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Trump set to name former Delta executive to head FAA: sources

FILE PHOTO: A police officer stands guard outside the FAA air traffic control center in Aurora, Illinois
FILE PHOTO: A police officer stands guard outside the FAA air traffic control center in Aurora, Illinois September 26, 2014. REUTERS/Karl Plume

March 19, 2019

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump is expected nominate former Delta Air Lines executive Steve Dickson to head the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as early as Tuesday, two people briefed on the matter said.

Reuters reported on March 8 that Trump was expected to soon nominate Dickson, who retired after 27 years at Delta BA.N in October as senior vice president of global flight operations, to run the 45,000-employee agency that oversees U.S. airspace.

The FAA is facing questions over its certification of the Boeing 737 MAX that has been involved in two fatal crashes since October. Last year, Reuters and other outlets reported that Trump was considering his longtime personal pilot, John Dunkin, to lead the FAA.

(Reporting by David Shepardson and Eric Beech; Editing by Sandra Maler)

Source: OANN

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Bernie Sanders releases 10 years of tax returns, details millionaire status

Democratic U.S. 2020 presidential candidate Bernie Sanders holds an evening public rally along the waterfront in downtown San Diego, California
FILE PHOTO: Democratic U.S. 2020 presidential candidate Bernie Sanders holds an evening public rally along the waterfront in downtown San Diego, California, U.S., March 22, 2019. REUTERS/Mike Blake

April 15, 2019

By John Whitesides

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Democratic presidential contender Bernie Sanders released 10 years of tax returns on Monday, providing details of his growing status as a millionaire fueled by a sharp jump in income from book royalties since his losing 2016 White House run.

Sanders, a U.S. senator who routinely rails against the “millionaires and billionaires” he says have rigged the system to protect their wealth and power, had an adjusted gross income of $561,293 in 2018, $1,131,925 in 2017 and $1,062,626 in 2016, the returns showed.

Sanders augmented his Senate salary with book royalties in each of those years, particularly in 2016 and 2017 when he made more than $800,000 each year in royalties. Sanders has published three books since the start of his first White House run, including bestsellers “Our Revolution” and “Where We Go From Here.”

In 2009, the first year of returns Sanders released on Monday, he had an adjusted gross income of $314,742.

Sanders had faced mounting pressure to release his taxes, with critics saying the democratic socialist’s millionaire status undercut his populist economic message. He made no apologies for his financial well-being, telling the New York Times recently that “if you write a best-selling book, you can be a millionaire, too.”

On Monday, Sanders took a more measured tone in releasing his returns, making reference to his upbringing in a Brooklyn family of limited financial resources.

“These tax returns show that our family has been fortunate. I am very grateful for that, as I grew up in a family that lived paycheck to paycheck and I know the stress of economic insecurity,” Sanders said in a statement accompanying the returns.

‘TRANSPARENCY’

The interest in presidential contenders and their taxes has jumped since Republican President Donald Trump shattered decades of tradition during the 2016 campaign by refusing to release his returns – a stance he has continued since entering the White House.

Several in the growing field of Democratic 2020 contenders, including Senators Kirsten Gillibrand, Amy Klobuchar, Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren, and Governor Jay Inslee of Washington, have released their 2018 returns in recent weeks. Most other Democratic contenders have pledged to do the same soon.

But the question had become more pressing for Sanders, who only released one year of returns during his 2016 campaign, as he moved into a strong early position in polls and fundraising among Democrats seeking the 2020 nomination to challenge Trump.

“As a strong proponent of transparency, the senator hopes President Trump and all Democratic primary candidates will disclose their tax returns,” Sanders campaign manager Faiz Shakir said in a statement.

Sanders faced criticism for only releasing his 2014 returns during his 2016 Democratic primary battle with Hillary Clinton, a millionaire whom he often derided for giving paid speeches to Wall Street.

The tax returns released on Monday showed Sanders paid a 26 percent effective tax rate on his adjusted gross income in 2018. His effective tax rates in 2016 and 2017, his other high-earning years, were 35 percent and 30 percent, respectively.

As part of his policy agenda, Sanders has proposed a big expansion of the estate tax, lowering the threshold where it kicks in to $3.5 million from $11 million, and placing a 77 percent tax rate on the portion of estates worth more than $1 billion.

(Reporting by John Whitesides; Editing by Peter Cooney)

Source: OANN

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NYPD says suspect taken into custody in killing of reputed Gambino crime boss

The NYPD on Saturday announced that a suspect had been taken into custody and is expected to be hit with murder charges in the slaying of Francesco Cali, the reputed boss of the Gambino crime family.

The suspect was identified as Anthony Comello, 24, Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea said at a news conference on Saturday.

The suspect “is currently being held in jail in New Jersey pending court appearances, where we anticipate we will have him returned to Staten Island to face murder charges for the death of Francesco Cali, which occurred on this past Wednesday evening,” Shea said.

REPUTED GAMBINO CRIME BOSS KILLED IN NEW YORK CITY TRIED DODGING BULLETS BY HIDING UNDER SUV, COPS SAY

Shea noted the investigation was still in its early stages, and added that several questions remained, including a clear motive.

Cali, 53, was killed Wednesday night, shot outside his New York home. Authorities have been examining surveillance video that captured Cali as he exited his home, in the Todt Hill section of Staten Island, around 9:15 p.m. after a man backed his vehicle into Cali’s parked Cadillac SUV.

It’s unclear whether this was a setup or an accident, according to Shea. Cali was shot several times, he said.

NYPD QUESTIONS SUSPECT IN KILLING OF REPUTED MAFIA BOSS

The truck involved in the encounter has since been recovered, though the murder weapon has not, according to the police official.

The NYPD has “an arrest warrant in hand from the Richmond County DA’s office,” Shea said during the news conference, adding that the suspect’s arrest will happen upon coordination with prosecutors in New Jersey.

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“I don’t anticipate that will be done today,” Shea said. “That’ll be done in the days to come and then we’ll work on extradition.”

When asked about the suspect’s arrest record, Shea said he "crossed paths in some limited circumstances with the NYPD," including getting a parking ticket on Staten Island the day Cali was killed.

Fox News’ Frank Miles and Stephen Sorace and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: Fox News National

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Queen to rock Oscars with live performance

Media preview of this year's Academy's Governors Ball in Los Angeles
An Oscar statue is seen during a media preview of this year's Academy's Governors Ball in Los Angeles, California, U.S., February 15, 2019. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni

February 18, 2019

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – British rock band Queen will perform live at Sunday’s Oscars ceremony, organizers said on Monday, following the blockbuster success of best picture nominee “Bohemian Rhapsody.”

“Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? We welcome @QueenWillRock and @adamlambert to this year’s Oscars!,” the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced on its official Twitter feed.

The band, whose late frontman Freddie Mercury is the subject of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” is now made up of original members Brian May and Roger Taylor with former “American Idol” star Adam Lambert taking on vocals.

“Queen and @adamlambert will ROCK YOU,” the band tweeted in response, giving the Feb. 24 date of the Oscars ceremony in Hollywood.

“Bohemian Rhapsody” has five Academy Award nominations, including a best actor nod for Rami Malek, who takes on the role of Mercury in the film. Mercury died of AIDS in London in 1991 at the age of 45.

The movie has taken more than $854 million at the global box office to become the most successful musical biopic ever.

The academy did not say what songs Queen would perform or when they would appear on stage during the telecast, which is going ahead without a host for the first time in 30 years.

“Bohemian Rhapsody” is not nominated for its songs or soundtrack, but other musical performances at Sunday’s ceremony will include Lady Gaga and actor-director Bradley Cooper singing their Oscar-nominated song “Shallow” from movie “A Star is Born,” while Bette Midler will sing best original song contender “The Place Where Lost Things Go” from the film “Mary Poppins Returns.”

(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Steve Orlofsky)

Source: OANN

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Spring snowstorm buries Midwest, tornadoes possible in South

Strong winds and more snow hit the Midwest on Friday following a spring storm that buried several states in snow, while forecasters warned churches in the South to prepare for strong thunderstorms and potential weekend tornadoes.

The storm hovering over parts of Minnesota, South Dakota and North Dakota was the second "bomb cyclone" storm system to hit the region in a month. The blizzard was blamed for hundreds of vehicle crashes in Minnesota and left behind 25 inches of snow (63.5 centimeters) in northeast South Dakota.

Authorities in central Minnesota said lightning struck a tree and a shed in the city of Isanti during a rare "thunder snow" storm, sending the building up in flames.

Flood warnings were issued Friday for the Red River along the Minnesota-North Dakota border, but the river wasn't expected to swell to levels seen during last month's severe Midwest flooding, said National Weather Service forecaster Greg Gust.

Forecasters warned that unseasonably low temperatures would remain through the weekend in the region following a low pressure system in the southwest U.S. that created two separate "chunks of energy," one in the Midwest and one in the South, Gust said.

"It is part of the same one-two punch that has accompanied the storms over the past few months," Gust said. "An upper cut followed by a hook."

Gusty wind, hail and potential tornadoes were forecast Saturday in parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, eastern Texas and western Alabama. Similar weather was forecast Sunday in Georgia and the rest of Alabama, said Adam Baker, a weather service forecaster.

"Even a weak tornado that hits the right location can still be pretty devastating," Baker said.

The National Weather Service office in Birmingham, Alabama, warned churches to have someone monitor the weather during Sunday services amid heightened risk for damaging tornadoes.

The agency advised pastors to figure out the safest location for their congregations in case of severe weather, noting that large open rooms such as sanctuaries and auditoriums weren't safe.

A series of tornadoes on Palm Sunday in 1994 killed 40 people in Georgia and Alabama, and injured hundreds more. Half the deaths occurred when a tornado struck a rural Alabama church during services, causing the roof to collapse, according to a report about the damage by U.S. weather officials.

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Associated Press writer Sudhuin Thanawala contributed to this report from Atlanta.

Source: Fox News National

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The Latest: Responding officer testifies in teen's death

The Latest on the homicide trial of a white Pennsylvania police officer in the shooting of an unarmed black 17-year-old (all times local):

6:40 p.m.

The second day of the criminal homicide trial of a white officer who fatally shot an unarmed black teenager has ended for the day with compelling witness testimony that included a neighbor saying he heard the officer say "I don't know why I shot him."

Former East Pittsburgh Police Officer Michael Rosfeld's trial will continue Thursday.

A neighbor said he was on his porch when Rosfeld fired three bullets into 17-year-old Antwon Rose II after pulling over an unlicensed taxicab suspected to have been used in a drive-by shooting minutes earlier.

Rosfeld's attorney says the former officer was justified in shooting Rose.

Rosfeld was charged, investigators said, after his story changed about whether he saw or believed a gun was in Rose's hands.

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4:10 p.m.

A police officer who responded to the East Pittsburgh shooting death of an unarmed black teenager said the white officer who shot him asked if he "saw the gun."

Allegheny Housing Authority officer Charles Rozzo testified Wednesday at the second day of the trial of former Officer Michael Rosfeld.

Rozzo said he approached a distraught Rosfeld, who asked him how 17-year-old Antwon Rose II was doing.

Rozzo said Rosfeld then asked if Rozzo saw the gun. It's unclear what gun Rosfeld was referring to. Rosfeld was charged, investigators said, after his story changed about whether he saw or believed a gun was in Rose's hands.

Authorities have said two guns were inside the vehicle and an empty ammunition clip was in his pocket.

Rozzo said Rosfeld then asked him to call his wife.

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1:50 p.m.

A witness who was in an East Pittsburgh senior center a white police officer entered after fatally shooting an unarmed black teenager says he heard the officer say, "Why did he take that out of his pocket?"

Patrick Shattuck testified Wednesday as the second day of the trial of former Officer Michael Rosfeld resumed.

Shattuck said that about five minutes after 17-year-old Antwon Rose II was shot, Rosfeld went into the building with swollen, red eyes saying, "Why did he do that? Why did he do that? Why did he take that out of his pocket?"

East Pittsburgh Mayor Louis J. Payne was also there for a council meeting. He said he heard Rosfeld say, "Why did he do that?" but not the comment about the pocket.

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11:50 a.m.

A witness says he saw a white officer who fatally shot an unarmed black teenager in Pittsburgh panicking on the sidewalk, saying, "I don't know why I shot him. I don't know why I fired."

Neighbor John Leach testified Wednesday as the second day of the trial of former East Pittsburgh Police Officer Michael Rosfeld resumed.

Leach lives a couple houses away. He said he was on his front porch when Rosfeld fired three bullets into 17-year-old Antwon Rose II after pulling over an unlicensed taxicab suspected to have been used in a drive-by shooting minutes earlier.

Leach says he saw other police officers consoling Rosfeld. Leach says Rosfeld was bending over crying, hyperventilating and looked like he was about to pass out.

A second witness video was also played in court.

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10:10 a.m.

The mother of an unarmed black teenager who was fatally shot by a white former police officer is urging prosecutors to show what a "kind, loving and funny" person her son was.

Michelle Kenney's letter to prosecutors was released Wednesday, as the second day of the trial of former East Pittsburgh Police Officer Michael Rosfeld resumes in a Pittsburgh courtroom.

In the letter, Kenney asks prosecutors to paint a picture of her son Antwon Rose II as the loving, exceptional person that he was. She says they must counter the defense's portrayal of the 17-year-old high school student as "just another thug."

She says he taught children in the neighborhood how to roller blade and skateboard and would give away his skates to kids in need. She calls him a "rose that grew from concrete."

In June, Rosfeld fired three bullets into Rose after pulling over an unlicensed taxicab suspected to have been used in a drive-by shooting minutes earlier.

Rose was shot as he fled the car.

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3 a.m.

Video that showed a white police officer shooting to death an unarmed black teenager is among the evidence presented during the first day of the former cop's criminal homicide trial.

More testimony is expected Wednesday when the trial of former East Pittsburgh Police Officer Michael Rosfeld resumes in a Pittsburgh courtroom.

The 30-year-old Rosfeld is accused in the June death of 17-year-old high school student Antwon Rose II.

Rosfeld fired three bullets into Rose after pulling over an unlicensed taxicab suspected to have been used in a drive-by shooting minutes earlier.

Rose was a front-seat passenger in the cab and was shot as he fled.

A neighbor who recorded the confrontation said the tone of Rosfeld's voice is what got her attention.

Source: Fox News National

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US envoy: NKorea denuclearization must not be incremental

The State Department's special envoy for North Korea says the Trump administration won't budge from insisting that North Korea fully rid itself of nuclear weapons before the U.S. makes concessions.

Stephen Biegun (bee'-gun) on Monday told a conference sponsored by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace that President Donald Trump wants a deal in which U.S. and international economic sanctions are lifted only when the North agrees to give up all elements of its nuclear weapons program.

Biegun says that at last month's Hanoi summit, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un offered to eliminate a portion of his nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. He says Trump rejected this because it would have amounted to subsidizing the remaining portion of the nuclear program.

Source: Fox News National

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Police secure the area where the body of a woman was discovered near the village of Orounta
Police secure the area where the body of a woman was discovered near the village of Orounta, Cyprus, April 25, 2019. REUTERS/Stefanos Kouratzis

April 26, 2019

NICOSIA (Reuters) – Cypriot police searched on Friday for more victims of a suspected serial killer, in a case which has shocked the Mediterranean island and exposed the authorities to charges of “criminal indifference” because the dead women were foreigners.

The main opposition party, the left-wing AKEL, called for the resignation of Cyprus’s justice minister and police chief.

Police were combing three different locations west of the capital Nicosia for victims of the suspected killer, a 35-year-old army officer who has been in detention for a week.

The bodies of three women, including two thought to be from the Philippines, have been recovered. Police sources said the suspect had indicated the location of the third body, found on Thursday, and had said the person was “either Indian or Nepali”.

Police said they were searching for a further four people, including two children, based on the suspect’s testimony.

“These women came here to earn a living, to help their families. They lived away from their families. And the earth swallowed them, nobody was interested,” AKEL lawmaker Irene Charalambides told Reuters.

“This killer will be judged by the court but the other big question is the criminal indifference shown by the others when the reports first surfaced. I believe, as does my party, that the justice minister and the police chief should resign. They are irrevocably exposed.”

Police have said they will investigate any perceived shortcomings in their handling of the case.

One person who did attempt to alert the authorities over the disappearances, a 70-year-old Cypriot citizen, said his motives were questioned by police.

The bodies of the two Filipino women reported missing in May and August 2018 were found in an abandoned mine shaft this month. Police discovered the body of the third woman at an army firing range about 14 km (9 miles) from the mine shaft.

Police are now searching for the six-year-old daughter of the first victim found, a Romanian mother who disappeared with her eight-year-old child in 2016, and a woman from the Phillipines who vanished in Dec. 2017.

The suspect has not been publicly named, in line with Cypriot legal practice.

A public vigil for the missing was planned later on Friday.

(Reporting By Michele Kambas; Editing by Gareth Jones)

Source: OANN

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An employee looks up at goods at the Miniclipper Logistics warehouse in Leighton Buzzard
FILE PHOTO: An employee looks up at goods at the Miniclipper Logistics warehouse in Leighton Buzzard, Britain December 3, 2018. REUTERS/Simon Dawson

April 26, 2019

LONDON, April 26 – British factories stockpiled raw materials and goods ahead of Brexit at the fastest pace since records began in the 1950s, and they were increasingly downbeat about their prospects, a survey showed on Friday.

The Confederation of British Industry’s (CBI) quarterly survey of the manufacturing industry showed expectations for export orders in the next three months fell to their lowest level since mid-2009, when Britain was reeling from the global financial crisis.

The record pace of stockpiling recorded by the CBI was mirrored by the closely-watched IHS Markit/CIPS purchasing managers’ index published earlier this month.

(Reporting by Andy Bruce, editing by David Milliken)

Source: OANN

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Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad speaks at the opening ceremony for the second Belt and Road Forum in Beijing
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad speaks at the opening ceremony for the second Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, China April 26, 2019. REUTERS/Florence Lo

April 26, 2019

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Fewer than half of Malaysians approve of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, an opinion poll showed on Friday, as concerns over rising costs and racial matters plague his administration nearly a year after taking office.

The survey, conducted in March by independent pollster Merdeka Center, showed that only 46 percent of voters surveyed were satisfied with Mahathir, a sharp drop from the 71 percent approval rating he received in August 2018.

Mahathir’s Pakatan Harapan coalition won a stunning election victory in May 2018, ending the previous government’s more than 60-year rule.

But his administration has since been criticized for failing to deliver on promised reforms and protecting the rights of majority ethnic Malay Muslims.

Of 1,204 survey respondents, 46 percent felt that the “country was headed in the wrong direction”, up from 24 percent in August 2018, the Merdeka Center said in a statement. Just 39 percent said they approved of the ruling government.

High living costs remained the top most concern among Malaysians, with just 40 percent satisfied with the government’s management of the economy, the survey showed.

It also showed mixed responses to Pakatan Harapan’s proposed reforms.

Some 69 percent opposed plans to abolish the death penalty, while respondents were sharply divided over proposals to lower the minimum voting age to 18, or to implement a sugar tax.

“In our opinion, the results appear to indicate a public that favors the status quo, and thus requires a robust and coordinated advocacy efforts in order to garner their acceptance of new measures,” Merdeka Center said.

The survey also found 23 percent of Malaysians were concerned over ethnic and religious matters.

Some groups representing Malays have expressed fear that affirmative-action policies favoring them in business, education and housing could be taken away and criticized the appointments of non-Muslims to key government posts.

Last November, the government reversed its pledge to ratify a UN convention against racial discrimination, after a backlash from Malay groups.

Earlier this month, Pakatan Harapan suffered its third successive loss in local elections since taking power, which has been seen as a further sign of waning public support.

Despite the decline, most Malaysians – 67 percent – agreed that Mahathir’s government should be given more time to fulfill its election promises, Merdeka Center said.

This included a majority of Malay voters who were largely more critical of the new administration, it added.

(Reporting by Rozanna Latiff; Editing by Nick Macfie)

Source: OANN

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The German share price index DAX graph at the stock exchange in Frankfurt
The German share price index DAX graph is pictured at the stock exchange in Frankfurt, Germany, April 25, 2019. REUTERS/Staff

April 26, 2019

By Medha Singh and Agamoni Ghosh

(Reuters) – European shares slipped on Friday after losses in heavyweight banks and Glencore outweighed gains in healthcare and auto stocks, while investors remained on the sidelines ahead of U.S. economic data for the first quarter.

The pan-European STOXX 600 index was down 0.1 percent by 0935 GMT, eyeing a modest loss at the end of a holiday-shortened week. Banks-heavy Italian and Spanish indices were laggards.

The banking index fell for a fourth day, at the end of a heavy earnings week for lenders.

Britain’s Royal Bank of Scotland tumbled after posting lower first quarter profit, hurt by intensifying competition and Brexit uncertainty, while its investment bank also registered poor returns.

Weakness in investment banking also dented Deutsche Bank’s quarterly trading revenue and sent its shares lower a day after the German bank abandoned merger talks with smaller rival Commerzbank.

“The current interest rate environment makes it challenging for banks to make proper earnings because of their intermediary function,” said Teeuwe Mevissen, senior market economist eurozone, at Rabobank.

Since the start of April, all country indexes were on pace to rise between 1.8 percent and 3.4 percent, their fourth month of gains, while Germany was strongly outperforming with 6 percent growth.

“For now the current sentiment is very cautious as markets wait for the first estimates of the U.S. GDP growth which could see a surprise,” Mevissen said.

U.S. economic data for the first-quarter is due at 1230 GMT. Growth worries outside the United States resurfaced this week after South Korea’s economy unexpectedly contracted at the start of the year and weak German business sentiment data for April also disappointed.

Among the biggest drags on the benchmark index in Europe were the basic resources sector and the oil and gas sector, weighed down by Britain’s Glencore and France’s Total, respectively.

Glencore dropped after reports that U.S authorities were investigating whether the company and its subsidiaries violated certain provisions of the commodity exchange act.

Energy major Total said its net profit for the first three months of the year fell compared with a year ago due to volatile oil prices and debt costs.

Chip stocks in the region including Siltronic, Ams and STMicroelectronics lost more than 1 percent after Intel Corp reduced its full-year revenue forecast, adding to concerns that an industry-wide slowdown could persist until the end of 2019.

Meanwhile, healthcare, which is also seen as a defensive sector, was a bright spot. It was helped by French drugmaker Sanofi after it returned to growth with higher profits and revenues for the first-quarter.

Luxembourg-based satellite operator SES led media stocks higher after it maintained its full-year outlook on the back of the company’s Networks division.

Automakers in the region rose 0.4 percent, led by Valeo’s 6 percent jump as the French parts maker said its performance would improve in the second half of the year.

Continental AG advanced after it backed its outlook for the year despite reporting a fall in first-quarter earnings.

Renault rose more than 3 percent as it clung to full-year targets and pursues merger talks with its Japanese partner Nissan.

(Reporting by Medha Singh and Agamoni Ghosh in Bengaluru; Editing by Gareth Jones and Elaine Hardcastle)

Source: OANN

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U.S. President Donald Trump hosts Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day at the White House in Washington
U.S. President Donald Trump gives a thumbs up to his audience as he hosts Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day at the White House in Washington, U.S., April 25, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

April 26, 2019

By Jan Wolfe and Richard Cowan

(Reuters) – The “i word” – impeachment – is swirling around the U.S. Congress since the release of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s redacted Russia report, which painted a picture of lies, threats and confusion in Donald Trump’s White House.

Some Democrats say trying to remove Trump from office would be a waste of time because his fellow Republicans still have majority control of the Senate. Other Democrats argue they have a moral obligation at least to try to impeach, even though Mueller did not charge Trump with conspiring with Russia in the 2016 U.S. election or with obstruction of justice.

Whether or not the Democrats decide to go down this risky path, here is how the impeachment process works.

WHAT ARE GROUNDS FOR IMPEACHMENT?

The U.S. Constitution says the president can be removed from office by Congress for “treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.” Exactly what that means is unclear.

Before he became president in 1974, replacing Republican Richard Nixon who resigned over the Watergate scandal, Gerald Ford said: “An impeachable offense is whatever a majority of the House of Representatives considers it to be at a given moment in history.”

Frank Bowman, a University of Missouri law professor and author of a forthcoming book on the history of impeachment, said Congress could look beyond criminal laws in defining “high crimes and misdemeanors.” Historically, it can encompass corruption and other abuses, including trying to obstruct judicial proceedings.

HOW DOES IMPEACHMENT PLAY OUT?

The term impeachment is often interpreted as simply removing a president from office, but that is not strictly accurate.

Impeachment technically refers to the 435-member House of Representatives approving formal charges against a president.

The House effectively acts as accuser – voting on whether to bring specific charges. An impeachment resolution, known as “articles of impeachment,” is like an indictment in a criminal case. A simple majority vote is needed in the House to impeach.

The Senate then conducts a trial. House members act as the prosecutors, with senators as the jurors. The chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court presides over the trial. A two-thirds majority vote is required in the 100-member Senate to convict and remove a president from office.

No president has ever been removed from office as a direct result of an impeachment and conviction by Congress.

Nixon quit in 1974 rather than face impeachment. Presidents Andrew Johnson in 1868 and Bill Clinton in 1998 were impeached by the House, but both stayed in office after the Senate acquitted them.

Obstruction of justice was one charge against Clinton, who faced allegations of lying under oath about his relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. Obstruction was also included in the articles of impeachment against Nixon.

CAN THE SUPREME COURT OVERTURN?

No.

Trump said on Twitter on Wednesday that he would ask the Supreme Court to intervene if Democrats tried to impeach him. But America’s founders explicitly rejected making a Senate conviction appealable to the federal judiciary, Bowman said.

“They quite plainly decided this is a political process and it is ultimately a political judgment,” Bowman said.

“So when Trump suggests there is any judicial remedy for impeachment, he is just wrong.”

PROOF OF WRONGDOING?

In a typical criminal court case, jurors are told to convict only if there is “proof beyond a reasonable doubt,” a fairly stringent standard.

Impeachment proceedings are different. The House and Senate “can decide on whatever burden of proof they want,” Bowman said. “There is no agreement on what the burden should be.”

PARTY BREAKDOWN IN CONGRESS?

Right now, there are 235 Democrats, 197 Republicans and three vacancies in the House. As a result, the Democratic majority could vote to impeach Trump without any Republican votes.

In 1998, when Republicans had a House majority, the chamber voted largely along party lines to impeach Clinton, a Democrat.

The Senate now has 53 Republicans, 45 Democrats and two independents who usually vote with Democrats. Conviction and removal of a president would requires 67 votes. So that means for Trump to be impeached, at least 20 Republicans and all the Democrats and independents would have to vote against him.

WHO BECOMES PRESIDENT IF TRUMP IS REMOVED?

A Senate conviction removing Trump from office would elevate Vice President Mike Pence to the presidency to fill out Trump’s term, which ends on Jan. 20, 2021.

(Reporting by Jan Wolfe and Richard Cowan; Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh and Peter Cooney)

Source: OANN

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