U. S. President-elect Donald Trump tweeted on Monday that he would not tolerate fresh signs of North Korean nuclear aggression.
In an annual New Year’s Day speech , North Korean leader Kim Jong Un warned that preparations for launching an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) were at the final stage. He added that he would continue enhancing his nation’s capability for “pre-emptive strikes” unless the U. S. ended annual naval exercises with South Korea, or what Pyongyang calls “war games. ”
Widely perceived as a renewed threat on Washington, Kim’s remarks prompted an angry tweet from Trump.
Kim didn’t provide any specifics on timing of an ICBM launch, but the rogue nation is known to commemorate national celebrations through displays of military prowess and Kim’s birthday on Jan. 8 may be an ideal platform. On Jan. 6 last year, Pyongyang claimed it had successfully tested a hydrogen bomb .
Moreover, speculation has been building for some time now that Kim will detonate another nuclear device in response to Trump’s inauguration as the U. S. president on Jan 20. So far, the country has conducted five nuclear tests.
In a second tweet, Trump then criticized China, a traditional ally of Pyongyang, for its lack of assistance on the matter.
In an earlier statement, the Pentagon urged the world to “use every available channel and means of influence” to show Pyongyang that the use of ballistic missile technology was unacceptable.
As North Korea’s biggest trading partner and main source of aid, China holds influence over the pariah state. But bilateral ties, which date back to the Korean War, have weakened since North Korea began testing nuclear weapons in 2006 and Beijing has since joined the international community in supporting United Nations (UN) sanctions. But the West has long urged President Xi Jinping’s administration to be more forceful in its rebuke.
In November, China announced it would temporarily ban North Korean coal imports, a key source of income for Kim’s regime, as part of new UN-enforced punishments.

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Amarillo Fire Department officials say other people who were in the home are “not out of the woods” yet.
Fire officials say a chemical reaction occurred when one person tried to wash off a pesticide that had been sprayed under the house. Poisonous Phosphine gas was released.
Capt. Larry Davis said in a statement Monday that crews responded to a medical call at the home about 5 a.m. One child died at the scene and three others died at a hospital. Officials didn’t release any identifying information, including the children’s ages.
Other family members and first responders are being treated.
Toxic Phosphine gas is produced when aluminum phosphide is mixed with water or moisture, CBS Amarillo affiliate KFDA reports. Aluminum phosphide is a dangerous “restricted-use pesticide,” and it’s used to kill mice, prairie dogs and gophers. A license is needed to buy it.
The Amarillo Fire Department said in this case it was clearly purchased from an unlicensed dealer, since the person who used it didn’t know that mixing it with water could be damaging, KFDA reported. Once inhaled or ingested, the respiratory system is attacked and it only takes a few PPM (parts per million) to cause death.
“This is known, this happens across the United States and it’s when people get a hold of stuff they don’t know how to use and they don’t do enough research and figure out that water is bad for it,” said Lieutenant Josh Whitney. “And then with the moisture that we have in our air and the moisture that he applied to it, it was just a recipe for a bad situation.”

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Last Updated Jan 2, 2017 10:38 PM EST
A U. S. Customs and Border Protection system outage Monday at some airports caused long lines and delays for those trying to enter the United States.
A CBP spokesperson confirmed the outage in a statement to CBS News, saying its processing systems at various airports of entry were experiencing a temporary outage.
Systems are back online, CBP said on Twitter late Monday.
“No indication the disruption was malicious in nature,” CBP said.
All airports are back on line after a temporary outage of #CBP ’s processing systems. No indication the disruption was malicious in nature.
“CBP took immediate action to address the issue and CBP officers continued to process international travelers using alternative procedures at airports experiencing the disruption,” CBP spokesperson said in a statement to CBS News. “Travelers at some ports of entry experienced longer than usual wait times as CBP officers processed travelers as quickly as possible while maintaining the highest levels of security.”
It is unclear how widespread the outage was, but issues were reported in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Atlanta and Washington Dulles International Airport. The outages began around 5 p.m. EST and ended around 9 p.m. EST, CBP said.
Miami Airport said on Twitter that it will take time for passengers to be processed.
@CustomsBorder system up & running. Will take time for passengers to be processed. Thx 4 UR patience. Many airports affected 2nite.
Dozens of social media users took to Twitter to share photos of the long lines and large crowds.
@iflymia – 100’s stuck in customs lines. Please make an announcement and/or update pic.twitter.com/KNx24m4ioE
Disappointing Miami International Airport @MiamiHerald – all systems down at US customs. No global entry, no mobile, NOTHING! pic.twitter.com/0pK7UMsblM
Nightmare at the #Miami airport for all incoming int’l flights: all systems were down at immigration. Hours of wait #miamiairport pic.twitter.com/MOorFyfv9x
Passport control line at Miami Intl Arprt at standstill & literally 1k+ ppl long. Bad look, @CustomsBorder cc: @MiamiHerald pic.twitter.com/TrT5Hb37g2
And some said that they had been waiting for hours.
Craziness @iflymia Immigration sys down… Hundreds in line… Very dangerous. Been here for 180 min & no progress… Mob rule soon. pic.twitter.com/BT2PsYxky9
In Atlanta, CBP public affairs officer Robert Brisley says the outage at the city’s airport lasted about an hour from late afternoon into early evening. He said that officers were working to recover quickly afterward but even short outages can lead to backups at the airport, one of the world’s busiest.
He said the agency apologizes to travelers who were delayed getting into the country after long flights.
Brisley said the cause of the outage was still being evaluated.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was grilled by police investigators for over three hours at his official residence Monday night, opening what could be a politically damaging criminal investigation into suspicions that he improperly accepted gifts from wealthy supporters.
Netanyahu has repeatedly denied wrongdoing, but the involvement of the national fraud squad indicated questions raised about him are considered serious enough to merit an investigation. Police said Netanyahu was questioned “under caution,” a term signaling that anything he said could be used as evidence against him.
Israel’s Justice Ministry later issued a statement saying Netanyahu was questioned “on suspicion of receiving benefits from business people. ”
The ministry said investigators also had looked into suspicions of campaign finance irregularities and double billing for travel expenses, but determined there was not enough evidence to merit criminal charges.
Netanyahu has denied what he calls “baseless” reports about the investigation.
“We’ve been paying attention to reports in the media, we are hearing the celebratory mood and the atmosphere in the television studios and the corridors of the opposition, and I would like to tell them, stop with the celebrations, don’t rush,” he told a meeting of lawmakers from his Likud Party earlier Monday. “There won’t be anything because there is nothing. ”
Israel’s Channel 2 TV has said that Netanyahu accepted “favors” from businessmen in Israel and abroad and that he is the central suspect in a second investigation that also involves family members.
The newspaper Haaretz said billionaire Ronald Lauder, a longtime friend of Netanyahu’s, was linked to the affair. Channel 10 TV has reported that Netanyahu’s oldest son, Yair, accepted free trips and other gifts from Australian billionaire James Packer.
In late September, Lauder was summoned by police for questioning “related to a certain investigation conducted by them and in which Mr. Lauder is not its subject matter,” said Helena Beilin, Lauder’s Israeli attorney. “After a short meeting, he was told that his presence is no longer required and that there shall be no further need for additional meetings. ”
Netanyahu, who took office in 2009, has long had an image as a cigar-smoking, cognac-drinking socialite, while his wife, Sara, has been accused of abusive behavior toward staff. Opponents have portrayed both as being out of touch with the struggles of average Israelis.
Over the years, reports have been released about the high cost of the Netanyahus’ housekeeping expenses.
In one case, he was chided for spending $127,000 in public funds for a special sleeping cabin on a flight to London. Even their costly purchases of scented candles and pistachio-flavored ice cream have been derided.
But he has never been charged with a crime. However, a mounting investigation could put pressure on him to step down, as his predecessor, Ehud Olmert , did in 2008 just months before he was formally indicted on corruption related charges. Olmert is now serving a prison sentence after being convicted of accepting bribes.
A campaign is underway by Erel Margalit, an opposition lawmaker of the Zionist Union party, seeking for Netanyahu to be formally investigated over suspicions of prominent donors improperly transferring money for the prime minister’s personal use as well as reports that Netanyahu’s personal attorney represented a German firm involved in a $1.5 billion sale of submarines to Israel.
The Netanyahus have denied any wrongdoing, and say they are the target of a witch hunt by the Israeli media.

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House Republicans on Monday voted to eviscerate the Office of Congressional Ethics, the independent body created in 2008 to investigate allegations of misconduct by lawmakers after several bribery and corruption scandals sent members to prison.
The ethics change, which prompted an outcry from Democrats and government watchdog groups, is part of a rules package that the full House will vote on Tuesday. The package also includes a means for Republican leaders to punish lawmakers if there is a repeat of the Democratic sit-in last summer over gun control.
Under the ethics change pushed by Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., the non-partisan Office of Congressional Ethics would fall under the control of the House Ethics Committee, which is run by lawmakers. It would be known as the Office of Congressional Complaint Review, and the rule change would require that “any matter that may involve a violation of criminal law must be referred to the Committee on Ethics for potential referral to law enforcement agencies after an affirmative vote by the members,” according to Goodlatte’s office.
Lawmakers would have the final say under the change. House Republicans voted 119-74 for the Goodlatte measure despite arguments from Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., against the change. They failed to sway rank-and-file Republicans, some of whom have felt unfairly targeted by the OCE.
“The amendment builds upon and strengthens the existing Office of Congressional Ethics by maintaining its primary area of focus of accepting and reviewing complaints from the public and referring them, if appropriate, to the Committee on Ethics,” Goodlatte said in a statement.
Democrats, led by Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, reacted angrily.
“Republicans claim they want to ‘drain the swamp,’ but the night before the new Congress gets sworn in, the House GOP has eliminated the only independent ethics oversight of their actions,” the California lawmaker said in a statement. “Evidently, ethics are the first casualty of the new Republican Congress. ”
Chris Carson, president of the League of Women Voters, said Ryan should be ashamed of himself and his leadership team.
“We all know the so-called House Ethics Committee is worthless for anything other than a whitewash — sweeping corruption under the rug. That’s why the independent Office of Congressional Ethics has been so important. The OCE works to stop corruption and that’s why Speaker Ryan is cutting its authority. Speaker Ryan is giving a green light to congressional corruption. ”
The OCE was created in March 2008 after the cases of former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham, R-Calif., who served more than seven years in prison on bribery and other charges; as well as cases of former Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio, who was charged in the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal and pleaded guilty to corruption charges and former Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., convicted on corruption in a separate case.
—
AP Congressional Correspondent Erica Werner contributed to this report.

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