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Police: Suspect fires at people in mall sporting goods store

Authorities say a man shot at specific people inside a sporting goods store in a South Carolina mall, though no one is believed to have been injured.

North Charleston Deputy Police Chief Scott Decker says officers are still seeking the gunman and the people he was shooting at Friday afternoon at the Northwoods Mall.

Decker says surveillance video captured the shooting about 3 p.m. and the man leaving via an emergency exit and getting rid of his gun. The police chief said in a video on the department's Facebook page that the shooting was isolated to the store, Champs Sporting Goods.

Dozens of officers from three different police agencies rushed to the mall, which was evacuated.

Source: Fox News National

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Exclusive: U.S. open to new path towards removing Sudan from terrorism list – official

FILE PHOTO: Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir addresses a meeting at the Presidential Palace in Khartoum
FILE PHOTO: Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir addresses a meeting at the Presidential Palace in Khartoum, Sudan, April 5, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdalla/File Photo

April 16, 2019

By Patrick Werr

CAIRO (Reuters) – The United States will consider new ways to remove Sudan from its list of state sponsors of terrorism if it sees a fundamental change in its government and a commitment not to support terrorism, a State Department official said.

The U.S. government added Sudan to its list of terrorism in 1993 over allegations that then-President Omar al-Bashir’s government was supporting terrorism. The Islamist Bashir was toppled last week by the military after three decades in power.

The designation as a state sponsor of terrorism makes Sudan ineligible for desperately needed debt relief and financing from lenders like the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

“Sudan remains designated as a state sponsor of terrorism (STT) and a number of foreign assistance and other restrictions remain in place,” said the official, responding to questions sent by email.

The United States agreed in November to talks with Bashir’s government on how to get Sudan removed from the list, but no resolution was reached before his overthrow following weeks of increasing public unrest.

“A different statutory path to SST rescission may be available if there is a fundamental change in the leadership and policies of the government of Sudan,” the U.S. official, who asked not to be named, told Reuters.

Sudan is currently ruled by a Transitional Military Council (TMC) that says it is working with opposition groups to form a civilian government. But protesters say they will not leave the streets until the TMC cedes power to an interim civilian body.

The State Department officials said any new government must demonstrate it is not “supporting acts of international terrorism” and provide assurances “it will not support acts of international terrorism in the future”.

Former Sudanese Defense Minister General Awad Ibn Auf, who has been under U.S. sanctions since 2007, stepped down as TMC chief on Friday, making way for General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, a career military officer. Ibn Auf remains on the sanctions list, according to the State Department official.

“We are not aware of any person targeted by U.N. or U.S. sanctions in the TMC at present,” the official said. “However, the TMC is still being formed. We believe the presence of a designated individual in the TMC would be problematic.”  

Sudan’s economy has been laid low by sanctions, corruption and mismanagement. Consumer prices rose by 73 percent in 2018 and long queues at bakeries, petrol stations and cash machines are now common.

Government finances were also seriously damaged by the loss of oil revenue when South Sudan, which contained most of the country’s oil fields, seceded in 2011, although a near simultaneous increase in gold output helped reduce the blow.

In October 2017, the United States lifted separate trade and economic sanctions it had imposed on Sudan in 1997.

It kept in place the terrorism designation, which is associated with accusations that Bashir-led Sudan backed anti-Israel Islamist militant groups, including Hamas and Hezbollah.

(Reporting by Patrick Werr; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

Source: OANN

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Brazil ex-president Temer hit with new corruption charges: prosecutor

Brazil's former President Michel Temer arrives at his home in Sao Paulo
Brazil's former President Michel Temer arrives at his home in Sao Paulo, Brazil March 25, 2019. REUTERS/Amanda Perobelli

March 29, 2019

By Brad Brooks

SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Brazil’s former president Michel Temer was hit with corruption charges on Friday, just a day after being charged in a separate graft case, the federal prosecutors office in Rio de Janeiro said.

Temer, who was president from 2016 until the end of 2018, was arrested last week as part of an investigation into kickbacks in the construction of a nuclear plant. He has since been released and has said he is innocent.

Prosecutors have said Temer, a lifelong politician, led a “criminal organization” that acted during the past 40 years, which may have taken upward of 1.8 billion reais ($462.53 million) in bribes or pending future kickbacks as part of numerous schemes. The one he was charged for on Friday is related to the Angra nuclear power plant complex on the Rio de Janeiro coast and other state firms.

Temer, 78, served for two years as Sao Paulo state’s prosecutor general starting in 1983. In 1985 he was elected to the federal Congress, where he served until becoming former president Dilma Rousseff’s vice president in 2011. He took over as president when Rousseff was impeached.

Temer’s Brazil Democratic Movement party long held sway over key appointments in Brazil’s largely state-run energy sector, including nuclear power plants.

Work on Angra 3, the third nuclear power plant planned in the Angra complex, has advanced haltingly since 1984 and has long been on the radar of graft investigators. The complex is run by Eletronuclear, a unit of state power holding company Centrais Eletricas Brasileiras SA, or Eletrobras.

Temer is the second former president to be arrested in Brazil’s unprecedented anti-corruption push that began in 2014. Former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is in jail serving over 12 years for a corruption conviction.

On Thursday, Temer was charged with corruption on allegations of using a middleman to procure a suitcase full of cash from the world’s largest meatpacker, JBS SA.

In 2017, security cameras captured video of a former Temer adviser, Rodrigo da Rocha Loures, running out of a Sao Paulo restaurant carrying a bag with 500,000 reais in cash that prosecutors said was a bribe from the owners of JBS.

Plea-bargain testimony by two executives of JBS holding company J&F Investimentos SA implicated Temer and other politicians in corruption and led prosecutors to accuse Rocha Loures of being a middleman for Temer, which the former president denied. Rocha Loures, who has also denied the charges, is awaiting trial.

(Reporting by Brad Brooks; Editing by David Gregorio)

Source: OANN

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TWITTER URGED TO SUSPEND DONALD TRUMP AFTER PRESIDENT ACCUSED OF ‘SHARING PROPAGANDA VIDEOS #MAGAFirstNews with @PeterBoykin

TWITTER URGED TO SUSPEND DONALD TRUMP AFTER PRESIDENT ACCUSED OF ‘SHARING PROPAGANDA VIDEOS TRAFFICKING IN HATE SPEECH’ OVER OMAR ATTACK #MAGAFirstNews with @PeterBoykin U.S. TWITTER URGED TO SUSPEND DONALD TRUMP AFTER PRESIDENT ACCUSED OF ‘SHARING PROPAGANDA VIDEOS TRAFFICKING IN HATE SPEECH’ OVER OMAR ATTACK By Christina Zhao On 4/14/19 at 6:05 PM EDT US President Donald Trump delivers remarks on 5G deployment in the United States on April 12, 2019 in Washington, DC. The Women's March ... See More launched a petition on Saturday to get Twitter to suspend President Donald Trump's account after the president posted a video attacking Democratic congresswoman Ilhan Omar.PHOTO: TOM BRENNER/GETTY IMAGES The Women’s March—a women-led rights advocacy group—urged Twitter to suspend President Donald Trump’s account for posting a video showing Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar intercut with footage of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Trump on Friday — and then again on Saturday — shared a clip of Omar speaking at a banquet in California hosted by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) last month, with the caption “WE WILL NEVER FORGET!” In the footage, Omar can be seen saying "CAIR was founded after 9/11 because they recognized that some people did something,” edited alongside footage of the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Omar’s out-of-context words were taken from a speech where she said: "Far too long we have lived with the discomfort of being a second-class citizen, and frankly, I’m tired of it, and every single Muslim in this country should be tired of it…CAIR was founded after 9/11 because they recognized that some people did something and that all of us were starting to lose access to our civil liberties." CAIR was actually founded in 1994, but did grow significantly in prominence in the years after the 2001 attack. “@realDonaldTrump is sharing propaganda videos trafficking in hate speech and inciting real violence against @IlhanMN. We’re calling on @jack to suspend him from @Twitter. Seriously. Add your name here:” the Women’s March tweeted, alongside a link to a petition to “suspend Trump from Facebook and Twitter.” “Trump has launched a despicable and irresponsible attack on Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, sharing a propaganda video questioning the Congresswoman's loyalty to the United States,” the petition’s description read. “This is as dangerous as it is unprecedented. Representative Omar is receiving countless death threats as the president of the United States is inciting violence against a Black Muslim sitting member of congress, putting her life at risk.” The petition, which urges Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey to “take down Trump’s hateful video and permanently suspend his account,” has gathered over 9,000 signatures since it was launched on Saturday evening. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), and Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, were among several Democrats who have condemned the president’s controversial video. “Members of Congress have a duty to respond to the President’s explicit attack today.@IlhanMN’s life is in danger. For our colleagues to be silent is to be complicit in the outright, dangerous targeting of a member of Congress,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted on Saturday evening. “We must speak out. ‘First they came…’” Pelosi issued a statement on Sunday demanding Trump remove the “dangerous” post and announcing that she has taken measures to ensure Omar’s safety. “Following the President’s tweet, I spoke with the Sergeant-at-Arms to ensure that Capitol Police are conducting a security assessment to safeguard Congresswoman Omar, her family and her staff. They will continue to monitor and address the threats she faces,” Pelosi said. “The President’s words weigh a ton, and his hateful and inflammatory rhetoric creates real danger. President Trump must take down his disrespectful and dangerous video," she added. Trump, who pinned the video to the top of his Twitter feed on Saturday, re-tweeted his post a day later but appears to have removed the pin by Sunday evening The original video remains on his Twitter feed as of Sunday afternoon. The White House did not immediately respond to Newsweek’s request for comment. Despite repeated calls and petitions accusing Trump of violating Twitter policies, the social media platform has resisted taking any action against his account. In a January 2018 blog post, the company explained — without naming Trump — why it does not hold world leaders to the same standards it holds private citizens. "Blocking a world leader from Twitter or removing their controversial Tweets would hide important information people should be able to see and debate," wrote the company. "It would also not silence that leader, but it would certainly hamper necessary discussion around their words and actions." In an August 2018 interview with Buzzfeed, Dorsey made basically this same argument, though he did seem to indicate that the president could cross a line of accceptability if he attacked a private citizen. "I do believe private citizens versus public figures deserve more of our protection, but it has to be done in the context of how we’re actually seeing our global leaders," said the CEO.  In that same interview, Twitter’s Legal, Policy and Trust & Safety Lead Vijaya Gadde was not as forgiving about things a world leader could say on Twitter.  RELATED STORIES Nancy Pelosi Orders More Omar Security Over Trump Tweet How Pete Buttigieg Plans to Reach Rural Voters Trump Congratulates Tiger Woods On Masters Win Rick Scott: Trump 'Sanctuary City' Threat is Trolling "I think that if you asked me very directly, like, 'is everything the president says, part of public interest?' I would say no, but if you asked me what’s not, I think that it’s going to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis using the criteria we set forth," Gadde clarified to Buzzfeed. "I agree that it is subjective and nuanced and I would like to build more framework around that so we have a more consistent way to enforce going forward."

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French prosecutor seeks jail for Orange CEO over Tapie affair

French telecom group Orange CEO Stephane Richard arrives for a trial over a disputed state payment at the Paris courthouse
French telecom group Orange CEO Stephane Richard arrives for a trial over a disputed state payment at the Paris courthouse, France, April 1, 2019. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier

April 1, 2019

PARIS (Reuters) – A French prosecutor on Monday told judges Orange chief executive Stephane Richard should face three years in jail for his alleged involvement in a disputed compensation payment made in 2008 by the state to tycoon Bernard Tapie.

The prosecutor said 18 months of the sentence should be suspended, and that Richard should be barred from working in the public service for five years.

Richard has denied the allegations, saying he was doing his job and only played a secondary role in the arbitration process in which Tapie was awarded 403 million euros ($452 million) in the state-funded settlement.

Tapie is locked in a fight over the sale of his stake in sportswear firm Adidas in 1993 to Credit Lyonnais, then government-owned, and the compensation he won over the transaction 15 years later.

Richard is accused of complicity over the disputed payment. He was working as chief of staff to then-finance minister Christine Lagarde when it was made.

The prosecutor is also seeking a five-year jail term for Tapie. ($1 = 0.8923 euros)

(Reporting by Emmanuel Jarry, Writing by Richard Lough and Bate Felix, Editing by Catherine Evans and John Stonestreet)

Source: OANN

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Police probe possible hate symbols at Arizona synagogue

Flagstaff police are investigating what they say appear to be hate symbols at a synagogue.

Officers responded to the Chabad of Flagstaff on Monday and found multiple rooms damaged.

Police say paint smeared on windows and carvings in a wall appeared to be swastikas. The symbols aren't well-defined in photos released by the Flagstaff Police Department.

Rabbi Dovie Shapiro says the Jewish community is shocked and disturbed by what he called an act of hate.

Police say the damage occurred sometime between Friday and Monday when a construction crew working at the site was off-duty.

Police spokesman Sgt. Charles Hernandez says officers have collected fingerprints, biological evidence and video footage to try to determine who is responsible. He says the damage is at least $1,000.

Police don't believe anything was stolen from the property.

Source: Fox News National

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DE Ogbah a no-show at Browns workouts

FILE PHOTO: NFL: Carolina Panthers at Cleveland Browns
FILE PHOTO: Dec 9, 2018; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah (90) catches a pass during warmups before a game against the Carolina Panthers at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott R. Galvin-USA TODAY Sports

April 1, 2019

Cleveland Browns defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah did not report to the team’s offseason program Monday because he expects to be traded, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported.

Ogbah, selected by the Browns in the second round (32nd overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft, reportedly has been on the trading block since the team acquired edge rusher Olivier Vernon from the New York Giants in March.

One notable player who did show up for the first day of the voluntary workouts was receiver Odell Beckham Jr., acquired in another trade with the Giants. The Browns tweeted a photo of him arriving at their facility with a simple caption: “Welcome to Cleveland, @obj!”

Another Browns wideout, Ricardo Louis, has been waived, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Monday. He was a fourth-round pick in 2016, but didn’t play last season because of a neck injury.

Louis, 25, caught 45 passes for 562 yards and no touchdowns over 32 games in the 2016-17 seasons.

Ogbah is entering the final year of a four-year, $6.6 million rookie deal he signed in 2016. He is due to make $1.35 million this season.

The 25-year-old has played in 40 games (all starts) in Cleveland, tallying 122 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks and 29 quarterback hits.

–Field Level Media

Source: OANN

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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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