Mueller’s determination that the investigation did not support claims of collusion were touted by President Trump as a “total exoneration.”

Democrats, though, have sought more information about what Mueller may have found on the obstruction issue. While Barr and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein determined they could not support an obstruction case, Democrats challenged that conclusion as they sought the full report.

The recent letter to Barr also reminded him of the March 14 vote in the House calling for the release of the full Mueller report. The measure passed unanimously.

Barr stated in his confirmation hearing that he wanted to be as "transparent" as possible in the process of releasing the Mueller report, and repeated that sentiment in his letter to Congress setting out Special Counsel Mueller's principal conclusions.

Source: Fox News Politics

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Turkey-U.S. continue coordination for delivery of F-35: Turkish military sources

FILE PHOTO: A Lockheed Martin F-35 aircraft is seen at the ILA Air Show in Berlin
FILE PHOTO: A Lockheed Martin F-35 aircraft is seen at the ILA Air Show in Berlin, Germany, April 25, 2018. REUTERS/Axel Schmidt/File Photo

April 4, 2019

ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Coordination between Ankara and Washington over delivery of F-35 fighter jets continues as well as training of Turkish pilots in the United States, Turkish military sources said on Thursday.

Turkey has not halted preparations at the Malatya airbase where the F-35 jets will be stationed, the sources said, adding that Turkey has fulfilled all of its obligations under program.

(Reporting by Tulay Karadeniz; Writing by Ezgi Erkoyun; Editing by Dominic Evans)

Source: OANN

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Trump slams Democrats for campaigning on 'seductive' socialist policies

President Trump, in a new interview, tore into Democrats for campaigning on what he called “seductive” socialist policies despite potentially dire consequences.

Trump offered up the stinging rebuke during a wide-ranging interview published Monday night.

He said socialist policies are “seductive” and “easy” for politicians to campaign on, but warned about what would happen if they are put in place.

SANDERS SAYS HIS IDEAS ARE NOW BEING INVOKED BY DEM CANDIDATES 'FROM SCHOOL BOARD TO PRESIDENT'

“You always have to be very careful, because socialism is easy to campaign on but tough to govern on, because the country goes down the tubes,” Trump told conservative website Breitbart.

“But when you tell people free medical, free education, no more student loans—all of the different things that you say—it’s a great thing to campaign on, but then ten years later the country is down the tubes. It’s gone.

“So, you always have to be careful with it, because you know you talk about single-payer, it sounds very seductive—single-payer—say what you want, but it’s a very seductive thing. But it means you’re not going to have good healthcare, it means the country is not going to be able to afford it.”

The president then suggested the 2020 election could come down to a “referendum on socialism versus capitalism,” according to the website.

'PAWN STARS' HOST RICK HARRISON SLAMS SOCIALISM: 'THERE'S NO POINT IN WORKING HARD'

Trump’s remarks come shortly after Vice President Pence accused Democrats of openly advocating for socialism with far-left policies such as "Medicare-for-all" and the Green New Deal -- a system he said had “impoverished millions of people around the world.”

Speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference earlier this month, Pence said: “Under the guise of Medicare-for-all and a Green New Deal, Democrats are embracing the same tired economic theories that have impoverished nations and stifled the liberties of millions over the past century.

“That system is socialism.”

He pointed in particular to the Democratic 2020 presidential candidates, many of whom have backed the Green New Deal and Medicare-for-all in some form, and accused them of having “papered over the failed policies of socialism with bumper-sticker slogans and slick social media campaigns.”

PELOSI SAYS SHE'S OPPOSED TO IMPEACHING TRUMP: 'HE'S JUST NOT WORTH IT'

The recent rise and dominance of a hard-left faction in the Democratic Party has opened the door for conservatives to again sound those warnings -- especially as figures such as Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., have openly embraced the label of “democratic socialism."

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The Green New Deal would seek to eliminate fossil fuels in favor of 100 percent renewable energy, as well as overhaul America’s economy with universal health care, job guarantee programs and other costly items. Meanwhile, a number have called for Medicare-for-all plans, with both Sens. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., and Sanders not backing away from the idea that their proposals would eliminate private insurance.

Fox News' Adam Shaw contributed to this report.

Source: Fox News Politics

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Labor Secretary Alex Acosta on Very Shaky Ground

The White House refused to voice "full confidence" in embattled Secretary of Labor Alex Acosta on Monday.

In fact, the lukewarm response by press secretary Sarah Sanders to Newsmax's question about Acosta's status in the president's Cabinet fueled ongoing speculation the secretary of labor was on the way out.

The president's top spokeswoman did not specifically mention widespread reports of then-U.S. Attorney Acosta's involvement in a 2007 plea deal for Florida billionaire Jeffrey Epstein on sex trafficking and alleged sex offenses.

Sanders did say, however, "[t]hose things [a reference to Acosta's work for Epstein] are currently under review. When we have an update, we'll let you know."

As for Acosta's present status in the Cabinet, Sanders simply said "I'm not aware of any personnel changes."

Late last year, the Miami Herald reported that as a top federal prosecutor, Acosta permitted Epstein to plead guilty to two felony prostitution charges and serve 13 months in the county jail (a sentence which permitted him to spend up to twelve hours a day in his Palm Beach office) and a year of probation.

Democrats in Congress, along with The New York Times' and the Miami Herald, have called on Acosta to resign as labor secretary.

John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.

Source: NewsMax Politics

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Greece gains economic ‘freedom’ by repaying IMF loans earlier: PM

FILE PHOTO: Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras attends joint statements with his Danish counterpart Lars Loekke Rasmussen after their meeting at the Maximos Mansion in Athens
FILE PHOTO: Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras attends joint statements with his Danish counterpart Lars Loekke Rasmussen after their meeting at the Maximos Mansion in Athens, Greece, April 4, 2019.REUTERS/Costas Baltas/File Photo

April 15, 2019

ATHENS (Reuters) – Repaying earlier expensive International Monetary Fund loans is a significant step for Greece which will create favorable conditions for its economy, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Monday, promising more relief measures.

“We are gaining points of (economic) freedom,” Tsipras said during an interview with Greece’s Antenna television.

Greece this week plans to file a request to the euro zone’s bailout fund, the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), seeking its consent for the early repayment of the loans, sources told Reuters earlier Monday.

The country emerged from its third international bailout since 2010 in August last year.

During the live interview, Tsipras also said that his administration would not lower a tax-free threshold, a measure which has been agreed with international lenders and is supposed to take effect next year to broaden the country’s tax base.

“The tax free (threshold) will not be reduced as long as Syriza is in government,” Tsipras said, referring to his left-wing party in power since 2015.

Elections are due later this year and the leftist leader ruled out an election earlier than that, vowing his government would see through its full term of 4 years.

Greece is expected to meet its fiscal targets again this year and any outperformance will be distributed to the public, Tsipras said.

“After the (Easter) holidays I will meet with the minister of finance to consider what we can offer, not as a pre-election gift but as permanent relief measures because the Greek economy is faring better.”

(Reporting By Lefteris Papadimas and Renee Maltezou, writing by Michele Kambas; Editing by Toby Chopra)

Source: OANN

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Report: Trump Tells Lawyers to Stay on After Mueller Report

President Donald Trump has indicated to his outside legal team that his lawyers should plan to stay on after special counsel Robert Mueller submits his report, The Daily Beast reports.

Trump reportedly told his lawyers Rudy Giuliani and Jay Sekulow that his legal team should plan on sticking around after Mueller finishes his investigation, according to two unnamed sources with knowledge of conversations Trump has had with his legal advisers over the past year.

The Daily Beast notes Trump appears most focused on the investigation being conducted by the Southern District of New York into his family business and former personal attorney Michael Cohen.

Although reports emerged last week the Mueller probe is wrapping up, the Justice Department said last Friday those rumors are incorrect, and  the special counsel's report is not expected this week.

Source: NewsMax America

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Key senator says federal privacy bill should be as strong as California’s

Senator Blumenthal talks to reporters after reading FBI report into Kavanaugh assault allegations on Capitol Hill in Washington
U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) talks to reporters after reading the FBI's report on their investigation into sexual assault allegations against U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., October 4, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas

March 12, 2019

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Senator Richard Blumenthal, one of several U.S. lawmakers drafting online privacy legislation, said on Tuesday that he wanted to see California’s privacy law, which takes effect next year, to be the basis for a federal bill.

Blumenthal, a Democrat, spoke at a hearing at which Google senior privacy counsel Will DeVries came under tough questioning from Republicans and Democrats.

DeVries was asked about information collected that can be connected to particular people, the complexity of privacy policies and whether Android phones, which run on a Google operating system, stop collecting location information when they are turned off.

“Privacy is all the rage. Bipartisan. But as frequently happens, the devil is in the details,” Blumenthal said at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.

Blumenthal noted that he was working with other senators on a federal law. “I really feel strongly that we should build on California,” he said.

California’s data privacy law, passed last year, imposes fines of up to $7,500 on large companies for intentional failure to disclose data collection or delete user data on request, or for selling others’ data without permission.

Senator Josh Hawley, a Republican and longtime Google critic, took DeVries to task, saying that Google continued to track wireless phones even when they are turned off. “Americans have not signed up for this,” he said.

DeVries defended the practice, saying the information was used to send calls to the phone and that it was not used for advertising.

Hawley teamed up with Senator Edward Markey, a Democrat, on a bill that would update children’s online privacy rules to allow teens aged 13 to 15 to decline having their data collected. It allows for data that was collected to be erased.

Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican, asked DeVries skeptical questions about how much revenue Google earns from behavioral advertisements, or ads based on browsing history and other details of browsing history.

Senator Dianne Feinstein, a Democrat, expressed particular concern about the collection of medical information such as which households were searching about illness like fevers, and using it to advertise.

She expressed strong support for the California privacy law, noting it will go into effect next year.

“And that must happen,” she emphasized. “I will not support any privacy bill that weakens the California standard.”

Feinstein appeared to be leaning toward an “opt-in” mechanism, where companies require users to agree to having their data collected.

(Reporting by Diane Bartz; editing by Jonathan Oatis)

Source: OANN

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FILE PHOTO: The Huawei logo is pictured outside its Huawei's factory campus in Dongguan, Guangdong province
FILE PHOTO: The Huawei logo is pictured outside its Huawei’s factory campus in Dongguan, Guangdong province, China, March 25, 2019. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu/File Photo

April 26, 2019

By Ben Blanchard

BEIJING (Reuters) – Britain must get to the bottom of the leak of confidential discussions during a top-level security meeting about the role of China’s Huawei Technologies in 5G network supply chains, British finance minister Philip Hammond said on Friday.

News that Britain’s National Security Council, attended by senior ministers and spy chiefs, had agreed on Tuesday to bar Huawei from all core parts of the country’s 5G network and restrict its access to non-core elements was leaked to a national newspaper.

The leak of secret discussions has sparked anger in parliament and amongst Britain’s intelligence community. Britain’s most senior civil servant Mark Sedwill has launched an inquiry and written to ministers who were at the meeting.

“My understanding from London (is) that an investigation has been announced into apparent leaks from the NSC meeting earlier this week,” said Hammond, speaking on the sidelines of a summit on China’s Belt and Road initiative in Beijing.

“To my knowledge there has never been a leak from a National Security Council meeting before and therefore I think it is very important that we get to the bottom of what happened here,” he told Reuters in a pooled interview.

British culture minister Jeremy Wright said on Thursday he could not rule out a criminal investigation. The majority of the ministers at the NSC meeting have said they were not involved, according to media reports.

Hammond said he was unaware of any previous leak from a meeting of the NSC.

“It’s not about the substance of what was apparently leaked. It’s not earth-shattering information. But it is important that we protect the principle that nothing that goes on in national security council meetings must ever be repeated outside the room.”

Allowing Huawei a reduced role in building its 5G network puts Britain at odds with the United States which has told allies not to use its technology at all because of fears it could be a vehicle for Chinese spying. Huawei has categorically denied this.

There have been concerns that the NSC’s conclusion, which sources confirmed to Reuters, could upset other allies in the world’s leading intelligence-sharing network – the Five Eyes alliance of the United States, Britain, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

However, British ministers and intelligence officials have said any final decision on 5G would not put critical national infrastructure at risk. Ciaran Martin, head of the cyber center of Britain’s main eavesdropping agency, GCHQ, played down any threat of a rift in the Five Eyes alliance.

(Writing by Michael Holden; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

Source: OANN

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Park Yoo-chun, a K-pop idol singer, arrives at the Suwon district court in Suwon
Park Yoo-chun, a K-pop idol singer, arrives at the Suwon district court in Suwon, South Korea, April 26, 2019. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

April 26, 2019

SEOUL (Reuters) – K-pop and drama star Park Yu-chun was arrested on Friday on charges of buying and using illegal drugs, a court said, the latest in a series of scandals to hit the South Korean entertainment business.

Suwon District Court approved the arrest warrant for Park, 32, due to concerns over possible destruction of evidence and flight risk, a court spokesman told Reuters.

Park is suspected of having bought about 1.5 grams of methamphetamine with his former girlfriend earlier this year and using the drug around five times, an official at the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency said.

Park has denied wrongdoing, saying he had never taken drugs, and he again denied the charges in court, Yonhap news agency said.

Park’s contract with his management agency had been canceled and he would leave the entertainment industry, Park’s management agency, C-JeS Entertainment, said on Wednesday.

Park was a member of boyband TVXQ between 2003 and 2009 before leaving the group with two other members, forming the group JYJ.

A scandal involving sex tapes, prostitutes and secret chat about rape led at least four other K-pop stars to quit the industry earlier this year.

The cases sparked a nationwide drugs bust and investigations into tax evasion and police collusion at night clubs and other nightlife spots.

(Reporting by Joyce Lee; Additional reporting by Heekyong Yang; Editing by Nick Macfie)

Source: OANN

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FILE PHOTO: An American Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 flight taxis after landing at Reagan National Airport in Washington
FILE PHOTO: An American Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 flight from Los Angeles taxis after landing at Reagan National Airport shortly after an announcement was made by the FAA that the planes were being grounded by the United States over safety issues in Washington, U.S. March 13, 2019. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts/File Photo

April 26, 2019

(Reuters) – American Airlines Group Inc cut its 2019 profit forecast on Friday, saying it expected to take a $350 million hit from the grounding of Boeing’s 737 MAX planes after cancelling 1,200 flights in the first quarter.

The company said it now expects its 2019 adjusted profit to be between $4.00 per share and $6.00 per share.

Analysts on average had expected 2019 earnings of $5.63 per share, according to Refinitiv data.

The No. 1 U.S. airline by passenger traffic said net income rose to $185 million, or 41 cents per share, in the first quarter ended March 31, from $159 million, or 34 cents per share, a year earlier.

Total operating revenue rose 2 percent to $10.58 billion.

(Reporting by Sanjana Shivdas in Bengaluru)

Source: OANN

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2020 Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg speaks at a campaign event in Des Moines, Iowa
2020 Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg speaks at a campaign event in Des Moines, Iowa, U.S., April 16, 2019. REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage

April 26, 2019

By James Oliphant

MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (Reuters) – Four years ago, Donald Trump campaigned in small towns like Marshalltown, Iowa, vowing to restore economic prosperity to the U.S. heartland.

In his bid to replace Trump in the White House, Pete Buttigieg is taking a similar tack. The difference, he says, is that he can point to a model of success: South Bend, Indiana, the revitalized city where he has been mayor since 2012.

The Democratic presidential contender has vaulted to the congested field’s top tier in recent weeks, drawing media and donor attention for his youth, history-making status as the first openly gay major presidential candidate and a resume that includes military service in Afghanistan.

But Buttigieg’s main argument for his candidacy is that he is a turnaround artist in the mold of Trump, although the Democrat does not expressly invoke the comparison with the Republican president.

“I’m not going around saying we’ve fixed every problem we’ve got,” Buttigieg, 37, said after a house party with voters in Marshalltown. “But I’m proud of what we have done together, and I think it’s a very powerful story.”

Critics argue improving the fortunes of a Midwestern city of 100,000 people does not qualify Buttigieg, who has never held national office, for the presidency of a country of 330 million. Others say South Bend still has pockets of despair and that minorities, in particular, have failed to benefit from its growth.

Buttigieg has told crowds in Iowa and elsewhere that his experience in reviving a struggling Rust Belt community allows him to make a case to voters that other Democratic candidates cannot. That may give him the means to win back some of the disaffected Democratic voters who turned their backs on Hillary Clinton in 2016 to vote for Trump.

Watching Buttigieg at a union hall in Des Moines last week, Rick Ryan, 45, a member of the United Steelworkers, lamented how many of his fellow union workers voted for Trump. The president turned in the best performance by a Republican among union households since Ronald Reagan in 1984.

Ryan said he hoped someone like Buttigieg could return them to the Democratic fold.

“He’s aware of the decline in the labor force in America, not just in Indiana or Des Moines or anywhere else,” Ryan said. “Jobs are going overseas. We need a find to way to bring that back.”

Randy Tucker, 56, of Pleasant Hill, Iowa, a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, said Trump appealed to union members “desperate for somebody to reach out to them, to help them, to listen to their voice.”

Buttigieg could do the same, he said. “In my heart right now, he’s No. 1.”

PAST VS. FUTURE

Buttigieg stresses a key difference in his and Trump’s approaches.

Trump, he tells crowds, is mired in the past, promising to rebuild the 20th century industrial economy. Buttigieg argues the pledge is misleading and unrealistic.

Buttigieg says his focus is on the future, and he often talks about what the country might look like decades from now.

“The only way that we can cultivate what makes America great is to look to the future and not be afraid of it,” Buttigieg said in Marshalltown.

Buttigieg knows his sexual preference may be a barrier to winning some blue-collar voters. But he notes that after he came out as gay in 2015, he won a second term as mayor with 80 percent of the vote in conservative Indiana.

Earlier this month, he announced his presidential bid at the hulking plant in South Bend that stopped making Studebaker autos more than 50 years ago. After lying dormant for decades, the building is being transformed into a high-tech hub after Buttigieg and other city leaders realized it would never again attract a large-scale industrial company.

“That building sat as a powerful reminder. We hoped we would get back that major employer that would fix our economy,” said Jeff Rea, president of the regional Chamber of Commerce.

Buttigieg is praised locally for spurring more than $100 million in downtown investment. During his two terms, unemployment has fallen to 4.1 percent from 11.8 percent.

But a study released in 2017 by the nonprofit group Prosperity Now said not all of the city’s residents had shared in its rebound. The median income for African-Americans remained half that of whites, while the unemployment rate for blacks was double.

Regina Williams-Preston, a city councilor running to replace Buttigieg as mayor, credits him for the revitalized downtown. But she said he had a “blind spot” when it came to focusing on troubled neighborhoods like the one she represents and only grew more engaged after community pressure.

“He understands it now,” she said. “The next step is figuring out how to open the doors of opportunity for everyone.”

‘ONE OF US’

Trump touts the fact that the United States added almost 300,000 manufacturing jobs last year as evidence he made good on his promise to restore the industrial sector. But that growth still left the country with fewer manufacturing jobs than in 2008.

The robust U.S. economy is likely the president’s greatest asset in his re-election bid, particularly in states he carried in 2016 such as Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania. He won Buttigieg’s home state by 19 points over Clinton in 2016.

Sean Bagniewski, chairman of the Democratic Party in Polk County, Iowa, said Buttigieg would be well positioned to compete with Trump in the Midwest.

“People love the fact that he’s a mayor,” said Bagniewski, who has not endorsed a candidate in the nominating contest. “If you can talk about a positive future, and if you actually have experience that can do it, that’s a compelling vision in Iowa.”

Nan Whaley, the mayor of Dayton, Ohio, which faces many of the same challenges as South Bend, agreed.

“He’s one of us,” Whaley said. “That helps.”

(Reporting by James Oliphant; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Peter Cooney)

Source: OANN

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A man looks out at a flooded residential area in Gatineau
A man looks out at a flooded residential area in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada, April 24, 2019. REUTERS/Chris Wattie

April 26, 2019

MONTREAL/OTTAWA (Reuters) – Rising waters were prompting further evacuations in central Canada on Thursday, with the mayor of the country’s capital, Ottawa, declaring a state of emergency and Quebec authorities warning that a hydroelectric dam was at risk of breaking.

Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson declared the emergency in response to rising water levels along the Ottawa River and weather forecasts that called for significant rainfall on Friday.

In a statement on Twitter, Watson asked for help from the Ontario provincial government and the country’s military.

He warned that “flood levels are currently forecasted to exceed the levels that caused significant damage to numerous properties in the city of Ottawa in 2017.”

Spring flooding had killed one person and forced more than 900 people from their homes in Canada’s Quebec province as of 1 p.m. on Thursday, according to a government website.

Ottawa has received 80 requests for service related to potential flooding such as sandbagging, a city spokeswoman said.

The prospect of more rain over the next 24 to 48 hours triggered concerns on Thursday that the hydroelectric dam at Bell Falls in the western part of Quebec could be at risk of failing because of rising water levels.

Quebec’s provincial police said 250 people were protectively removed from homes in the area as of late afternoon in case the dam on the Rouge River breaks.

The dam is now at its full flow capacity of 980 cubic meters per second of water, said Francis Labbé, a spokesman for the province’s state-owned utility, Hydro Quebec. He said Hydro Quebec expected the flow could rise to 1,200 cubic meters per second of water over the next two days.

“We have to take the worst-case scenario into consideration, since we`re already at the maximum capacity,” Labbé said by phone.

The dam is part of a power station that no longer produces electricity, but is regularly inspected by Hydro Quebec, he said.

(Reporting by Allison Lampert in Montreal and David Ljunggren and Julie Gordon in Ottawa; Editing by James Dalgleish and Peter Cooney)

Source: OANN

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