President Trump is expected to declassify FISA documents used to conduct spying on the Trump campaign ahead of the 2016 election, according to a report.
The declassification will likely stem from new criminal investigations into FBI and DOJ actions taken during the Obama administration to greenlight the surveillance of Trump campaign officials in 2016.
“With the contents of the Mueller report now public, President Trump and key White House aides are said to be taking a fresh look at declassifying documents that GOP allies believe will expose unlawful actions at the Department of Justice and the FBI purportedly taken against the Trump campaign in 2016,” reported James Rosen with Sinclair Broadcasting. “Attorney General William Barr has already begun investigating the investigators at both the DOJ and FBI.”
“DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz, probing the same matters, is said to be drafting his final report, due within six weeks or so.”
In particular, the DOJ is said to be looking into the surveillance of former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page in October 2016, during the weeks before the presidential election.
The President intended to release the documents last September, but then decided to hold off until the completion of the Mueller probe.
Interestingly, the FISA warrant on Carter Page was renewed three times, according to reports.
House Republicans previously petitioned the president to declassify 21 pages of the warrant because they believe the pages contain evidence of wrongdoing by FBI and DOJ officials who sought the warrant from a federal judge.
This booking photo provided by Pinal County Sheriff’s Office shows Machelle Hackney. Authorities say, Tuesday, March 19, 2019, Hackney is accused of abusing seven adopted children, including using pepper spray on them and locking them in a closet. Hackney was booked into the Pinal County Jail on suspicion of two counts of molestation of a child, seven counts of child abuse and five counts each of unlawful imprisonment and child neglect. (Pinal County Sheriff’s Office via AP)
MARICOPA, Ariz. – The Latest on an Arizona woman arrested on allegations of abusing adopted children (all times local):
11:25 a.m.
A YouTube channel of an Arizona woman arrested on suspicion of abusing her seven adopted children shows them in simple skits about a kid stealing cookies or a little boy with super powers.
The channel that authorities say 48-year-old Machelle Hackney runs has millions of views. She also has related Instagram and Facebook accounts.
A police report released Wednesday says the children say they were disciplined with pepper spray or locked in a closet without food or water if they did not perform in the videos as directed.
Two adult sons of Hackney were arrested on allegations of failing to report child abuse.
Hackney and the two grown sons remained in jail on Wednesday. It was unknown if any of the three have attorneys.
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9:20 a.m.
Arizona authorities say two adult sons of a woman arrested on allegations of using pepper spray to discipline her seven younger adopted children are being held on suspicion of failing to report abuse of a minor.
A police statement released Wednesday says Logan and Ryan Hackney were booked into jail.
Authorities said their mother Machelle Hackney disciplined the adopted children by locking them in a closet for days without food, water or bathroom access. The kids were featured on her popular YouTube channel.
A police report says officers arriving at the house in the small city of Maricopa south of Phoenix found six of the children appeared malnourished and underweight.
It was not immediately clear if the 48-year-old mother or her two grown sons had an attorney.
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8 a.m.
Arizona authorities say a woman has been arrested on allegations of using pepper spray to discipline her seven adopted children and locking them for days inside a closet.
A police report says Machelle Hackney's adopted children had no food, water or access to a bathroom for days while inside the closet at her home in the small city of Maricopa south of Phoenix.
The report says that officers who went to the house last week reported that six of the children appeared malnourished and underweight.
Hackney was being held at the Pinal County Jail on suspicion of two counts of molestation of a child, seven counts of child abuse and five counts of unlawful imprisonment and child neglect.
It was unclear Tuesday whether 48-year-old Hackney had a lawyer.
If Republican President Trump is at the top of the Democrats' political target list, billionaire Howard Schultz may soon be second.
Ever since the lifelong Democrat and former chairman and CEO of Starbucks announced on "60 Minutes" in late January that he was mulling an independent bid for the White House, the reaction from Democrats has been ice cold.
Democrats quickly united, fearing a Schultz candidacy would wound their efforts to oust Trump from the White House in the 2020 election.
Presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts slammed Schultz as a billionaire who thinks he can “buy the presidency to keep the system rigged for themselves while opportunity slips away for everyone else.”
WATCH THE HOWARD SCHULTZ TOWN HALL ON FOX NEWS CHANNEL ON THURSDAY AT 6:30 PM ET.
Fellow billionaire and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg – who at the time was considering a bid for the Democratic presidential nomination – criticized a possible independent run by Schultz, saying it would “end up re-electing the president.”
'If he becomes a candidate, then we’ll treat him like a target.'
— Priorities USA communications director Josh Schwerin
David Axelrod, the former top political adviser to President Barack Obama, tweeted that “If Schultz decides to run as an independent, @realDonaldTrump should give Starbucks their Trump Tower space rent free! It would be a gift.”
This was just a taste of what's to come if Schultz moves ahead with an independent bid for 2020.
American Bridge 21st Century, a leading pro-Democratic opposition research shop, already is mounting an offensive against him.
“We think it’s very clear that Howard Schultz would throw the election to Donald Trump and so we’re treating him as a target of equal standing with Trump,” American Bridge communications director Andrew Bates told Fox News.
He explained that “we’re thoroughly researching him in a number of ways. One is his business record. Another is his history aside from his business record. We’re looking into his finances, his public statements.”
Bates said that his group’s arsenal would include opposition research, rapid response and possibly digital ads.
Also getting into the game is Priorities USA, which is the largest pro-Democratic super PAC.
“If he becomes a candidate, then we’ll treat him like a target,” Priorities USA communications director Josh Schwerin told Fox News.
“Anything is on the table,” he stressed.
Also targeting Shultz in the hours after his news shook the political landscape: freshman Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, The View’s Joy Behar, and HBO host Bill Maher.
“Really? The coffee guy wants to be president?” Maher tweeted. “Just because you had one profitable insight — people will overpay for coffee — doesn’t mean you can run the world.”
The anger hit Schultz head-on, as he was heckled on the streets of New York City by a protester yelling “Don’t help elect Trump, you egotistical billionaire a------.”
Some activists even threatened boycotts of Starbucks.
The Democrats’ rage is no surprise. It stems from painful political memories of lost presidential elections.
Nearly two decades after the 2000 election, many Democrats still blame independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader for playing the spoiler in then-Vice President Al Gore’s narrow and controversial defeat by then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush. And they point to the 2016 election, arguing that votes won by Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson and Green Party candidate Jill Stein siphoned support away from Hillary Clinton, helping Donald Trump win crucial swing states.
But Schultz argues that Democrats are the ones who could play the "spoiler" in 2020, if they keep drifting further left.
"If you want to talk about spoiler, if the Democrats decide in their wisdom to nominate a far-left person who is professing policies ... of a socialist — that will be a spoiler,” Schultz said last month in an interview on Fox News.
When Bloomberg decided against launching a campaign for the Democratic nomination, Schultz didn’t waste an opportunity to highlight that there’s no room anymore for a centrist in the Democratic Party.
“Mike Bloomberg governed from the center with big ideas, pragmatism and common sense. In an era of paralysis and dysfunction, he’s an exception,” Schultz tweeted as he pointed to Bloomberg’s tenure as New York City mayor. “I've long said there isn't room for centrist moderation in either party and it appears Mr. Bloomberg has come to the same conclusion.”
"This is what I have for Kim," Trump allegedly said, pointing to the nuclear football — a large briefcase that is always close to the president and has the ability to authorize a nuclear strike.
The alleged comment came as Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un were having a war of words regarding North Korea's threats to use nuclear weapons on the United States or one of its allies. Tensions have softened since last summer when Trump and Kim met, and threats of destroying each other no longer emerge from Washington, D.C. and Pyongyang.
Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló told CNN he was with Trump during his 2017 trip to the island and would not confirm to CNN that Trump made the aforementioned remark.
"There were other topics that were being discussed and my view is that the sole focus of that trip should have been on Puerto Rico," he said.
"He was talking about a whole host of other issues, but I would rather leave those conversations internal."
FILE PHOTO: Tesla CEO Elon Musk arrives at Manhattan federal court for a hearing on his fraud settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in New York City, U.S., April 4, 2019. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton/File Photo
April 18, 2019
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Tesla Inc Chief Executive Elon Musk and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission are seeking more time from a federal court to settle a dispute over Musk’s use of Twitter, according to a court filing Thursday.
A federal judge in Manhattan on April 4 ordered Musk and the agency, which had previously asked to hold Musk in contempt of court for violating an earlier agreement, to try to reach an agreement within two weeks. The judge said she would rule on the contempt request if no agreement is reached.
(Reporting by Brendan Pierson in New York; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Police say a Tennessee man is accused of beating an infant to death after discovering that he wasn't the child's father.
Memphis police say 33-year-old Jose Avila-Agurcia is charged with murder in the death of 4-month-old Alexander Lizondro-Chacon.
News outlets cited an affidavit of complaint that says officers responded April 12 to a report of an unresponsive infant. The baby was taken to a hospital and later pronounced dead from blunt force trauma to the head.
The affidavit says Avila-Agurcia became a suspect after the child's mother, Mercy Lizondro-Chacon, told investigators that the man said he struck the baby multiple times in anger after learning he wasn't the father.
Avila-Agurcia is being held at a county jail.
It wasn't immediately clear whether he has an attorney.
Britain’s Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond looks on during an interview with Reuters at the British Ambassador’s residence in Beijing, China April 26, 2019. REUTERS/Florence Lo/Pool
April 26, 2019
BEIJING (Reuters) – British finance minister Philip Hammond said on Friday that he had a “very constructive meeting” with his counterpart in the opposition Labour Party before leaving for Beijing and that he was optimistic about finding common ground.
Hammond, speaking on the sidelines of a summit on China’s Belt and Road initiative in Beijing, said talks with Labour aimed at finding a way forward on Brexit had not stalled.
“I’m optimistic that we will find common ground,” he said. “Both sides have got clear positions and both sides will have to compromise in order to reach an agreement.”
Hammond added that he absolutely did not favor a no deal exit from the European Union.
(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; editing by Darren Schuettler)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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