| Trump campaign asks Capitol Hill to back him up in Khan controversy Posted: 01 Aug 2016 05:38 PM PDT  By Richard Cowan and David Morgan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Republican Donald Trump's presidential campaign appealed to Capitol Hill for support on Monday as his attacks on the Muslim parents of a decorated American soldier killed in Iraq drew sharp rebukes from fellow party members. Trump's criticism of Khizr Khan and Ghazala Khan, who took the stage at last week's Democratic convention, sparked growing concern and dismay from Republican lawmakers responding to the latest Trump outburst to blindside his party colleagues. Republican Senator John McCain, a former prisoner of war and the most prominent veteran in Congress, along with the commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, joined the chorus of condemnation, reflecting the highly regarded place the military and its veterans hold with many in the United States.
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| Buffett rebukes Trump, unveils voter turnout effort Posted: 01 Aug 2016 05:34 PM PDT  By Amanda Becker OMAHA, Neb. (Reuters) - Billionaire investor Warren Buffett on Monday campaigned alongside Democrat Hillary Clinton at a rowdy rally in his home state of Nebraska, where he challenged Republican Donald Trump to release his tax returns and said he would personally drive people to the polls in November. After delivering a forceful rebuke of Trump's recent statements about the Muslim parents of a decorated American soldier killed in Iraq, Buffett said he wanted to surprise Clinton and "make a little news" by announcing the launch of a get-out-the vote effort. "I pledge today that on Election Day, Nov. 8, I will take at least 10 people to the polls who would otherwise have difficulty getting there," Buffett said.
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| Military families to Trump: Apologize for comments to Khans Posted: 01 Aug 2016 05:18 PM PDT  Their sons were killed in Iraq about a week apart.
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| Billionaire Warren Buffett ready to take on Donald Trump Posted: 01 Aug 2016 05:11 PM PDT  OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Billionaire investor Warren Buffett says he'll do whatever it takes to defeat Donald Trump — including escorting people to the polls himself.
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| Actor Ewan McGregor says children in Iraq at risk of death, sex abuse, traffickers Posted: 01 Aug 2016 05:09 PM PDT  By Michael Saunders LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Scottish actor Ewan McGregor called on Tuesday for greater efforts to help refugee children in Iraq, warning they are at serious risk of death, sexual violence, or recruitment into armed groups. Following a visit to Iraq, McGregor, an ambassador for the United Nation's children's agency UNICEF, said the situation in Iraq was becoming "increasingly desperate".
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| Man pleads guilty to planning attack on US Capitol Posted: 01 Aug 2016 04:43 PM PDT  A man in the US state of Ohio pleaded guilty Monday to charges that he planned to attack the US Capitol during a speech by President Barack Obama last year. Christopher Lee Cornell, a 22-year-old from the Cincinnati area, pleaded guilty to "terrorism charges," the Justice Department said in a statement. According to the plea agreement, he said that from about August 2014 through January 2015 he had schemed to travel to Washington in order to attack the US Capitol during Obama's State of the Union Address on January 20, 2015.
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| Trump suggests general election could be 'rigged' Posted: 01 Aug 2016 04:41 PM PDT  COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump suggested Monday that he fears the general election "is going to be rigged" — an unprecedented assertion by a modern presidential candidate.
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| To some in military, Trump disqualified as commander in chief Posted: 01 Aug 2016 04:27 PM PDT Ryan McGill still grieves the loss of one of his best friends, a fellow pilot who was shot down during the Iraq war. "I'm still heartbroken," says the chief warrant officer in the United States Army Reserve, who flew Black Hawk helicopters in Iraq. It is with this friend in mind that Officer McGill says he will not consider voting for Donald Trump. |
| US Constitution sales soar after Trump challenge Posted: 01 Aug 2016 04:06 PM PDT  Sales of pocket versions of the US Constitution have soared since the father of a fallen Muslim American soldier brandished a copy to denounce Donald Trump, igniting a major backlash against the Republican nominee. Khizr Khan, a Harvard-educated lawyer whose son died in a 2004 suicide bombing in Iraq, went head to head with the insult-dishing White House candidate in a confrontation that has dominated the US news cycle for days. On Amazon's best seller list, a pocket edition of the US constitution is second only to the new "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" script, and number one best seller in Amazon's US history category.
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| Iraq minister accuses parliament speaker of corruption Posted: 01 Aug 2016 03:30 PM PDT  Iraqi Defence Minister Khalid al-Obeidi accused the parliament speaker and several lawmakers of corruption and blackmail on Monday, prompting the prime minister to order an investigation. The political row surrounding the defence minister comes as Iraq prepares for a drive to retake second city Mosul, the biggest operation yet in the country's war against the Islamic State jihadist group. Obeidi made the accusations as he appeared in parliament for questioning over corruption allegations brought by Alia Nasayif, a lawmaker whom the defence minister asserted was herself corrupt.
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| UN: accelerated Iraqi death sentences risk greater injustice Posted: 01 Aug 2016 03:05 PM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq's attempt to fast-track death sentences handed out by the country's courts will result in greater injustice, according to a statement from the United Nations Monday. |
| Trump, a fallen soldier, and the myth of game-changing moments Posted: 01 Aug 2016 03:02 PM PDT It has been repeated from the moment Donald Trump entered the race, calling Mexican immigrants criminals and rapists. Has Trump gone too far and materially damaged his chances for the presidency? Recommended: Are you smarter than a US Marine? |
| Iraq PM orders probe into corruption allegations over weapons deals Posted: 01 Aug 2016 02:59 PM PDT  Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Monday ordered an investigation into allegations of corruption in weapons deals that risks re-igniting a political crisis ahead of planned military moves to retake Mosul from Islamic State. Infighting over anti-corruption measures, which stalled government activity for several months and sparked clashes between protesters and security forces in Baghdad earlier this year, threatens to slow momentum to recapture Mosul and capitalize on battlefield gains against the ultra-hardline militants. Iraqi Parliament Speaker Salim al-Jabouri denied charges of corruption made at a closed parliament session by Defense Minister Khaled al-Obeidi that was broadcast late Monday on state television.
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| AP EXPLAINS: Gold Stars are symbols of a war's ultimate cost Posted: 01 Aug 2016 02:48 PM PDT  Donald Trump's criticism of the bereaved parents of a decorated Muslim Army captain killed in Iraq 12 years ago has drawn attention to Gold Star families. For decades, buttons and flags adorned with Gold Stars have been displayed by American families as symbols of the ultimate sacrifice. Below is a brief description of the program and its history.
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| USW Denounces Treatment of Soldier's Mother by Trump Posted: 01 Aug 2016 02:12 PM PDT "The USW represents thousands of military veterans employed in America's workplaces, who served the nation honorably. "The recent news cycle has been full of stories on Trump's treatment of Khizr and Ghazala Khan as the parents of Captain Khan, when Khan's father talked publicly of their love of America, their son's patriotism, the terrible loss for the family, and sacrifice for the country. |
| Brazil looks for its first Olympic gold in soccer Posted: 01 Aug 2016 01:46 PM PDT Playing at home, with its biggest star onboard and an unexpected last-minute change at the helm, Brazil is looking to win its first Olympic men's soccer gold medal in Rio de Janeiro. |
| U.S. warplanes launch bombing campaign on Islamic State in Libya Posted: 01 Aug 2016 01:45 PM PDT  By Goran Tomasevic and Yeganeh Torbati SIRTE, Libya/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. planes bombed Islamic State targets in Libya on Monday, responding to the U.N.-backed government's request to help push the militants from their former stronghold of Sirte in what U.S. officials described as the start of a sustained campaign against the extremist group in the city. "The first air strikes were carried out at specific locations in Sirte today causing severe losses to enemy ranks," Prime Minster Fayez Seraj said on state TV. Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said the strikes did not have "an end point at this particular moment in time".
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| Factbox: Gold Stars mark sacrifices of U.S. military families Posted: 01 Aug 2016 01:28 PM PDT A war of words between Donald Trump and the parents of a Muslim U.S. soldier killed in Iraq in 2004 is dominating the election campaign. Khizr and Ghazala Khan were criticized by the Republican presidential candidate after they appeared at the Democratic National Convention last Thursday and shared the story of their son, U.S. Army Captain Humayun Khan. The Khans are what is known in the United States as a "Gold Star Family," meaning they have lost an immediate relative in a military action. |
| Trump campaign asks Capitol Hill for backing in Khan controversy Posted: 01 Aug 2016 01:28 PM PDT By Richard Cowan and David Morgan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's campaign appealed to Capitol Hill for support on Monday as his attacks on the Muslim parents of a decorated U.S. soldier killed in Iraq drew sharp rebukes from fellow party members. Trump's criticism of Khizr Khan and Ghazala Khan, who took the stage at last week's Democratic convention, sparked a growing wave of concern and dismay from Republican lawmakers responding to the latest Trump outburst to blindside his party colleagues. Republican Senator John McCain, a former prisoner of war and the most prominent veteran in Congress, along with the commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, joined the chorus of condemnation, reflecting the highly regarded place the military and its veterans hold with many in the United States. |
| Trump feud with slain soldier's parents roils White House race Posted: 01 Aug 2016 12:44 PM PDT  Donald Trump's confrontation with the parents of a slain Muslim American soldier escalated Monday, shaking the US presidential campaign amid Republican Party outcries over the real estate tycoon's comments about the couple. The feud has become a flash point of the 2016 White House race that pits Trump against Democrat Hillary Clinton. The war of words has dominated US headlines since last Thursday, when Pakistani immigrant Khizr Khan galvanized the Democratic National Convention with a tribute to his dead son in which he rebuked the Republican nominee for having "sacrificed nothing" for the country.
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| Turkey navigates tense relations with key allies Posted: 01 Aug 2016 12:41 PM PDT  ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkey summoned a German diplomat Monday over a court decision that prevented President Recep Tayyip Erdogan from addressing a demonstration in Germany, while the top U.S. military official visited Ankara as Turkey navigated through increasingly strained relations with key allies.
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| The Fallen Soldier Who Could Bury Trump Posted: 01 Aug 2016 12:35 PM PDT  A year ago Donald Trump got away with questioning the heroism of Senator John McCain, who as a young Navy fighter pilot was shot down over North Vietnam, tortured and held for five years in the infamous hellhole prison nicknamed the Hanoi Hilton. "In recent days, Donald Trump disparaged a fallen soldier's parents. Noting that McCains have served in the uniform of America for hundreds of years –both his father and grandfather were admirals – the senator said, "I claim no moral superiority over Donald Trump.
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| US launches first anti-IS air raids in Libya's Sirte Posted: 01 Aug 2016 12:30 PM PDT  US warplanes Monday carried out air strikes on positions of the Islamic State jihadist group in its Libyan stronghold of Sirte for the first time, the country's unity government announced. "The first American air strikes on precise positions of the Daesh (IS) organisation were carried out today, causing heavy losses... in Sirte," prime minister Fayez al-Sarraj said in a televised speech. In Washington, the Pentagon said the raids were launched in response to a request from Sarraj's Government of National Accord.
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| Tensions between US, Turkey at a high point Posted: 01 Aug 2016 12:24 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Tensions between the United States, its European allies and NATO member Turkey are at their highest point in recent history, prompting concerns about Turkey's continued position as a stalwart member of the alliance and partner of the West in maintaining regional security. |
| U.S. crude breaks below $40 as oil ends down 4 percent on glut Posted: 01 Aug 2016 12:21 PM PDT  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. crude tumbled below $40 per barrel on Monday for the first time since April, as oil prices settled down nearly 4 percent on heightened worries of a crude glut despite peak summer fuel demand. A near 15-percent slump in U.S. crude prices in July, the worst monthly loss in a year, also triggered liquidation as trading began for August. Monday's slide in crude prices also came after Marathon Petroleum unexpectedly shut its lone crude unit and an associated unit at its 212,000 barrel-per-day refinery in Robinson, Illinois, at the weekend, according to a source.
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| Ohio man pleads guilty to charges he planned U.S. Capitol attack Posted: 01 Aug 2016 11:51 AM PDT  An Ohio man pleaded guilty on Monday to charges he plotted to attack the U.S. Capitol with guns and bombs and that he sympathized with Islamic State militants. In an appearance in federal court in Cincinnati, Christopher Cornell, 22, shackled and dressed in black-and-white striped jail clothes, admitted to the charges of attempted murder of government officials, possession of a firearm to commit a crime and attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. Cornell, of Green Township, Ohio, near Cincinnati was arrested in January 2015 and accused of planning to travel to Washington to attack the U.S. Capitol during President Barack Obama's State of the Union address on Jan. 20, 2015, prosecutors said, citing the plea agreement.
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| Trump Shatters Presidential Norms in Attack on Grieving Parents Posted: 01 Aug 2016 11:49 AM PDT  The outrages that Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has committed against what most people consider decent behavior have been so frequent and varied over the last year that the public has become somewhat numb to them. Khizr and Ghalaza Khan, whose son Humayun died protecting his men from a suicide bomber in 2004 while deployed to Iraq, made what may have been the most effective attack on Trump by any of the speakers at the Democratic National Convention last week. Mr. Khan memorably questioned whether Trump had ever read the U.S. Constitution or visited Arlington Cemetery, where Humayun Khan is buried.
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| Eyeing Trump, Obama slams 'trash-talking' of military Posted: 01 Aug 2016 11:33 AM PDT  President Barack Obama tore into those "trash-talking" the US military and disrespecting the families of fallen soldiers Monday, in a thinly veiled attack on Republican White House hopeful Donald Trump. "As commander-in-chief, I'm pretty tired of some folks trash-talking America's military and troops," Obama told a Disabled American Veterans convention in Atlanta, Georgia. Trump, who is vying with Democrat Hillary Clinton to succeed Obama, has called the US military a "disaster" and caused outcry by repeatedly disparaging the family of a slain Muslim American soldier.
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| The IS in Libya: key dates Posted: 01 Aug 2016 11:25 AM PDT  Tripoli (AFP) - Key dates since the Islamic State group (IS) moved into Libya in 2014 amid the chaos that followed the ouster of Moamer Kadhafi in 2011.
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| UN slams Iraq PM's efforts to accelerate executions Posted: 01 Aug 2016 09:46 AM PDT  Given problems with Iraq's judicial system, the premier's efforts to speed up the implementation of executions will only "accelerate injustice", the United Nations said on Monday. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi last month ordered the formation of a committee to identify factors that are delaying the implementation of the death penalty and to make recommendations on how to speed up the process. "Given the weaknesses of the Iraqi justice system, and the current environment in Iraq, I am gravely concerned that innocent people have been and may continue to be convicted and executed," UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said in a statement.
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| Death toll from July Baghdad blast rises to 323: minister Posted: 01 Aug 2016 08:20 AM PDT  One of the deadliest bombings to ever hit Iraq killed 323 people, two thirds of whom needed DNA testing to identify, the health minister said, raising an earlier toll from last month's attack. A suicide bomber detonated an explosives-rigged minibus in a crowded shopping area in Baghdad's Karrada district early on July 3, sparking infernos in nearby buildings that burned many victims alive. "One hundred and fifteen martyrs were identified directly after the bombing by their families," health minister Adila Hamoud told a televised news conference.
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| Trump's fight with the Khans: Will it cost him veterans' votes? Posted: 01 Aug 2016 08:07 AM PDT Donald Trump's ridicule of the bereaved mother of a fallen Muslim American soldier has drawn bipartisan rebuke. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R) of South Carolina and Sen. John McCain (R) of Arizona issued public statements Sunday and Monday that criticized Mr. Trump, while 11 "Gold Star" families of fallen soldiers demanded Trump apologize to them. |
| Iran's Khamenei renews criticism of nuclear deal Posted: 01 Aug 2016 08:06 AM PDT  Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei renewed his criticism of a nuclear deal signed with six world powers in a speech in Tehran on Monday, and accused the United States of failing to keep its side of the bargain. Under the deal, which came into force in October, world powers agreed to drop crippling multilateral economic sanctions against Iran in exchange for measures designed to ensure that it cannot develop nuclear weapons. Iran's moderate president, Hassan Rouhani, promised Iranians that the end of sanctions would bring growth and jobs to their moribund economy.
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| McCain slams Trump for disparaging family of slain soldier Posted: 01 Aug 2016 07:05 AM PDT  Republican Senator John McCain slammed Donald Trump Monday for disparaging the Muslim family of a slain American soldier, and demanded that his party's presidential candidate set an example for the country. "While our party has bestowed upon him the nomination, it is not accompanied by unfettered license to defame those who are the best among us," McCain said in a statement. It was the latest in a mounting Republican backlash against Trump's bristling response to Khizr Khan, the Pakistani immigrant who galvanized the Democratic National Convention with a tribute to his dead son in which he rebuked the billionaire Republican nominee as having "sacrificed nothing" for the country.
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| Why Khizr Khan Is Paul Ryan's Worst Nightmare Posted: 01 Aug 2016 06:16 AM PDT The father of a fallen U.S. soldier is drawing attention to the fact that the Republican leadership cares more about partisan victory than repudiating prejudice. |
| The Latest: Buffett to introduce Clinton at Nebraska event Posted: 01 Aug 2016 06:08 AM PDT  Billionaire investor Warren Buffett is set to introduce Hillary Clinton at a Nebraska campaign event as her campaign seeks to highlight support from the business community. The Democratic presidential candidate was scheduled to appear in Omaha Monday, where she will talk about her plans for job creation. Buffett is the latest business leader to back Clinton over Republican Donald Trump.
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| Rise in Iraqi execution of Islamist militants could bring injustices: U.N. Posted: 01 Aug 2016 05:45 AM PDT  The United Nations said on Monday Iraqi government efforts to speed up execution of Islamic State militants following a Baghdad bomb attack that killed 324 people could result in innocent people being put to death. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, facing pressure following the Baghdad suicide bombing last month claimed by Islamic State, ordered an investigation into delays in executing prisoners found guilty of terrorism-related charges. "Given the weaknesses of the Iraqi justice system, and the current environment in Iraq, I am gravely concerned that innocent people have been and may continue to be convicted and executed, resulting in gross, irreversible miscarriages of justice," Zeid said.
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| Clinton Skates Through Fox News’ Softball Interview Posted: 01 Aug 2016 05:26 AM PDT  Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, who has famously avoided giving a press conference for 240 days now, also doesn't do a whole lot of sit-down interviews. So when she does, they are closely ...
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| The Latest: Khans say they want to step out of Trump fight Posted: 01 Aug 2016 05:10 AM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the U.S. presidential campaign. (all times EDT): |
