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Protesters rally against Islamic law in U.S. cities Chicago Protesters held rallies across the U.S. on Saturday to denounce Sharia law, the Islamic legal and moral code that organizers say poses a threat to American
Delta, Bank of America pull sponsorship of ‘Julius Caesar’ production over Trump-like portrayal New York Delta Air Lines and Bank of America pulled financial support on Sunday for the Shakespeare in the Park production of “Julius Caesar” in New York over its portrayal
Warren Buffett charity lunch sells for $2.68 million on eBay San Francisco An anonymous fan of Warren Buffett agreed to pay $2,679,001 at an online charity auction to have lunch
Britain’s May brings back foe, aiming to unite party before Brexit London Prime Minister Theresa May reappointed most of her ministers on Sunday but brought a Brexit campaigner and party
Victims honored at ceremony on anniversary of Florida club shooting Orlando The names of the 49 people killed in a Florida nightclub last June were read aloud on Monday in a
North State Journal for Wednesday, June 14, 2017
Nation & WORLD freedoms. ACT for America, a grassroots organization focusing on national security, staged rallies in New York, Chicago, Boston, Denver and Seattle, and smaller cities. Hundreds pledged to attend an event that ACT billed as “March against Sharia.”
of the assassinated ancient Roman leader that resembles President Donald Trump. The contemporary staging of William Shakespeare’s tragedy, by the nonprofit Public Theater, portrays Caesar as a powerful, blond-haired man wearing a business suit with an American flag pin, while his wife, Calpurnia, has a Slavic accent and dresses in designer fashions. with the billionaire chairman of Berkshire Hathaway. The winning bid came in the closing seconds of the five-day eBay auction, which drew 41 bids before ending on Friday night. It was lower than the record $3,456,789 bid in the 2012 and 2016 auctions.
rival into government to unite her Conservatives after last week’s election sapped her authority, days before Brexit talks begin. May appointed Michael Gove, a long-serving cabinet minister who had clashed with May when she was home secretary, as agriculture minister.
predawn remembrance marking the anniversary of when a gunman opened fire in Orlando’s Pulse nightclub at 2:02 a.m. The event was the first in a series where victims’ names will be memorialized with performances, prayers and candlelight vigils on “Orlando United Day.”
NEWS IN IMAGES
ARND WIEGMANN | REUTERS
Raphael and Mirjam, right, pose as first guests in the bedroom of the Null-Stern-Hotel (Zero-star-hotel) land art installation by Swiss artists Frank and Patrik Riklin on an alp mount Saentis near Gonten, Switzerland, on June 1.
REBECCA NADEN | REUTERS
Sand artist Marc Treanor creates a work on the North Beach at Tenby Harbour, Pembrokeshire, Wales, Britain, June 7.
ALESSANDRO BIANCHI | REUTERS
Historical parade arrive as Verdi (green) San Giovanni supporters light flares before the Calcio Fiorentino (historic football) semifinal match against Rossi (Red) Santa Maria Novella at Santa Croce Square in Florence, Italy, on June 10.
PHOTOS BY ALVIN BAEZ | REUTERS
Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosello, center celebrates after the economically struggling U.S. island territory voted overwhelmingly on Sunday in favour of becoming the 51st state, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on June 11.
Puerto Ricans hope for statehood Adding another star to the U.S. flag likely faces an uphill battle in Congress By Tracy Rucinski Reuters SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The economically struggling U.S. island territory of Puerto Rico voted overwhelmingly on Sunday in favor of becoming the 51st state, although turnout was low. A government website for the non-binding referendum, Puerto Rico’s fifth such plebiscite since 1967, showed 97 percent supported statehood. Only 23 percent of the 2.2 million eligible voters participated in the vote. Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello campaigned for statehood as the best avenue to boost future growth for the island, which has $70 billion in debt, a 45 percent poverty rate, woefully underperforming schools and near-insolvent pension and health systems. “From today going forward, the federal government will no longer be able to ignore the voice of the majority of the American citizens in Puerto Rico,” Rossello said in a statement. “It would be highly contradictory for Washington to demand democracy in other parts of the world, and NOT respond to the
SESSIONS from page A1 with the Trump campaign. “The suggestion that I participated in any collusion or that I was aware of any collusion with the Russian government to hurt this country, which I have served with honor for over 35 years, or to undermine the integrity of our democratic process, is an appalling and detestable lie,” he added. Committee chairman Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) told Sessions that the hearing was an “opportunity to separate fact from fiction” and “set the record straight on a number of allegations reported in the press.” Comey testified last week before the same panel, revealing that President Donald Trump was never under investigation for involvement with Russian interference in the election, and that he had personally notified Trump of this fact in January. He called several media reports that linked the Trump campaign with Russia “dead wrong.” Sessions also revealed on Tuesday that he had not even been briefed on the criminal investigation prior to his recusal. “I was sworn in as attorney general on Thursday, Feb 9,” said Sessions. “The very next day ... I met with career Department [of Justice] officials, including a senior ethics official, to discuss some things publicly reported in the press that might have some bearing on whether I should recuse myself in this case. From that point, Feb. 10, to my formal recusal on March 2, I was never briefed on any investigative details and did not have any access to the investigation.
legitimate right to self-determination that was exercised today in the American territory of Puerto Rico,” he added. Puerto Rico’s hazy political status, dating back to its 1898 acquisition by the United States from Spain, has contributed to the economic crisis that pushed it last month into the biggest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history. “I voted for statehood,” Armando Abreu, a 74-year-old retiree, said after voting. “Even if it’s still a long way off in the distance, it’s our only hope.” Those in favor of statehood for the mainly Spanish-speaking Caribbean island hope the new status would put the territory on equal standing with the 50 U.S. states, giving them more access to federal funds and the right to vote for U.S. president. Under the current system, Puerto Rico’s 3.5 million American citizens do not pay federal taxes, vote in presidential elections or receive proportionate federal funding on programs like the Medicaid health insurance system for the poor. The U.S. government oversees policy and financial areas such as infrastructure, defense and trade. Rossello will ask Congress to respect the result, but Puerto Rico is seen as a low priority in Washington. The island’s two main opposi-
tion parties boycotted the vote, which gave Puerto Ricans three options: becoming a U.S. state; remaining a territory; or becoming an independent nation, with or without some continuing political association with the United States. Puerto Rico’s former governor, Rafael Hernandez Colon, said in a statement: “A contrived plebiscite fabricated an artificial majority for statehood by disenfranchising hundreds of thousands of Commonwealth supporters.” Rather than heading to the polls, some 500 Puerto Ricans marched on the streets of San Juan, waving Puerto Rico’s flag and burning the American flag while chanting in support of independence. “This is a bogus plebiscite. Our future is independence. We need to be able to decide our own fate,” said Liliana Laboy, one of the organizers of the protest. Boycotters were also angry about the costly referendum at a time when more than 400 schools have closed and many Puerto Ricans are struggling to make ends meet. Schools where voting took place were in poor condition, with cracked paint and bare-bones playgrounds. Puerto Rico spent an estimated $8 million on the campaign and election process, according to a government spokesman.
“As such, I have no knowledge of this investigation as it is ongoing today,” continued Sessions, testifying that he also has had no interaction with Robert Mueller since he was appointed as special prosecutor for the case, other than a mass email sent to DOJ employees to announce his recusal. Comey testified last week that while the president never asked him outright to stop the Russian investigation, he believes he was fired for his conduct involving the case. On Tuesday, Sessions pointed instead to dissatisfaction with Comey’s performance as head of the FBI and links to high-profile leaks as the momentum behind his recommendation to let him go. “We both agreed that a fresh start at the FBI was probably the best thing,” he recalled about his discussions with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. “We need to restore ... the classic discipline in the department,” Sessions said in response to a probe from Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine). “There’s been too much leaking and too much talking publicly about investigations.” Sessions disclosed that he never addressed these concerns with Comey prior to sending a letter to the president on May 9 to recommend Comey’s dismissal. When addressed with a question of why he involved himself in the firing, despite having recused himself from all Russia-related cases, Sessions replied that “it did not violate my recusal.” The attorney general defended his “professional” interactions with Russian officials both before and after the election, and pointed to a DOJ regulation as justifica-
tion for his decision to recuse himself from the Russia investigation. “I recuse myself, not because of any asserted wrongdoing ... but because a Department of Justice regulation, I felt, required it,” explained Sessions. Holding up a piece of paper, Sessions said, “Department employees should not participate in investigations of a campaign, if they served as a campaign adviser. “My recusal does not and cannot interfere with my ability to oversee the Department of Justice,” he added. Sessions, a former senator from Alabama and an early supporter of Trump’s election campaign, is the most senior government official to testify to the committee on the Russia issue. Sessions refused to answer questions on more intimate conversations with the president, stating “it’s a longstanding policy in the Department of Justice not to comment on conversations that the attorney general has had with the president of the United States.” When asked directly, Sessions avoided ever calling it executive privilege. During the hearing, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) stressed Comey’s testimony that the president was not under investigation, and called any theories that Trump and the attorney general were involved in a Russian collusion an “elaborate plotline” that you’d see in a James Bond or Jason Bourne movie, but not reality. Russia has denied interfering in the U.S. election. Julia Edwards Ainsley and Patricia Zengerle from Reuters contributed to this article.