North America

Top officials consulted ahead of Syria decision: Pentagon

WASHINGTON, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Pentagon said on Tuesday that Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley were consulted regarding the redeployment of U.S. forces in Syria, countering reports suggesting that senior Pentagon officials were blindsided by the decision.

Louisiana becomes new hub in immigrant detention under Trump

WINNFIELD, La. (AP) — Tucked away in the dense forest of rural Louisiana is a barbed wire-ringed prison that has quickly grown into a major detention center for immigrants detained at the border.

The Winn Correctional Center is one of eight Louisiana jails that have started housing asylum seekers and other migrants over the past year, making Louisiana an unlikely epicenter for immigrant detention under President Donald Trump. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement says it’s now holding about 8,000 migrants in Louisiana out of 51,000 nationally.

US bars Chinese officials for crackdown on Muslim minorities

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration on Tuesday slapped travel bans on Chinese officials involved in a massive crackdown against Uighurs and other Muslim minorities in its west.

The State Department said it would not issue visas to Chinese government and Communist Party officials believed to be responsible for or complicit in mass detentions and abuses in western Xinjiang province. It did not identify the targeted officials or say how many were affected by the ban, which can also be applied to their immediate family members.

New York bomber convicted in shootout with New Jersey police

ELIZABETH, N.J. (AP) — An Islamic terrorist already serving a life prison term for a bombing in New York City was convicted Tuesday of multiple counts of attempted murder and assault stemming from a shootout with police three years ago.

Ahmad Khan Rahimi , a U.S. citizen who was born in Afghanistan but grew up in New Jersey, sat quietly during the reading of the verdicts Tuesday.

Senators warn of foreign social media meddling in US vote

WASHINGTON (AP) — A bipartisan group of U.S. senators urged President Donald Trump on Tuesday to warn the public about efforts by foreign governments to interfere in U.S. elections, a subject he has largely avoided, and take steps to thwart attempts by hostile nations to use social media to meddle in the 2020 presidential contest.

House Democrats subpoena US ambassador to EU

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on envoy Gordon Sondland’s scheduled testimony on Capitol Hill (all times local):

6:10 p.m.

House Democrats have subpoenaed Gordon Sondland, the U.S. European Union ambassador, after he failed to show up at a scheduled deposition Tuesday morning.

The deposition was scheduled as part of House Democrats’ impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump’s dealings with Ukraine. Sondland was an intermediary as Trump appealed to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to investigate political rival Joe Biden and his family.

Trump escalates impeachment fight, barring envoy’s testimony

WASHINGTON (AP) — Escalating his fight against Congress’ impeachment inquiry, President Donald Trump flouted Democratic warnings about impeachable conduct Tuesday in blocking a U.S. diplomat from testifying about Trump’s dealings with Ukraine. House committee chairmen quickly issued a subpoena to force the envoy to appear before the House next week and produce documents recovered from his personal devices.

Recuperating Sanders says he may slow down campaigning pace

BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — Bernie Sanders began reintroducing himself to the 2020 campaign on Tuesday, venturing outside his Vermont home to say that he doesn’t plan on leaving the presidential race following last week’s heart attack — but that he may slow down a frenetic pace that might have contributed to his health problems.

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