As President Donald Trump considers a replacement for fired FBI Director James Comey, lawmakers are urging the president to steer clear of appointing any politicians.
WASHINGTON — As President Donald Trump considers a replacement for fired FBI Director James Comey, lawmakers are urging the president to steer clear of appointing any politicians.
The advice came Sunday amid more criticism over Trump’s dismissal of Comey during an FBI probe of Russia’s meddling with last year’s election and any ties to the Trump campaign. James Clapper, the former director of national intelligence, said the Founding Fathers created three co-equal branches of government with checks and balances, but with Trump as president, that was now « eroding. »
« I think, in many ways, our institutions are under assault, both externally — and that’s the big news here, is the Russian interference in our election system,  » Clapper said « I think as well our institutions are under assault internally. »
When asked, « Internally, from the president? » Clapper responded, « Exactly. »
The White House had no immediate comment. No White House aide appeared on the Sunday news shows, leaving Nikki Haley, the U. S. ambassador to the United Nations, to defend Trump. « The president is the CEO of the country. He can hire and fire whoever he wants,  » she said.
Lawmakers from both parties reprimanded Trump for his actions, which included shifting explanations from the White House for Comey’s dismissal and an ominous tweet by Trump that warned Comey against leaks to the press because Trump may have « tapes » of their conversations.
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, a member of the Judiciary Committee, said selecting an FBI agent to lead the agency would allow the nation to « reset. » He dismissed as less desirable at least two of the 14 candidates under consideration, ex-FBI agent and former Rep. Mike Rogers of Michigan and Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, the No. 2 Republican in the Senate.
« It’s now time to pick somebody who comes from within the ranks, or has such a reputation that has no political background at all that can go into the job on Day 1,  » said Graham, R-S. C.
« The president has a chance to clean up the mess he mostly created,  » Graham said, adding: « I have no evidence that the president colluded with the Russians at all … but we don’t know all the evidence yet. »
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, continued to argue that the president should consider Merrick Garland, the federal judge nominated to the Supreme Court last year by President Barack Obama but who was denied a hearing by Republicans. A former top aide to Sen. Mitch McConnell, Josh Holmes, said that McConnell is interested in the suggestion.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said the new FBI director should be someone « not of partisan background » with « great experience » and « courage. » Declining to comment on a Garland nomination, Schumer left open the possibility that Democrats might withdraw support for a new FBI director unless the Justice Department names a special prosecutor for the Russia probe.
Under Senate rules, Republicans could confirm an FBI director with 51 votes. Republicans hold 52 seats in the chamber to Democrats’ 48.
Calling Trump’s remarks about possible taped conversations « outrageous,  » Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said his panel or another committee would « absolutely » subpoena such tapes.
« We have got to make sure that these tapes, if they exist, don’t mysteriously disappear,  » Warner said, adding that he hopes to have Comey testify in a public hearing before his committee.
The blowback against the firing of Comey angered the increasingly frustrated president, who made the decision after consulting only a small group of advisers, worried the news would leak out. Trump has openly vented his frustration with the media and Democrats on Twitter, musing about canceling press briefings and arguing that it’s difficult for aides to know his thinking.
The administration has interviewed at least eight candidates to replace Comey, just over half of the 14 being considered. Trump has said a decision could come before he leaves Friday for the Mideast and Europe, his first overseas trip as president. He was also set to welcome foreign leaders to the White House, with Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday and President Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia on Thursday. A leader of the United Arab Emirates was scheduled to visit Monday.
Clapper and Schumer made their comments on CNN’s « State of the Union »; Graham spoke on NBC’s « Meet the Press »; Haley and Warner appeared on ABC’s « This Week »; and Warner spoke on « Fox News Sunday » along with Lee and Holmes.
Associated Press writers Catherine Lucey, Sadie Gurman and Darlene Superville contributed to this report.

Similarity rank: 11.5

Sentiment rank: -0.9

© Source: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/765694139/Lawmakers-urge-Trump-to-avoid-picking-a-partisan-for-FBI-job.html
All rights are reserved and belongs to a source media.

Miss District of Columbia Kara McCullough was crowned Miss USA 2017 on Sunday, May 14 — find out five things to know about the winner!
Her reign begins! Miss District of Columbia Kara McCullough was crowned Miss USA 2017 at Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay Convention Center on Sunday, May 14.
The 25-year-old took home the title over first runner-up Miss New Jersey Chhavi Verg and second runner-up Miss Minnesota Meridith Gould. McCullough will go on to represent the United States in the 66th Miss Universe pageant.
Here are five things to know about Miss USA 2017:
1. She’s a chemist.
Beauty and brains! McCullough works as a chemist at the U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. “I love science, ” she told reporters after the event, per NBC . “I look at this as a great opportunity to… get to experience worldwide culture, as well as just having the opportunity to be impacted by so many children, hopefully in the math and sciences.”
According to NBC, she plans to discuss with her supervisor whether she will take a leave of absence from her job during her one-year reign.
2. She was born in Italy.
She was born in Naples, Italy, and raised in Virginia Beach, Virginia. She has also lived in several other countries because of her father’s career as a now-retired U. S. Navy officer.
3. She attended South Carolina State University.
She graduated with a degree in chemistry and specialization in radiochemistry. At SCSU, she was a member of the Honors College, the American Association of Blacks in Engineering and the Alpha Nu Sigma Honor Society, according to The Times & Democrat.
4. She made D. C. back-to-back champs.
Miss USA 2016 Deshauna Barber, the first-ever active military member to receive the coveted title, was also from Washington, D. C. Barber attended this year’s ceremony and passed on the crown to her successor McCullough during the live broadcast.
4. She’s already controversial.
During the question-and-answer round for the top five finalists, she was criticized on social media for her answer. When asked whether health care is a right or a privilege, she replied, “I’ m definitely going to say it’s a privilege. As a government employee, I’ m granted health care and I see firsthand that for one to have health care, you need to have jobs.”
The top three finalists were also asked whether they consider themselves feminists, and social media was once again divided over her response. “I don’ t want to call myself a feminist, ” McCullough said. “Women, we are just as equal as men, especially in the workplace. »
Sign up now for the Us Weekly newsletter to get breaking celebrity news, hot pics and more delivered straight to your inbox!

Similarity rank: 13

Sentiment rank: 1.4

© Source: http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/miss-usa-2017-5-things-to-know-about-winner-kara-mccullough-w482245
All rights are reserved and belongs to a source media.

For the second time in a week, government lawyers will try to persuade a federal appeals court to reinstate President Donald Trump’s revised travel ban – and once again, they can expect…
SEATTLE (AP) – For the second time in a week, government lawyers will try to persuade a federal appeals court to reinstate President Donald Trump’s revised travel ban – and once again, they can expect plenty of questions Monday about whether it was designed to discriminate against Muslims.
A three-judge panel of the 9th U. S. Circuit Court of Appeals has scheduled arguments in Seattle over Hawaii’s lawsuit challenging the travel ban, which would suspend the nation’s refugee program and temporarily bar new visas for citizens of Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
Last week, judges on the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments over whether to affirm a Maryland judge’s decision putting the ban on ice. They peppered Acting Solicitor General Jeffrey Wall with questions about whether they could consider Trump’s campaign statements calling for a ban on Muslims entering the U. S., with one judge asking if there was anything other than « willful blindness » that would prevent them from doing so.
Monday’s arguments mark the second time Trump’s efforts to restrict immigration from certain Muslim-majority nations have reached the San Francisco-based 9th Circuit.
After Trump issued his initial travel ban on a Friday in late January, bringing chaos and protests to airports around the country, a Seattle judge blocked its enforcement nationwide – a decision that was unanimously upheld by a three-judge 9th Circuit panel.
The president then rewrote his executive order, rather than appeal to the U. S. Supreme Court, and in March, U. S. District Judge Derrick Watson in Honolulu blocked the new version from taking effect, citing what he called « significant and unrebutted evidence of religious animus » in Trump’s campaign statements.
« Again, in this court, the President claims a nearly limitless power to make immigration policy that is all but immune from judicial review,  » Hawaii Attorney General Douglas Chin wrote to the 9th Circuit. « Again, he must be checked. »
The administration’s lawyers are seeking to persuade the judges that the lower court’s decision is « fundamentally wrong,  » and that the president’s order falls squarely within his duty to secure the nation’s borders. The order as written is silent on religion, and neither Hawaii nor its co-plaintiff, the imam of the Muslim Association of Hawaii, has standing to sue, they say – arguments that were rejected in the lower court.
The travel ban cases are expected to reach the Supreme Court, but that would likely be cemented if the 4th and 9th Circuits reach differing conclusions about its legality. Because of how the courts chose to proceed, a full slate of 13 judges heard the 4th Circuit arguments last week, while just three, all appointees of President Bill Clinton, will sit in Seattle.
For that reason – with the possibility for myriad concurring or dissenting opinions – it could take the 4th Circuit longer to rule, noted Carl Tobias, a law professor at University of Richmond law school in Virginia.
Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Similarity rank: 7.6

Sentiment rank: -0.8

© Source: http://www.news9.com/story/35427325/court-likely-to-question-if-trumps-travel-ban-discriminates
All rights are reserved and belongs to a source media.

French President Emmanuel Macron has named Edouard Philippe, the 46-year-old Mayor of Le Havre, as his Prime Minister.
Philippe is a member of the center-right Les Républicains party and is close to Alaine Juppé, the former Prime Minister who endorsed Macron after he won the first round of the presidential election.
Relate d story: Emmanuel Macron sworn in as French president
The choice of Philippe — widely predicted by political pundits — indicates Macron’s desire to draw support from the conservative opposition and create balance, according to Emmanuelle Schön-Quinlivan, lecturer in European politics at University College, Cork.
Strong mandate is needed
« Macron needs to re-tilt the people around him to the right as at the moment the main people around him are from the left. He needs to give a sign towards Les Républicains. This will be a sign to their followers that this government is genuinely from the left and the right,  » she told CNN.
Macron, the youngest French president in history at 39, is counting on winning votes from center-right supporters in elections for the National Assembly next month. His party is scrambling to get 577 candidates together to contest every seat in the country.
Related story: Emmanuel Macron: From political novice to president
Although he won the May 7 election with 66% of the vote, many in France made it clear they were casting their votes against far-right candidate Marine Le Pen, rather than for Macron.
His party was only founded last year and has never held a single National Assembly. But Macron needs to win a majority in the June vote to have the mandate to push his legislative agenda through.
If he manages to achieve that, the Prime Minister’s role will be to see through the promised reforms to address unemployment in France and boost the ailing economy.
Not a high profile politician
Philippe, a lawyer with experience working in the private sector, was born in Rouen and grew up in a left-wing environment. He was a socialist in his younger days before switching his allegiances to Les Républicains.
A relatively youthful 46, he has only been an MP for one term, serving in the National Assembly representing the constituency of Seine-Maritime in Normandy, northern France, since 2012.
He has been Mayor of Le Havre, a port city in northern France since 2010.
In an interview with CNN affiliate BFMTV earlier this month, days before the presidential election, Macron said he had several people in mind for Prime Minister. He admitted that he was « hesitating » in making a choice between a man and a woman.
Among the women whose names were speculated on was International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde.
Speculation over female candidates
France has only ever had one female PM, Edith Cresson, who served for less than a year between 1991 and 1992. Although Philippe has not been a high-profile politician in France, his appointment did not come as a surprise to politics watchers as he is an insider who knows the system well.
« Although he had suggested that he wanted a woman, everyone expected Edouard Philippe,  » Schön-Quinlivan said.
« Macron needs a Prime Minister who could deal with the parliament, and knows the ins and outs of how it works. »
« If he (Macron) does get a strong majority in June the Prime Minister will be the person to apply the President’s policies as a kind of second-in-command,  » said Ariane Bogain, a lecturer in French and politics at Northumbria University.
« But if he doesn’t have a majority the Prime Minister will have to lead the country. This is why the June election is crucial. If Les Républicains have a majority the PM will implement their policy — not Macron’s. »
That means the President could find himself having to reconsider his choice of Prime Minister just a month after making the appointment, to achieve a working coalition.
In the meantime, the next step will be for him to announce his new cabinet of 15 ministers. Later on Monday, he will meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin.

Similarity rank: 10.9

Sentiment rank: 1.9

© Source: http://edition.cnn.com/2017/05/15/europe/french-prime-minister-edouard-philippe/index.html
All rights are reserved and belongs to a source media.

North Korea claimed the ballistic missile tested over the weekend reached a peak altitude of more than 1,300 miles before landing in an area 489 miles away.
May 15 (UPI) — North Korea claimed the ballistic missile that was tested over the weekend reached a peak altitude of more than 1,300 miles before landing in an area 489 miles away.
Pyongyang’s state-controlled Workers’ Party newspaper Rodong Sinmun published photographs of the launch, which, according to state media took place at 5: 28 a.m. Sunday, local time.
The newspaper showed the missile, identified as the Hwasong-12, and images of leader Kim Jong Un at the launch.
Kim said his country has secured an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States.
« The supreme leader Kim Jong Un called for the swift development of a mid- to long-range ballistic missile capable of not only mounting a standardized nuclear warhead, but also a large-size nuclear warhead,  » KCNA stated.
North Korea claimed the Hwasong-12 is capable of being equipped with bigger and more destructive nuclear bombs.
The Hwasong-12 is a midrange ballistic missile that can be equipped with a nuclear warhead, South Korean newspaper JoongAng Ilbo reported Monday.
The rocket was on display during a military parade on April 15 that commemorated the birth anniversary of founder Kim Il Sung .
The projectile is identical to a missile seen at the parade on a transporter erector launcher with its wheels covered, according to the JoongAng.
But North Korea’s claim that it has secured the technology for the missile’s atmospheric re-entry – the last stage of ICBM development – is being met with skepticism.
A source in South Korea’s military told News 1 the « possibility is low » Pyongyang has mastered the technology.
Seoul’s military authorities also said the missile is based on a new type of liquid-fuel engine that would make it capable of flying for a longer period of time.

Similarity rank: 12

Sentiment rank: 0.9

© Source: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2017/05/15/North-Koreas-latest-missile-more-powerful-but-a-work-in-progress/9661494855096/
All rights are reserved and belongs to a source media.

Powers Boothe, the character actor known for his villain roles in TV' s " Deadwood, " and in the movies " Tombstone, " Sin City" and " The Avengers, " has died. He was 68.
Veteran character actor Powers Boothe, who built a career in TV and film often by playing menacing villains, has died. He was 68. Boothe’s publicist says he died of natural causes at his home in Los Angeles Sunday. Boothe was known for playing bad guys in many films, including « Tombstone,  » « Sin City » and « The Avengers. »He also had roles in TV shows like « Deadwood,  » « 24 » and « Marvel’s Agents of S. H. I. E. L. D. »The veteran actor, who grew up on a Texas farm, won an Emmy award in 1980 for playing cult leader Jim Jones in the TV movie « Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones. »Friends and family called him a devoted husband and father, and a great actor. Reaction poured in from actors who had worked with Boothe over the years. Beau Bridges tweeted the news and called him « a dear friend, great actor, devoted father and husband. »Lea Thompson, who was in the original « Red Dawn » with Boothe, called him « a gentleman and a great actor. »He also had memorable roles playing the ruthless saloon owner Cy Tolliver in « Deadwood,  » the gunman Curly Bill Brocius in « Tombstone » and the corrupt senator in « Sin City. »A private service will be held in Texas where he was from. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Similarity rank: 6.5

Sentiment rank: -1.9

© Source: http://abc7chicago.com/entertainment/powers-boothe-emmy-winner-known-for-deadwood-dies-at-68/1995087/
All rights are reserved and belongs to a source media.

Crude oil prices were on pace for another major rally Monday after Saudi Arabia and Russia agreed on an extension to a production cut arrangement.
May 15 (UPI) — Crude oil prices were on pace for another major rally Monday after Saudi Arabia and Russia agreed on an extension to a production cut arrangement.
Saudi Arabia is the largest contributor among members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries to an agreement to balance an oversupplied market with managed production declines. Russia is the largest contributor among non-OPEC members.
The implementation of the deal in January sustained crude oil prices above $50 for most of the year, though April saw downward pressure emerge from a surging North America. Some of the oversupply indicators waned last week, however, and crude oil prices are up more than 10 percent from May 8.
After agreeing to an extension to March, three months longer than anticipated, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the conditions were ripe for further strength in the energy sector.
« I think that the outlook is promising,  » he said during a press conference Monday.
The price for Brent crude oil was up 3.25 percent about a half hour before the start of trading in New York to $52.52 per barrel. West Texas Intermediate, the U. S. benchmark for the price of oil, was up 3.5 percent to $49.57 per barrel.
The price for Brent crude oil is up more than $5.50 per barrel from last week.
The rally follows a weekend commitment from China to invest trillions of dollars in a new Silk Road initiative aimed at connecting Asian economies together with modernized port, rail and road networks.
Speaking of the financial burden during the weekend, Chinese President Xi Jinping said regional economic strength would come through stronger links.
« Finance is the lifeblood of modern economy,  » he said. « Only when the blood circulates smoothly can one grow. »
The spending effort follows a recent report from the U. N. Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific that found Chinese economic growth was on a slow track downward. Representing about 42 percent of the gross domestic product from the developing economies in the Asia-Pacific, the U. N. body said Chinese demand was subdued as growth moderated from 6.9 percent in 2015 to 6.7 percent last year. Issued at the start of May, the report in part led to a downturn for crude oil prices.
Phil Flynn, a senior market analyst for the PRICE Futures Group in Chicago, said in a daily newsletter the extension to the production arrangement, the potential for major economic fallout in restive Venezuela and tensions building ahead of Iranian presidential elections create a bullish situation for crude oil. By his estimate, the price of oil could hit $70 per barrel by the end of the year.
A report out Monday morning from Wood Mackenzie said a market that’s seen $10 per barrel swings in either direction so far this year, however, is making investors nervous. About 80 percent of those taking part in a Wood Mackenzie survey said crude oil prices will range between $50 per barrel and $60 per barrel for this year.

Similarity rank: 9

Sentiment rank: 0.9

© Source: http://www.upi.com/Energy-News/2017/05/15/Oil-prices-search-for-new-ceiling-on-production-agreement/7691494853895/
All rights are reserved and belongs to a source media.