USA

WASHINGTON (AP) — As Democratic lawmakers try to turn the page after the liberal legislator’s use of anti-Semitic tropes ignited an embarrassing, intra-party fight, the Republican president is trying to prolong and weaponize the issue for his 2020 campaign, asserting during a private weekend fundraiser that Democrats “hate” Jews.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort faces his second sentencing hearing in his many weeks, with a judge expected to tack on additional prison time beyond the roughly four-year punishment he has already received.

HEJERE, Ethiopia (AP) — Much of the world, including the entire European Union, grounded the Boeing jetliner involved in the Ethiopian Airlines crash or banned it from their airspace, leaving the United States as one of the few remaining operators of the plane involved in two deadly accidents in just five months.

13 Mar 2019; AFP: Governor Gavin Newsom will Wednesday impose a moratorium on carrying out the death penalty in California, granting temporary reprieve to the 737 inmates on death row -- the largest such group in the United States.

Newsom is a Democrat who took office in January and a long-standing opponent of the death penalty, which was last carried out in California in 2006.

WASHINGTON, March 12 (Xinhua) -- The United States and Taliban wrapped up their talks in Doha, the capital city of Qatar, with "meaningful progress" made, said the U.S. State Department on Tuesday.

"We've received reports back from Special Representative (Zalmay) Khalilzad that they've had meaningful progress," Robert Palladino, the State Department's deputy spokesperson, told reporters at a daily briefing.

Washington, Mar 12 :  US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday hoped that India will not be the "economic lifeline" to the "authoritarian" regime of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by purchasing oil from the Latin American country.

Pompep's comments came as Washington ramps up actions on Maduro's regime, which is battling to hold onto power in the face of heavy domestic and international pressure.

Venezuela is the third largest supplier of oil to India which is the world's third-biggest oil consumer.

United Nations, Mar 12 (AP) UN experts say they are investigating possible violations of United Nations sanctions on North Korea in about 20 countries, from alleged clandestine nuclear procurement in China to arms brokering in Syria and military cooperation with Iran, Libya and Sudan.

The expert panel's 66-page report to the Security Council, obtained Monday by The Associated Press, also detailed the appearance in North Korea of a Rolls-Royce Phantom, Mercedes-Benz limousines and Lexus LX 570 all-wheel drive luxury vehicles in violation of a ban on luxury goods.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Google paid former search executive Amit Singhal $35 million in an exit package when he was reportedly forced to resign after a sexual assault investigation, according to court documents released Monday.

Details of the exit package were revealed as part of a shareholder lawsuit against the company, one that followed a published report of payouts Google made to executives accused of sexual misconduct.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump proposed a record $4.7 trillion budget, pushing the federal deficit past $1 trillion but counting on optimistic growth, accounting shuffles and steep domestic cuts to bring future spending into balance in 15 years.

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is setting a high bar for impeachment of President Donald Trump, saying he is “just not worth it” even as some on her left flank clamor to start proceedings. 

Pelosi said in an interview with The Washington Post that “I’m not for impeachment” of Trump.

“Unless there’s something so compelling and overwhelming and bipartisan, I don’t think we should go down that path, because it divides the country,” she said.