Peninsula Clarion | Thursday, November 8, 2018 | A5
Nation/World Jeff Sessions pushed out after year of attacks By By ERIC TUCKER and MICHAEL BALSAMO Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Attorney General Jeff Sessions was pushed out Wednesday after enduring more than a year of blistering and personal attacks from President Donald Trump, who inserted in his place a Republican Party loyalist with authority to oversee the remainder of the special counsel’s Russia investigation. The move has potentially ominous implications for special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe given that the new acting attorney general, Matthew Whitaker, until now Sessions’ chief of staff, has questioned the inquiry’s scope and spoke publicly before joining the Justice Department about ways an attorney general could theoretically stymie the investigation. Congressional Democrats, concerned about protecting Mueller, called on Whitaker to recuse himself from overseeing the investigation in its final but potentially explosive stages. That duty has belonged to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who appointed Mueller and closely monitors his work. The resignation, in a onepage letter to Trump, came one day after Republicans lost control of the House of Representatives and was the first of several expected post-midterms Cabinet and White House departures. Though Sessions was an early and prominent campaign backer of Trump, his departure letter lacked effusive praise for the president and made clear the resignation came “at your request.”
Canada apologizes for turning away Nazi-era ship of Jews
Jeff Sessions returns to his home in Washington, Wednesday. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
“Since the day I was honored to be sworn in as attorney general of the United States, I came to work at the Department of Justice every day determined to do my duty and serve my country,” Sessions wrote. The departure was the culmination of a toxic relationship that frayed just weeks into Sessions’ tenure, when he stepped aside from the Russia investigation because of his campaign advocacy and following the revelation that he had met twice in 2016 with the Russian ambassador to the U.S. Trump blamed the recusal for the appointment of Mueller, who took over the Russia investigation two months later and began examining whether Trump’s hectoring of Sessions was part of a broader effort to obstruct the probe.
The investigation has so far produced 32 criminal charges and guilty pleas from four former Trump aides. But the work is not done and critical decisions await that could shape the remainder of Trump’s presidency. Mueller’s grand jury, for instance, has heard testimony for months about Trump confidant Roger Stone and what advance knowledge he may have had about Russian hacking of Democratic emails. Mueller’s team has also been pressing for an interview with Trump. And the department is expected at some point to receive a confidential report of Mueller’s findings, though it’s unclear how much will be public. Separately, Justice Department prosecutors in New York secured a guilty plea from Trump’s former personal lawyer,
Michael Cohen, who said the president directed him to arrange hush-money payments before the 2016 election to two women who said they had sex with Trump. Trump had repeatedly been talked out of firing Sessions until after the midterms, but he told confidants in recent weeks that he wanted Sessions out as soon as possible after the elections, according to a Republican close to the White House who was not authorized to publicly discuss private conversations. The president deflected questions about Sessions’ expected departure at a White House news conference Wednesday. He did not mention that White House chief of staff John Kelly had called Sessions beforehand to ask for his resignation. The undated letter was then sent to the White House.
Many red states embrace liberal-backed ballot measures By DAVID CRARY AP National Writer
Even in deep-red states, voters embraced an array of liberal-backed ballot measures in Tuesday’s election — expanding Medicaid, targeting gerrymandering, boosting minimum wages, legalizing marijuana use. The results heartened leftof-center activists, who see a path going forward for circumventing Republican-controlled legislatures. With the new Congress deeply split along partisan lines, the outcome ensured that the states will serve as pivotal battlegrounds for social issues heading toward the next election in 2020. One of the strongest messages emerging from the results is that voters are eager to make the political process, including voting itself, fairer and more accessible. Michigan, Missouri and Colorado approved changes in redistricting policy aimed at reducing partisan gerrymandering through the use of independent map-drawers. A similar measure in Utah was leading in partial returns. Voters in Michigan, Maryland and Nevada supported measures calling for automatic or same-day voter registration. Several states approved new oversight of politicians’ ethics. And in Florida, there was deci-
sive approval of a measure that will enable an estimated 1.4 million people with prior felony convictions to regain their voting rights. “We see strong support for these initiatives from independents, Democrats and Republicans,” said Karen Hobert Flynn, president of Common Cause. “The question is whether incumbent officials will wake up to understand that people really do want democracy and that power belongs to the people.” In two Republican-leaning states, Idaho and Nebraska, voters approved measures to expand Medicaid health coverage to tens of thousands of low-income residents, while a similar measure was leading in Utah. In those states, Republican-led legislatures had refused to take advantage of expanded coverage offered under President Barack Obama’s health care law. Other notable results: — Michigan voters approved legalization of marijuana for recreational use, making it the first Midwestern state to do so. North Dakota rejected a similar measure, while Missouri voters backed legalization of medical marijuana. — A minimum wage increase was approved in two states. An Arkansas measure will raise the wage from $8.50 an hour to $11 by 2021; Missouri’s will gradually rise from
HANOI, Vietnam — Vietnam and the United States have finished the cleanup of dioxin contamination at Danang airport caused by the transport and storage of the herbicide Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. The 30 hectares (74 acres) of land cleansed of the toxic chemical were handed over to Vietnam at a ceremony Wednesday where Vice Defense Minister Nguyen Chi Vinh praised the U.S. government’s involvement in the cleanup. “It is proof that we are opening a future of good cooperation between the governments of Vietnam and the United States,” Vinh said. “Today marks the day that Danang airport is no longer known as a dioxin hotspot, the day that
Danang people can be assured that their health will not be destroyed by chemicals left over from the war.” Large amounts of Agent Orange, which contains dioxin, were stored at Danang airport during the war and sprayed by U.S. forces to defoliate the countryside and deny communist fighters jungle cover. Vietnamese still suffer from the effects of the spraying. U.S. Ambassador Daniel Kritenbrink called the joint cleanup a significant milestone in the expanding partnership between the two countries. “This project truly is a hallmark of our countries’ shared vision to be honest about the past, deal responsibly with remaining legacy issues and turn a point of contention into one of collaboration,” he said. Kritenbrink said working together on the issues of the
TORONTO — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau formally apologized Wednesday on behalf of his nation for turning away a ship full of Jewish refugees trying to flee Nazi Germany in 1939. The German liner MS St. Louis was carrying 907 German Jews fleeing Nazi persecution and it also had been rejected by Cuba and the United States. The passengers were forced to return to Europe and more than 250 later died in the Holocaust. Trudeau called the apology long overdue. Hitler “watched on as we refused their visas, ignored their letters and denied them entry,” Trudeau said in Parliament. “There is little doubt that our silence permitted the Nazis to come up with their own, ‘final solution’ to the so-called Jewish problem.” He said lawmakers at the time used Canadian laws to mask anti-Semitism. “We let anti-Semitism take hold in our communities and become our official policy,” Trudeau said. “To harbor such hatred and indifference toward the refugees was to share in the moral responsibility for their deaths.” In the run-up to World War II and the ensuing Holocaust, the government heeded anti-Semitic sentiment and severely restricted Jewish immigration. From 1933 to 1945, only about 5,000 Jewish refugees were accepted.
Chile repatriates Haitian migrants SANTIAGO, Chile — Chile has flown 176 Haitians on a voluntary return to their home country as part of a program to reduce the number of unsuccessful migrants in the country. The Chilean Air Force flight is the first of several planned. So far, 1,087 Haitians have signed up for the free return. Interior Ministry Undersecretary Rodrigo Ubilla says about 150,000 Haitians came to Chile during the 2014-2018 term of former President Michelle Bachelet — a number he said was too many for the economy of Chile, a country of some 18 million people. New center-right President Sebastian Pinera has tightened visa and other requirements.
Police find endangered, poisonous frogs at Colombia airport BOGOTA, Colombia — Police in Colombia’s capital have recovered 216 poisonous frogs from an airport bathroom and authorities say smugglers planned to illegally send them for sale in Germany. Authorities announced Wednesday they’d found the frogs hidden in small film containers that were buried in a bag filled with clothes. The rescued amphibians include endangered species like the dark orange and black Lehmann’s poison frog. The creatures can fetch $2,000 each on the illegal wildlife market. They are sought after by collectors and others hoping to obtain their venom. The frogs are typically found in Colombia’s Choco department near the Pacific coast. Investigators believe the amphibians were transported by land but have not yet determined who is responsible. —The Associated Press
Today in History Retired Bath Township Police Det. Howard “Cowboy” Wooldrige waits for election results to come in for Proposal 18-1 during the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol public watch party. (Cory Morse/The Grand Rapids Press via AP)
the $7.85 minimum wage to $12 an hour. — Louisiana voters overwhelmingly approved making a unanimous jury a requirement for convictions, scrapping a law dating from the era of racial segregation that allowed for split juries. — Arizona voters rejected a massive expansion of the state’s private school voucher program criticized as a move to drain money from public schools and give it to rich parents to fund their kids’ private school tuition. Abortion was on the ballot in three states — one voting to protect access to abortion, the other two backing anti-abortion measures.
In Oregon, voters soundly rejected a measure that would have banned the use of public money to pay for abortion coverage. The measure would have left low-income women on the state’s Medicaid plan to pay out-of-pocket for abortions and would have eliminated abortion coverage for public employees such as teachers and firefighters who receive health coverage under a state plan. “I couldn’t be more proud of our state,” said Grayson Dempsey, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Oregon. “Oregonians showed up for reproductive rights access and made it very clear that we will not back down.”
Vietnam, US complete cleanup of toxic chemical from airport The Associated Press
Around the World
In this file photo, a warning sign stands in a field contaminated with dioxin near Danang airport, which reads; “Dioxin contamination zone - livestock, poultry and fishery operations not permitted.” (AP Photo/Maika Elan, File)
past “builds strategic trust and enables us to further strengthen our forward-looking partnership that advances shared interests and strong people-topeople ties.” Between 1962 and 1971, the U.S. military sprayed roughly
11 million gallons of Agent Orange across large swaths of southern Vietnam. Dioxin stays in the soil and in the sediment at the bottom of lakes and rivers for generations. It can enter the food supply through the fat of fish and other animals.
Today is Thursday, Nov. 8, the 312th day of 2018. There are 53 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On Nov. 8, 2016, Republican Donald Trump was elected America’s 45th president, defeating Democrat Hillary Clinton in an astonishing victory for a celebrity businessman and political novice. Republicans kept their majorities in the Senate and House. On this date: In 1892, former President Grover Cleveland defeated incumbent Benjamin Harrison, becoming the first (and, to date, only) chief executive to win non-consecutive terms to the White House. In 1923, Adolf Hitler launched his first attempt at seizing power in Germany with a failed coup in Munich that came to be known as the “BeerHall Putsch.” In 1932, New York Democratic Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt defeated incumbent Republican Herbert Hoover for the presidency. In 1950, during the Korean War, the first jet-plane battle took place as U.S. Air Force Lt. Russell J. Brown shot down a North Korean MiG-15. In 1960, Massachusetts Sen. John F. Kennedy defeated Vice President Richard M. Nixon for the presidency. In 1966, Edward W. Brooke (R-Mass.) became the first black candidate to be elected to the U.S. Senate by popular vote. In 1972, the premium cable TV network HBO (Home Box Office) made its debut with a showing of the movie “Sometimes a Great Notion.” In 1974, a federal judge in Cleveland dismissed charges against eight Ohio National Guardsmen accused of violating the civil rights of students who were killed or wounded in the 1970 Kent State shootings. In 1987, 11 people were killed when an Irish Republican Army bomb exploded as crowds gathered in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, for a ceremony honoring Britain’s war dead. In 1994, midterm elections resulted in Republicans winning a majority in the Senate while at the same time gaining control of the House for the first time in 40 years. In 2000, a statewide recount began in Florida, which emerged as critical in deciding the winner of the 2000 presidential election. Earlier that day, Vice President Al Gore had telephoned Texas Gov. George W. Bush to concede, but called back about an hour later to retract his concession. Waco special counsel John C. Danforth released his final report absolving the government of wrongdoing in the 1993 siege at the Branch Davidian compound in Texas. In 2002, the U.N. Security Council unanimously approved Resolution 1441, aimed at forcing Saddam Hussein to disarm or face “serious consequences.” President George W. Bush said the new resolution presented the Iraqi regime “with a final test.” Ten years ago: Indonesia executed three Islamic militants for helping to plan and carry out the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people, many of them foreign tourists. An accident on a Russian nuclear submarine undergoing a test in the Sea of Japan asphyxiated 20 people on board. Florence Wald, a former Yale nursing dean whose interest in compassionate care led her to launch the first U.S. hospice program, died in Branford, Conn. at age 91. Five years ago: Typhoon Haiyan (HY’-ahn), one of the strongest storms on record, slammed into the central Philippines, it left more than 7,300 people dead or missing, flattened villages and displaced more than 5 million. One year ago: In a speech to South Korean lawmakers in Seoul, President Donald Trump warned North Korea, “Do not underestimate us.” Director Ridley Scott decided to cut Kevin Spacey out of the alreadycompleted movie “All the Money in the World” because of the sexual misconduct allegations against Spacey and reshoot his many scenes using Christopher Plummer, just six weeks ahead of the film’s release date. Garth Brooks continued his winning streak as entertainer of the year at the Country Music Association Awards; Carrie Underwood broke down while singing during the “in Memoriam” section after photos of the 58 people who died in a shooting at a country music festival in Las Vegas were shown. Today’s Birthdays: Actor Norman Lloyd is 104. Actor Alain Delon is 83. Singer-actress Bonnie Bramlett is 74. Singer Bonnie Raitt is 69. TV personality Mary Hart is 68. Former Playboy Enterprises chairman and chief executive Christie Hefner is 66. Actress Alfre Woodard is 66. Singer-songwriter Rickie Lee Jones is 64. Nobel Prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro is 64. Rock musician Pearl Thompson (The Cure) is 61. Singer-actor Leif Garrett is 57. Chef and TV personality Gordon Ramsay is 52. Actress Courtney Thorne-Smith is 51. Actress Parker Posey is 50. Rock musician Jimmy Chaney is 49. Actress Roxana Zal is 49. Singer Diana King is 48. Actor Gonzalo Menendez is 47. Rock musician Scott Devendorf (The National) is 46. Actress Gretchen Mol is 45. ABC News anchor David Muir is 45. Actor Matthew Rhys is 44. Actress Tara Reid is 43. Country singer Bucky Covington is 41. Actress Dania Ramirez is 39. Actress Azura Skye is 37. Actor Chris Rankin is 35. TV personality Jack Osbourne is 33. Actress Jessica Lowndes is 30. R&B singer SZA is 29. Singer-actor Riker Lynch is 27. Country singer Lauren Alaina is 24. Actor Van Crosby (TV: “Splitting Up Together”) is 16. Thought for Today: “Man is born to live, not to prepare for life.” -- Boris Pasternak, Russian author (1890-1960).