USA

WASHINGTON, May 8 (Xinhua): U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday asserted executive privilege on the Mueller report, protecting the Department of Justice from Congressional subpoenas.

Trump had "asserted executive privilege over the entirety of the subpoenaed materials," Assistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd wrote in a letter to Congress.

New York, May 9, IRNA – Nuclear weapons are the biggest threat to humanity and international security, said an Iranian diplomat in the United Nations, adding the only way to get rid of the danger is to fully annihilate the nuclear arms.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — A gateway to illegal marketplaces on the darknet has been shut down, the FBI announced Wednesday, and two of its alleged operators have been arrested and accused of making millions of dollars in kickbacks for their services.

A grand jury in Pittsburgh returned indictments against the two Israelis on charges of money laundering conspiracy. They’re accused of receiving more than $15 million from the operation, which ran from Oct. 2013 through this week, prosecutors said.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Insurance claims have topped $12 billion for the November wildfires in California, making them the most expensive in state history.

The figure released Wednesday by Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara covers the fire that largely destroyed the town of Paradise and two Southern California blazes. It’s up about $600 million from data released in January.

Most of the damages relate to the Paradise fire, which killed 85 people and destroyed nearly 19,000 buildings.

By DEB RIECHMANN and BEN FOX

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s Iran policy has been rooted in the idea that being tougher on Tehran would yield better results and perhaps even a new nuclear deal to replace the Obama administration pact that he pulled the U.S. out of a year ago Wednesday.

That strategy is now being put to the test as tension escalates between Washington and Tehran, even as both sides appear willing to negotiate an end to the standoff.

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Tens of thousands of teachers across Oregon walked off the job Wednesday to demand more money for schools, holding signs and wearing red shirts that have become synonymous with a nationwide movement pushing lawmakers to better fund education.

Schools around the state, including Oregon’s largest district, Portland Public Schools, closed for at least part of the day. Most offered day care and free lunch programs.

WASHINGTON (AP) — American officials say the U.S. is poised to move more military assets to the Middle East in response to perceived threats from Iran.

Officials say two additional bomber aircraft are expected to deploy to the region, and one official says there are ongoing discussions about moving some Patriot missile batteries back to the Middle East.

There is no final decision on the Patriot missiles, and the move could hinge on whether the U.S. believes Iran is taking action to reduce the threat.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate intelligence committee has subpoenaed Donald Trump Jr., calling him in to answer questions about his 2017 testimony to the panel as part of its probe into Russian election interference.

That’s according to two people familiar with the subpoena who discussed it on condition of anonymity. It’s the first known subpoena of a member of President Donald Trump’s immediate family, and a new sign that the Senate panel is continuing with its own Russia investigation even after the release of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report on the same subject.

FAWN RIVER TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — A 9-year-old boy has been charged with murder in the fatal shooting of his mother in their southern Michigan home, according to court documents.

The woman was found early Monday morning in Fawn River Township, St. Joseph County Prosecutor John McDonough told WWMT-TV . Fawn River Township is about 160 miles (260 kilometers) west-southwest of Detroit.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Rain swamping the nation’s midsection forced people from their homes in Kansas, stranded dozens of Texas children at school overnight and strained levees along the surging Mississippi River in Illinois, Missouri and elsewhere Wednesday prompting yet more flash flood concerns.

The flooding began in earnest in March, causing billions of dollars of damage to farmland, homes and businesses across the Midwest. Rivers in many communities have been above flood stage for more than six weeks following waves of heavy rain.