Oklahoma state Sen. Greg Treat, R- Oklahoma City, President Pro Tempore, answers a question during a news conference Monday, Feb. 25, 2019, in Oklahoma City. Treat is the sponsor of a bill in which Oklahoma would automatically ban abortions if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns its landmark 1973 ruling that legalized abortion nationwide. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma would automatically ban abortions if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns its landmark 1973 ruling that legalized abortion nationwide under a bill that has cleared a Senate panel.
While abortion opponents chanted, prayed and sang hymns outside the committee room, the Senate Health and Human Services Committee voted 11-4 on Monday for the so-called "trigger" abortion ban . Similar bills already have passed in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Dakota and South Dakota.
Many of the abortion opponents were upset that a separate bill by Republican Sen. Joseph Silk to make abortion a felony crime was not granted a hearing.
Senate President Pro Tem Greg Treat described Silk's bill as a dangerous precedent by a state to ignore a U.S. Supreme Court ruling.
U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Green New Deal is “a lie to voters” and a “massive socialist” program, a fellow New York Democrat, U.S. Rep. Max Rose, asserted in a television interview.
Rose then dared Ocasio-Cortez to recruit a candidate to run a primary challenge against him, saying he would “lay out the red carpet.”
The comments from Rose, a 32-year-old U.S. Army veteran who served in Afghanistan -- earning Purple Heart and Bronze Star for his service -- followed multiple questions and comparisons to the firebrand New York congresswoman, who’s facing ridicule over the Green New Deal, her plan for revising U.S. energy policies.
Rose -- who has also previously criticized another far-left freshman Democrat, U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, over her remarks about Israel and Jewish lawmakers in the U.S. -- told the MetroFocus program host that while he sees climate change a pressing issue that requires a quick and bold response, Ocasio-Cortez’s plan is just not that solution.
“This is not the time for milquetoast incrementalism,” he said. “It just isn't. But with that being said, nothing about what I just said would provide a justification for a massive socialist economic policy platform. Just not needed.”
He dismissed the Green New Deal goals, such as job and housing guarantees, as economically unfeasible, saying the proponents of the deal are lying to voters.
“There's no need to lie to voters right now," he said. "We don't need the Democratic version of 'repeal and replace.'”
“There's no need to lie to voters right now ... We don't need the Democratic version of repeal and replace.”
— U.S. Rep. Max Rose, D-N.Y.
The Green New Deal is estimated to cost up to $93 trillion or $600,000 per household, according to studies. The radical measure proposes the transformation of the U.S. economy to cut emissions in addition to retrofitting and replacing every building in an effort to reach the goal.
But Rose went on to slam Ocasio-Cortez following a story that she’s compiling a “list” of Democrats that will face a primary challenge from progressive Democrats for siding with Republicans in the House on an amendment to notify the federal agency Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) whenever an illegal immigrant attempts to buy a firearm.
“She's going to keep a list,” Rose said, looking somewhat annoyed. “This is very simple because I'm not one to deal in subtleties. I think it's best not to be passive-aggressive. If she wants to primary me, if the Justice Democrats want to primary me, I'll lay out the red carpet. We can settle this at the polls."
“This is very simple because I'm not one to deal in subtleties. I think it's best not to be passive-aggressive. If she wants to primary me, if the Justice Democrats want to primary me, I'll lay out the red carpet. We can settle this at the polls."
— U.S. Rep. Max Rose, D-N.Y.
This isn’t the first time Rose has gone after Ocasio-Cortez. After she tweeted that the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan to combat Al Qaeda in response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks was “disastrous” and “wrong,” Rose spoke out.
“I believe it's long past time we end the war in Afghanistan," Rose told the New York Daily News, "but I strongly disagree with the idea that the invasion was wrong on moral or national security grounds.
“After our city and country were attacked we were very clear with the Taliban — either they give up Usama bin Laden and Al Qaeda, or we would come and get them ourselves,” he added. “They chose to protect Usama bin Laden, and they rightfully paid the price.”
Rose was equally direct in his past criticism of Omar, who asserted that some Jewish lawmakers in the U.S. may have divided loyalties regarding the U.S. and Israel.
“Certainly as a Jewish combat veteran, I could tell you I don’t have dual allegiance,” Rose said. “I have allegiance to the flag. I have allegiance to the United States of America.”
Rose was elected to Congress in 2018 after defeating an incumbent Republican in the 2018 midterm election for New York state's 11th Congressional District that includes parts of the New York City borough of Brooklyn and all of Staten Island. Ocasio-Cortez represents the 14th district, which includes parts of the Bronx and Queens.
SEOUL, South Korea – North Korea has test-fired a "new-type tactical guided weapon," its state media announced Thursday, a move that could be an attempt to register the country's displeasure with currently deadlocked nuclear talks with the United States without causing those coveted negotiations to collapse.
The country's leader, Kim Jong Un, observed the firing by the Academy of Defense Science of the unspecified weapon on Wednesday, the North's state-run Korean Central News Agency said. Kim was reported to have said that "the development of the weapon system serves as an event of very weighty significance in increasing the combat power of the People's Army."
After a failed nuclear disarmament summit in Hanoi between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump earlier this year, the two sides have had little reported contact. There have been worries among observers that the North would turn to weapons testing — which it has largely halted since a series of tests in 2017 had many fearing war — and other actions seen as provocative by outsiders as a way to force Washington to drop its current hard-line negotiating stance and grant the North's demand for a removal of crushing international sanctions.
The Associated Press could not immediately and independently verify North Korea's claim of the weapons test, and it wasn't immediately clear what had been tested.
The recent activity, however, is likely not a banned ballistic missile test, which would jeopardize diplomatic talks meant to provide the North with concessions in return for disarmament. One of the lower level officials mentioned in the North's report on the test — Pak Jong Chon — is known as an artillery official. The test comes amid reports of new activity at a North Korean missile research center and long-range rocket site where the North is believed to build missiles targeting the U.S. mainland.
The North said that Kim mounted an observation post to learn about the test-fire of the new-type tactical guided weapon and to guide the test-fire.
This is the first known time Kim Jong Un has observed the testing of a newly developed weapon system since last November, when North Korean media said he observed the successful test of an unspecified "newly developed ultramodern tactical weapon." Some observers have been expecting North Korea to orchestrate "low-level provocations," like artillery or short-range missile tests, to register its anger over the way nuclear negotiations were going.
The White House said it was aware of the report and had no comment. The Pentagon said it was aware of the reports but has no information to provide at this point.
After the animosity of 2017, last year saw a stunning turn to diplomacy, culminating in the first-ever leaders' meeting between Washington and Pyongyang in Singapore. But fears have since emerged that the progress could be killed by mismatched demands between Washington and Pyongyang over sanctions relief and disarmament.
Washington says it won't allow the North's desired sanctions relief until the nation commits to verifiably relinquishing his nuclear facilities, weapons and missiles. Kim has shown no signs that he's willing to give away an arsenal he may see as his strongest guarantee of survival.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced Monday he is pulling remaining U.S. embassy staffers from Venezuela because of the country’s worsening situation.
“The U.S. will withdraw all remaining personnel from [the Caracas embassy] this week,” Pompeo tweeted late Monday night. “This decision reflects the deteriorating situation in [Venezuela] as well as the conclusion that the presence of U.S. diplomatic staff at the embassy has become a constraint on U.S. policy.”
The announcement comes as Venezuela continues to descend into chaos. Its government is currently attempting to restore electricity after four days of blackouts around the country, the latest in what has become a humanitarian crisis for the socialist country led by Nicolas Maduro.
Following what many international observers considered a sham election that gave Maduro another six-year term in office, Juan Guaido — leader of Venezuela’s congress — declared himself the legitimate leader of the country and has pledged to hold new presidential elections. The U.S. and about 50 other countries have recognized Guaido as the legitimate leader of Venezuela. China, Russia, Cuba and other governments, however, have continued to support Maduro.
Upon recognizing Guaido in January, Maduro ordered every U.S. diplomat to leave Venezuela, but the socialist leader later backtracked and allowed them to remain. The American government has already removed dependents of embassy personnel and some staffers. The remaining diplomats will be ordered out of the country by the close of the week.
The Western world remains mostly united in opposition to Maduro’s dictatorial reign. However, many in the U.S. Congress are not.
New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez told The Daily Caller in January that she thought President Donald Trump’s recognition of Guaido was “concerning” and she has since refused to denounce Maduro. Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar likened Trump’s recognition of Guaido to a coup and, in recently unearthed footage, was recorded comparing Maduro’s scandal-plagued election to Trump’s 2016 election victory.
ANKARA, Turkey – Turkish authorities say three women and an infant have died after a fiberglass boat carrying migrants to Greece sank off the Turkish coast.
The coast guard said 11 other migrants were saved in an air and sea search mission launched early Tuesday off the town of Ayvacik, in northwest Canakkale province.
The privately owned DHA news agency said the boat, carrying 15 migrants from Iran and Afghanistan, was heading to the Greek island of Lesbos. The three women and the infant who died were from Afghanistan, the report said.
Migrants have been trying to get from Turkey into Greece, which is in the European Union, before heading to more prosperous European nations.
A 2016 deal between Turkey and the EU significantly curbed numbers but migrants still attempt the perilous journey.
Tennis - ATP 1000 - Monte Carlo Masters - Monte-Carlo Country Club, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France - April 15, 2019 Germany's Jan-Lennard Struff in action during his first round match against Canada's Denis Shapovalov REUTERS/Eric Gaillard
April 15, 2019
(Reuters) – Canadian Denis Shapovalov endured a birthday to forget as he suffered a 5-7 6-3 6-1 defeat to unseeded German Jan-Lennard Struff in the opening round of Monte Carlo Masters on Monday.
Shapovalov, who turned 20, was coming off a spectacular run to the Miami Open semi-finals but struggled to rediscover his service rhythm as he finished with 10 double faults in his first clay court match of the season.
The 15th-seeded Shapovalov fought hard to clinch the opening set but found himself immediately on the back foot when Struff claimed an early break point in the second set.
Struff converted two more break point opportunities to seal the second set before a Shapovalov double fault allowed the German to tighten his grip on the match with an early 2-0 lead in the decider.
Struff, who won 72 percent of first-serve points, completed the turnaround in just under two hours.
British number one Kyle Edmund let an early lead slip and won only one of the final 13 games in a 4-6 6-3 6-1 defeat by Argentine Diego Schwartzman.
Earlier, Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut recovered from a set down to beat John Millman 3-6 6-1 6-1 and set up a second-round meeting with compatriot and 11-time winner Rafael Nadal.
World number two Nadal will be playing his first match on Wednesday since injuring his knee at Indian Wells last month.
If the 32-year-old lifts the trophy again on Sunday, he will be the first player to win an ATP Tour event on 12 occasions.
“It’s the start of the important clay season for me,” Nadal told a news conference.
“I hope to be healthy and I hope to be ready to compete well. This tournament is important for me, and I hope to be competitive from the beginning.”
Nadal expects intense competition for clay court honors this season, with Djokovic, top seed in Monte Carlo, aiming to gather momentum on his way to a personal sweep at the French Open by lifting his fourth straight Grand Slam title.
Last year’s runner-up in Paris Dominic Thiem is high on confidence after winning the title in Indian Wells last month, and while Federer is not part of the Monte Carlo field, he is scheduled for a claycourt comeback at Madrid next month.
“We can’t predict the future. I hope to be one of them, but you never know,” Nadal added.
“Dominic is one of the candidates for everything, especially after winning in Indian Wells and Novak always, of course. Let’s see.
“Roger is always a candidate, let’s see how he’s able to adapt his game again to the clay after a while without playing on clay. I don’t think it will be a big trouble for him because he has the talent.”
(Reporting by Hardik Vyas in Bengaluru, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
President Donald Trump walks on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Monday, April 22, 2019, during the annual White House Easter Egg Roll. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
DEMS BLINK ON PURSUING TRUMP IMPEACHMENT -- FOR NOW: Leaders of the House Democrats backed off the idea of immediately launching impeachment proceedings against President Trump in an urgent conference call Monday evening amid a growing rift among the party's rank-and-file members, presidential contenders and committee chairs ... Fox News is told by two senior sources on the private conference call that even House Financial Services Committee Chair Maxine Waters, an anti-Trump firebrand, told fellow Democrats that while she personally favored going forward with impeachment proceedings, she was not pushing for other members to join her. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and her leadership team were clear there were no immediate plans to move forward with impeachment, Fox News is also told. Pelosi told fellow Democrats she favors more investigations of Trump to "save our democracy."
POST-MUELLER INVESTIGATIONS: If Nancy Pelosi favors more investigations of Trump, she will not be disappointed ... House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., on Monday subpoenaed former White House counsel Don McGahn to testify publicly on May 21, following last week's release of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on the Russia investigation. Nadler described McGahn, who stepped down as White House counsel in October 2018, as "a critical witness to many of the alleged instances of obstruction of justice and other misconduct described in the Special Counsel's report." He has set a May 7 deadline for him to provide documents related to the Mueller investigation.
OFFICIALS REPEATEDLY WARNED ABOUT GROUP BEHIND SRI LANKA ATTACKS - The purported leader of an Islamic extremist group blamed for an Easter attack in Sri Lanka that killed over 300 people began posting videos online three years ago calling for non-Muslims to be "eliminated," faith leaders said Tuesday ... Much remained unclear about how a little-known group called National Thowfeek Jamaath carried out six large near-simultaneous suicide bombings striking churches and hotels. However, warnings about growing radicalism in this island nation off the coast of India date to at least 2007, while Muslim leaders say their repeated warnings about the group and its leader drew no visible reaction from officials responsible for public security. - Associated Press
BERNIE SAYS BOSTON MARATHON BOMBER SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO VOTE: 2020 presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders on Monday defended his stance for granting voting rights to criminals in prison, including the Boston Marathon bomber and convicted sexual assaulters ... During a CNN town hall on Monday night, a student asked Sanders if his position would support “enfranchising people” like Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who she noted is a “convicted terrorist and murderer,” as well as those “convicted of sexual assault,” whose votes could have a “direct impact on women’s rights.”
Sanders first responded by saying he wanted a “vibrant democracy” with “higher voter turnout” and blasted “cowardly Republican governors” who he said were “trying to suppress the vote.” The Vermont senator then argued that the Constitution says “everybody can vote” and that “some people in jail can vote.”
FILE - This combination file photo, shows Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, in St. Petersburg, Russia, April 9, 2019, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Feb. 28, 2019. When Kim meets with Putin for their first one-on-one meeting, he will have a long wish list and a strong desire to notch a win after the failure of his second summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in February 2019. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky, Evan Vucci, File)
NORTH KOREA'S KIM, PUTIN TO MEET: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will soon visit Russia to meet with President Vladimir Putin, the North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency confirmed Tuesday without releasing a set date or location for the meeting ... The meeting may give Kim more leeway in future negotiations with President Trump after their February summit in Vietnam broke down due to disagreement over ridding North Korea of its nuclear arsenal. The Kremlin announced last week that North Korea’s supreme leader will visit Russia “in the second half of April,” but did not elaborate further.
OLD TWEET HAUNTS ILHAN OMAR: A resurfaced tweet from Rep. Ilhan Omar saw the Minnesota Democrat claim U.S. forces killed “thousands” of Somalis during the 1993 “Black Hawk Down” mission -- despite multiple analysts concluding the number was much smaller ... In the October 2017 tweet discovered by journalist John Rossomando, Omar was responding to a Twitter user who'd highlighted that more than a dozen U.S. soldiers were killed and another 73 were wounded in the Battle of Mogadishu, saying it was the “worst terrorist attack in Somalia history.” Omar, a Somali refugee who was then a Minnesota state representative, refuted the tweet, insisting that “thousands” of Somalis were killed by American forces. The number of Somali casualties in the Battle of Mogadishu is widely disputed.
THE SOUNDBITE
OBSTRUCTION 'MOCKERY' - "We are supposed to believe now that Donald Trump committed repeated obstruction of justice over a crime that he now, as we all know, did not commit? He is trying to obstruct people from investigating something he said he didn't do and special counsel has confirmed he didn't do. It is ridiculous, it is a farce, it is making a mockery of America"– Piers Morgan, DailyMail.com editor-at-large on "Hannity," lambasting Democrats and the mainstream media for their reaction to the Mueller report's release.(Click the image above to watch the full video.)
Fox & Friends, 6 a.m. ET: U.S. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, on Democrats' push to investigate President Trump. Plus, Did the media fail to properly recognize that the bombings in Sri Lanka was an attack on Christians?
Lou Dobbs Tonight, 7 p.m. ET: Kevin Hassett, chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers.
On Fox News Radio:
The Fox News Rundown podcast: "Social Security Funds to Run Out in 2035" - Social Security reserve funds are expected to run out by 2035, according to the latest Social Security and Medicare trustees report. Fox Business Network correspondent Edward Lawrence breaks down the report and what happens if Congress does not act fast to fix it. Federal benefits programs have become a main attraction for many immigrants entering the United States. Fox News correspondent William La Jeunesse explains the financial cost of immigration to our economy. Plus, commentary by Leslie Marshall, Democratic strategist and Fox News contributor .
Want the Fox News Rundown sent straight to your mobile device? Subscribe through Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Stitcher.
The Brian Kilmeade Show, 9 a.m. ET: Mary Walter guest-hosts. Special guests include: Allen West, former Florida congressman, on the latest in the Sri Lanka terror attacks on Christians; Michael Goodwin, New York Post columnist, on why President Trump's best path forward is to ignore Democrats and focus on policy; Chris Stirewalt, Fox News digital politics editor, on the latest in the 2020 presidential race and more.
The Todd Starnes Show, Noon ET: Todd speaks with John Bursch, vice president and senior counsel at Alliance Defending Freedom about their latest case for religious freedom.
#TheFlashback 2005: YouTube uploads its first clip, "Me at the Zoo," which shows YouTube co-founder Jawed Karim standing in front of an elephant enclosure at the San Diego Zoo. 1995: Iconic sportscaster Howard Cosell dies in New York at age 77. 1971: Hundreds of Vietnam War veterans opposed to the conflict protest by tossing their medals and ribbons over a wire fence in front of the U.S. Capitol.
Fox News First is compiled by Fox News' Bryan Robinson. Thank you for joining us! Have a good day! We'll see you in your inbox first thing Wednesday morning.
Avengers fans gather at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood to attend the opening screening of “Avengers: Endgame” in Los Angeles, California, U.S., April 25, 2019. REUTERS/Mike Blake
April 26, 2019
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Marvel Studios superhero spectacle “Avengers: Endgame” hauled in a record $60 million at U.S. and Canadian box offices during its Thursday night debut, distributor Walt Disney Co said.
Global ticket sales for the film about Iron Man, Hulk and other popular characters reached $305 million for the first two days, Disney said.
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn attends the funeral service for murdered journalist Lyra McKee at St Anne’s Cathedral in Belfast, Northern Ireland April 24, 2019. Brian Lawless/Pool via REUTERS
April 26, 2019
LONDON (Reuters) – The leader of Britain’s opposition Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, said on Friday he had turned down an invitation to a state dinner which will be part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to Britain in June.
“Theresa May should not be rolling out the red carpet for a state visit to honor a president who rips up vital international treaties, backs climate change denial and uses racist and misogynist rhetoric,” Corbyn said in a statement.
He said maintaining the relationship with the United States did not require “the pomp and ceremony of a state visit” and he said he would welcome a meeting with Trump “to discuss all matters of interest.”
(Reporting by Andy Bruce; Writing by William Schomberg)
Libyan Minister of Economy Ali Abdulaziz Issawi speaks during an interview with Reuters in Tripoli, Libya April 25, 2019. REUTERS/Hani Amara
April 26, 2019
By Ulf Laessing
TRIPOLI (Reuters) – Libya’s U.N.-recognized government has budgeted up to 2 billion dinars ($1.43 billion) to cover costs of a three-week-old war for control of the capital, such as treatment for the wounded, to be funded without new borrowing, the economy minister said.
Ali Abdulaziz Issawi suggested the government hoped for business to continue more or less as usual despite the assault on Tripoli, in the country’s northwest, by forces tied to a parallel administration based in the eastern city of Benghazi.
Once Africa’s third largest producer of oil, Libya has been riven by factional conflict since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, with the country now broadly split between eastern-based forces under Khalifa Haftar and the U.N.-backed government in Tripoli, in the west, under Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj.
Still, with Haftar’s Libyan National Army forces unable so far to pierce defenses in Tripoli’s southern suburbs, normal life and business activities continue in much of the capital and western coastal towns.
Issawi, in an interview with Reuters in his Tripoli office, also said Libya’s commercial ports and wheat imports were still functioning normally, although some roads have been blocked.
He said the Serraj government estimates it will spend up to 2 billion dinars extra on medical treatment for wounded, aid for displaced people and other “emergency” war costs.
He said this was not military spending but analysts believe that the sum will also cover expenditures such as pay for allied armed groups or food for fighters.
“We could actually spend less,” he added, in comments that gave the first insight into the economic impact of the fighting.
Issawi said the Tripoli government, which controls little territory beyond the greater capital region, would not incur new debt to fund the war costs, sticking to a plan to post a 2019 budget without a deficit.
Tripoli derives revenue largely from oil and natural gas production, interest-free loans from local banks to the central bank, and a 183 percent surcharge on foreign exchange transactions conducted at official rates.
But with centralized tax collection greatly diminished, public debt has piled up – to 68 billion dinars in the west, including unpaid state obligations such as social insurance.
Some analysts expect Serraj’s government will be forced to raise new debt if the war for control of Tripoli drags on.
With much of Libya dominated by armed factions that also act as security forces, the public wage bill for both the western and eastern administrations has soared as fighters have been made public employees in efforts to buy their loyalty.
The east has sold bonds worth 35 billion dinars outside the official financial system as the Tripoli central bank does not fund the parallel government apart from some wages.
Despite its limited reach, the Tripoli government still runs an annual budget of around 46.8 billion dinars, mainly for public salaries and fuel subsidies.
“This year we cannot finance via debt…we will not borrow (by agreement with the central bank),” Issawi said.
According to International Monetary Fund data, Libya’s central government debt-to-GDP ratio is 143 percent, making it one of the most heavily indebted in the world on that measure.
Issawi declined to say what parts of the budget would be trimmed to support the extra outlay for war costs.
However, with some 70 percent of the budget allocated to public wages, fuel subsidies and other welfare benefits, a portion devoted to infrastructure is most likely to be axed.
Widespread lawlessness has meant there have been no major infrastructural projects since 2011, when a NATO-backed uprising overthrew dictator Muammar Gaddafi, leaving schools, hospitals and roads in acute need of restoration.
FOREX SURCHARGE
Issawi said the government planned to raise as much as 30 billion dinars by the end of 2019 from hard currency deals after imposing in September a 183 percent surcharge on commercial and private transactions done on the official rate of 1.4 to the U.S. dollar. That fee has effectively devalued the official rate to 3.9, much closer to the black market equivalent.
Some 17 billion dinars have been raised since then, with hard currency allocated for import credit letters now issued without delays, Issawi said. The forex fee has helped the government forecast a budget in the black for 2019.
Despite the narrowing spread between the two rates, the black market continues to thrive. Dozens of traders remained at their favorite spot behind the central bank headquarters in Tripoli when Reuters reporters visited it last week.
But traders said it could take time for the Serraj government to register the extra forex receipts as official banking channels were taking up to six months to approve import financing, keeping the black market in play for dealers.
Issawi said authorities planned to lower the forex fee from 183 percent, without saying when. The black market rate has dropped from 6 to around 4.1 since September but it has hardly moved of late as demand for black market cash remains high.
The Tripoli government has stopped subsidizing food and bread, which used to be cheaper than drinking water in Libya. Wheat imports are now being arranged by private traders and there are surplus stocks of flour at the moment, Issawi said.
(Reporting by Ulf Laessing in Tripoli with additional reporting by Karin Strohecker in London; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., threatened possible jail time for White House officials refusing to comply with subpoenas to testify before the House Oversight Committee.
Connolly, a member of the House panel, made his comments during an interview on CNN on Thursday. He said that “if a subpoena is issued and you’re told you must testify, we will back that up.”
He added: “And we will use any and all power in our command to make sure it’s backed up — whether that’s a contempt citation, whether that’s going to court and getting that citation enforced, whether it’s fines, whether it’s possible incarceration.”
“We will go to the max to enforce the constitutional role of the legislative branch of government.”
His comments came after three officials have refused to comply with congressional requests to testify, CNN noted.
Trump told The Washington Post that his staff should not testify on Capitol Hill, explaining that the White House cooperated fully with special counsel Robert Mueller and “there is no reason to go any further, especially in Congress where it’s very partisan.”
“Outdated laws” need fixing to deal with the surge in illegal immigrant families crossing the U.S. border with Mexico, a top Border Patrol official said Friday.
Historically 70 to 90 percent of apprehensions at the border were quickly returned to Mexico, Hastings said.
Now, 83 percent of those apprehended have come from the Central American northern triangle which includes Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, and of those 63 percent are “family units” and children who cannot be returned, he said.
“There are no consequences that we can apply to this group currently,” Hastings said. “We’re overwhelmed. If you look at agents there doing a tremendous job trying to deal with the flow.”
The law dictates children have to be released after 20 days of detention.
“Up to 40 percent of our agents are processing at any given time,” he said. “That should say that in and of itself is pulling from those border security resources.”
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