USA

23 Mar 2019; AFP: Special counsel Robert Mueller on Friday submitted his long-awaited report into an explosive two-year investigation of Russian meddling in Donald Trump's 2016 election -- a probe the president denounces as a "witch hunt" and opponents say could fuel impeachment.

What the report says is confidential, but Attorney General Bill Barr wrote in a letter to Congress that he might be able to summarize its "principal conclusions" for Congress as early as this weekend.

23 Mar 2019; DW: US President Donald Trump halted sizable sanctions against North Korea because he "likes Chairman Kim" and considers the measures unnecessary, the White House said. But it was unclear which sanctions Trump had in mind.

A tweet by US President Donald Trump left journalists scratching their heads on Friday, when Trump said he had nixed "additional large scale sanctions" against North Korea.

23 Mar 2019; DW: Special Counsel Robert Mueller has submitted his long-awaited report on US President Donald Trump's 2016 election campaign, the US Justice Department said on Friday.

Former FBI chief Mueller has been investigating Trump and his aides' alleged Russian links and obstruction of justice for nearly two years. The report should provide deep insights into the actions of Trump's aides and possibly even the president himself.

What we know so far

WASHINGTON, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Jimmy Carter on Friday passed George H. W. Bush to become the longest-living U.S. president at an age of 94 years and 172 days.

Bush, the 41st U.S. president, died Nov. 30, 2018, 171 days after he reached the age of 94.

Carter, born Oct. 1, 1924, served as the 39th President of the United States from 1977 to 1981 after being the 76th governor of the southern state of Georgia for several years.

WASHINGTON, March 22 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Department of the Treasury said on Friday that it had slapped sanctions on Iranian individuals and entities for their involvement in a defense research organization of Iran that assisted Tehran's past nuclear weapons program.

WASHINGTON, March 22 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday he has "no idea" about when Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who's leading the Russia probe, will turn in his report.

"I have no idea about the Mueller report," Trump responded on the White House lawn to the question from reporters if he expected the Mueller report to be submitted on Friday, before he left for meetings at his Florida estate. "We're going to see what happens."

Jerusalem, Mar 22 (PTI) Critics have questioned the timing of US President Donald Trump's tweet recognising Israel's sovereignty over the strategic Golan Heights, describing it as America's effort to intervene in Israeli elections to help a beleaguered friend at the cost of opening a "Pandora's box."

Trump took to Twitter on Thursday to state that it was time the US recognised Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, a territory the Jewish state occupied in the 1967 war.

NEW YORK (AP) — A Florida man pleaded guilty Thursday to sending pipe bombs to CNN and prominent critics of President Donald Trump in a wave of attacks that harmed no one but spread fear of political violence across the U.S. for days leading up to last fall’s midterm elections.

Cesar Sayoc, 57, shackled at the ankles, briefly sobbed as he entered the plea before a New York federal judge.

“I’m extremely sorry,” he said, speaking so softly that sometimes he was told to repeat himself. Though he said he never meant for the devices to explode, he conceded he knew they could.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration on Thursday sanctioned two Chinese shipping companies suspected of helping North Korea evade sanctions — the first targeted actions taken against Pyongyang since its nuclear negotiations with the U.S. in Hanoi last month ended without agreement.

“The maritime industry must do more to stop North Korea’s illicit shipping practices,” Trump’s national security adviser John Bolton tweeted. “Everyone should take notice and review their own activities to ensure they are not involved in North Korea’s sanctions evasion.”

LOS ANGELES (AP) — By the time California’s presidential primary election arrived in 2016, Bernie Sanders was a beaten man. This time around, everything has changed.

The senator from Vermont was an insurgent outsider three years ago in a head-to-head race against Hillary Clinton, the former first lady, U.S. senator and secretary of state whose grip on the Democratic nomination was effectively unshakeable by the time California’s primary was held in June that year.