Trump says he isn’t considering Robert Mueller over emails
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says he’s not considering firing Robert Mueller, but that didn’t stop him from adding to the growing conservative criticism of the special counsel’s move to gain access to thousands of emails sent and received by Trump officials before the start of his administration.
Kory Langhofer, general counsel for Trump’s still-existing transition group, Trump for America, confirmed Mueller’s acquisition of the documents from the General Services Administration. That’s according to a letter that Langhofer sent to two congressional committees.
Langhofer said in the letter that the GSA had improperly provided the transition records to Mueller’s team, which he said has been “actively using” the emails. In the letter to the Republican chairmen of the House Oversight and the Senate Homeland Security committees, Langhofer contends the disclosure was “unauthorized.”
AIRPORT POWER OUTAGE-THE LATEST
The Latest: Operations recovering at Atlanta airport
ATLANTA (AP) — Airport operations were resuming Monday morning in Atlanta, a day after a crippling power outage left thousands stranded.
The ticketing and baggage areas were a bit backed up, but security lines were moving quickly. Most travelers were patient as the world’s busiest airport recovered from the outage.
Georgia Power said a fire in an underground electrical facility caused a sudden power outage around 1 p.m. Sunday. That brought the airport to a standstill and grounded more than a thousand flights.
The utility thanked people for their patience in a tweet Monday morning and said all essential services were restored and that an investigation into the cause of the outage was ongoing.
TRUMP-NATIONAL SECURITY
Trump to unveil ‘America First’ national security strategy
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is poised to outline a national security strategy that envisions nations in a perpetual state of competition and de-emphasizes the multinational agreements that have dominated the United States’ foreign policy since the Cold War.
The Republican president will detail his plans Monday. They could sharply alter the United States’ relationships with the rest of the world.
The plan is to focus on four main themes: protecting the homeland and way of life, promoting American prosperity, demonstrating peace through strength and advancing American influence in an ever-competitive world.
Trump’s doctrine holds that nation states are in perpetual competition and that the U.S. must fight on all fronts to protect and defend its sovereignty from friend and foe alike.
SEXUAL MISCONDUCT-APPELLATE JUDGE
US judge steps down after accusations of sexual misconduct
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A prominent U.S. appeals court judge has announced his retirement days after women alleged he subjected them to inappropriate sexual conduct or comments.
Judge Alex Kozinski of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said in a statement Monday that a battle over the accusations would not be good for the judiciary. He says he’ll retire, effective immediately.
The Washington Post reported last week that at least 15 women made allegations against Kozinski that go back decades. The allegations include inappropriate touching and lewd comments.
In his statement, Kozinski apologizes to anyone he’s caused to feel uncomfortable in the workplace.
The 67-year-old was chief judge of the 9th Circuit, the largest federal appeals court circuit in the country, from 2007 to 2014.
The 9th Circuit has opened a misconduct inquiry.
SEXUAL MISCONDUCT-TAVIS SMILEY
Tavis Smiley says PBS made mistake in suspending him
NEW YORK (AP) — Tavis Smiley says PBS made a big mistake by suspending him from his talk show.
He tells ABC’s “Good Morning America” Monday he’s never coerced anyone into a relationship but has had consensual relationships in the workplace. He says that wasn’t against his company’s policies.
He says he’s human and has made mistakes but they don’t merit suspension.
He says he applauds women coming forward to share their sexual assault and harassment experiences “to lead us in a conversation about how to create healthy workspaces.”
However he says it’s important not lose a sense of “proportionality” in the conversation, “because if we do people end up being guilty simply by accusation.”
PBS suspended Smiley after an investigation uncovered “multiple, credible allegations of conduct” inconsistent with PBS standards.
Smiley says he’ll fight to protect his reputation.
BRITAIN-US AIR FORCE INCIDENT-THE LATEST
The Latest: UK base scouted by extremist for attacks in 2015
LONDON (AP) — British police say they have detained a man after a “disturbance” at an English air base used by the U.S. Air Force.
Suffolk Police said American service personnel fired shots during Monday’s incident at the RAF Mildenhall base before the man was arrested. They say the man suffered cuts and bruises and was taken into custody.
They say no one else was injured in the incident.
It was not immediately clear what the nature of the incident was, but British media reported that a man allegedly tried to break into the facility.
Staff Sgt. Rachelle Coleman, a spokeswoman for U.S. Air Force Europe, says a lockdown imposed at the base has been lifted. She referred all other questions to Suffolk police.
The Mildenhall base is located 80 miles (130 kilometers) north of London.
CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES-THE LATEST
The Latest: Calmer winds ‘critical’ in California firefight
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Crews on the lines of Southern California’s enormous wildfire hope to take advantage of a two-day window of calmer winds before potentially dangerous gusts return at mid-week.
The blaze that broke out two weeks ago Monday still threatens thousands of homes northwest of Los Angeles.
Fire spokesman Capt. Rick Crawford says cooler temperatures, slightly higher humidity and light winds forecast for Monday and Tuesday will be “critical” for firefighters hoping to make progress against the Thomas Fire. The hot, gusty winds that caused a huge flare-up and forced more evacuations over the weekend are expected to come back Wednesday.
Evacuation orders remain for swaths of Santa Barbara County, including the hillside communities of Montecito and Summerland.
The 422-square-mile (1,093-sq. kilometer) blaze has destroyed more than 700 homes. It’s 45 percent contained.
UNITED STATES-NIGER-THE LATEST
The Latest: Family of slain soldier still have questions
WASHINGTON (AP) — The family of Army Sgt. La David T. Johnson says they still have questions about the soldier’s October ambush in Niger.
A military investigation has concluded that Johnson was killed by enemy gunfire but that he wasn’t captured alive or killed at close range.
Johnson’s mother, Cowanda Jones-Johnson, tells CNN that she first learned of the latest investigation results on Facebook. She also says the military hasn’t told her why her son’s remains weren’t found at the same time as the bodies of his comrades.
She said: “I want the truth … but there’s no closure.”
A military investigation has concluded that Army Sgt. La David T. Johnson died in a hail of gunfire, hit as many as 18 times as he took cover in thick brush during an October ambush in Niger. He fought to the end after fleeing militants who had just killed three comrades.
The Associated Press has learned the investigation found that Johnson wasn’t captured alive or killed at close range, dispelling a swirl of rumors about how he died.
The report has determined that Johnson, 25, of Miami Gardens, Florida, was killed by enemy rifle and machine gun fire from members of an Islamic State offshoot. The ambush took place about 120 miles north of the African nation’s capital.
TWITTER-ABUSE ENFORCEMENT
Twitter rolls out stricter rules on abusive content
NEW YORK (AP) — Twitter is now enforcing stricter policies on violent and abusive content like hateful images or symbols, including those attached to user profiles.
Twitter says in a blog post that it will start enforcing its updated guidelines Monday, a month after first announcing them.
Twitter will weigh hateful imagery in the same way it does graphic violence and adult content on its site. That means users may not use such imagery in live video or profile and header images.
If a user posts hateful symbols or images, it must be marked “sensitive media.” Other users would then see a warning that would allow them to decide whether to view the post.
Twitter is also prohibiting users from abusing or threatening others through their profile information, including usernames.
SKOREA-SINGER’S DEATH
Popular S. Korean boy band member dies in possible suicide
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Police say the lead singer of popular South Korean boy band SHINee has died in a possible suicide.
They say Kim Jong-hyun, better known by the stage name Jonghyun, was found unconscious at a residence hotel in Seoul on Monday and was pronounced dead later at a nearby hospital.
Police said Kim’s sister told them that the singer sent her text messages such as “Final farewell” and “I’ve had difficulties” before his death.
Police said they have not yet determined whether he killed himself.
Yonhap news agency said authorities found burned coal briquettes, which produce carbon monoxide, in a frying pan in Kim’s hotel room.
South Korea has the highest suicide rate among developed countries.
Copyright © 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
