| Trump: Person who helped whistleblower is 'close to a spy' Posted: 26 Sep 2019 05:38 PM PDT  President Donald Trump lashed out Thursday at the person who gave information to a whistleblower who has accused the president of abusing the nation's highest office for political gain, saying that individual is "close to a spy" who could have committed treason — an act punishable by death. Dogged by the legacy-defining threat of impeachment, Trump was addressing American diplomats and their families, including children, at a private event at the U.S. mission to the United Nations in New York when he lashed out at those who helped his accuser. Trump noted that the whistleblower had no first-hand knowledge of alleged abuse of office by the president.
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| Mideast conflicts, Brexit likely to take center stage at UN Posted: 26 Sep 2019 08:25 AM PDT  The Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the threat posed by Iran, and Britain's fraught exit from the European Union were likely topics Thursday during a third day of speeches at the United Nations. Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio called for "urgent and imperative" reform of the U.N. Security Council to give more representation and "an equal say" to Africa in international decision-making. For decades, there have been calls to expand the U.N.'s most powerful body.
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| At UN, Venezuela's rival delegations circle each other Posted: 26 Sep 2019 05:23 PM PDT  They came from the same country. Two separate Venezuelan delegations can be found at the United Nations during the General Assembly gathering of world leaders this year, shadowing and circling each other in a fierce fight for international recognition as the country reels from an economic collapse and political uncertainty. One set of diplomats represents President Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela's head of state in the eyes of the United Nations system.
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| Saudi FM: Financial pressure is best way to control Iran Posted: 26 Sep 2019 05:17 PM PDT  Saudi Arabia called on the world to apply "utmost pressure with every tool available" to end Iran's aggressive conduct, saying Thursday that the most effective way to control Tehran is to cut off its financial resources. Saudi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Assaf again blamed Iran for the Sept. 14 missile and drone attack on Saudi oil facilities, which jolted global oil prices and temporarily knocked out nearly 6% of daily global crude production. "We know very well who stood behind this aggression," Al-Assaf told the U.N. General Assembly.
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| Trump Ponders Violent Retribution as the White House Projects Impeachment Calm Posted: 26 Sep 2019 05:00 PM PDT  Saul Loeb/AFP/GettyAs President Donald Trump wrapped up his swing through New York City on Thursday, he stopped by the luxury restaurant Cipriani to deliver remarks at a high-roller breakfast fundraiser. Fresh off meetings at the United Nations, it was clear the president couldn't take his mind off a certain anonymous whistleblower whose recently declassified complaint has threatened to blow up his administration. According to an attendee at the breakfast, Trump brandished a printed copy of the memo of his now-infamous Ukraine phone call, flaunting it as he blasted Democratic lawmakers for being mean to him. After waving the document around and receiving cheers from the gathering of Republican donors and supporters, the president boasted about how much money—$13 million in 24 hours—he had raised for his reelection effort, the attendee noted.It was yet another illustration of how President Trump's big week in New York has been overshadowed and bedeviled by revelations that he and his personal attorney Rudy Giuliani had urged Ukrainian officials to investigate the son of Joe Biden, the former vice president who remains likely to be Trump's 2020 election opponent. Over the past few days, the president has helped raise millions for the 2020 fight and has been lavished with praise by world leaders. And yet, he's remained, through it all, obsessed over the scandal unfolding back in Washington, D.C., as Democratic members of Congress inched closer to impeachment proceedings. According to three people with knowledge of the situation, Trump has compulsively monitored TV and cable-news coverage of the Ukraine-related scandal, and has repeatedly asked those around him about the whistleblower and rumors that the complainant is hostile to or biased against him.Through it all, the president's demeanor and approach to the rapidly unfolding scandal has vacillated between spoiling for a fight to hoping for a détente. Often, it depended on who he was talking to or what setting he found himself in. According to those in attendance at his Thursday breakfast fundraiser, the president was upbeat and fired up, telling donors that he and his political team were ready to punch back hard. In private, however, there was genuine consternation regarding how a brutal impeachment process would affect his legacy and his White House, with much of his staff sharing those same anxieties. Those close to Trump say the president never actually expected House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to back any major impeachment moves—at least not until this week.Though one senior White House aide said the mood there "is fine." Others said Trump has taken the past week personally, as if Democrats and—what his allies call—the "deep state" had just crashed his party. On Tuesday, the president took to Twitter to accuse liberals of deliberately ruining and degrading his "important day" at the UN. And according to a Los Angeles Times report, Trump also used his time at a private event for U.S. officials at the Intercontinental Hotel in New York on Thursday morning to rage about the whistleblower and whoever supplied that individual with information. "I want to know who's the person—who's the person who gave the whistleblower the information? Because that's close to a spy," Trump said, speaking just as Joseph Maguire, his acting director of national intelligence, testified about the whistleblower complaint detailing allegations that the president pressured the Ukrainian government to interfere in the 2020 election and that White House officials attempted to cover-up records of that call. "You know what we used to do in the old days when we were smart? Right? The spies and treason—we used to handle it a little differently than we do now."It is unclear what actual punishments the president has envisioned and the White House did not provide clarification on this when asked. According to the senior White House official, shortly after the president arrived back at the White House on Thursday, he told his lieutenants that there was no current need to start a "war room" or any special initiative to combat impeachment fever. A report that Trump was bringing back his former 2016 campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, to spearhead such an effort, the official said, were an attempt at "self-aggrandizement" by those officials on the outside. And the White House, indeed, subsequently denied the reports. In the president's inner circle, some continued to believe that the rush to embrace impeachment by Democratic leadership amounted to a politically-tinged bluff."This is all theater," Jay Sekulow, one of Trump's lawyers who worked with Giuliani to defend the president during the Mueller probe, told The Daily Beast on Wednesday. "Nancy Pelosi didn't announce anything that hasn't been going on already," he added, referring to how House Democrats had weeks ago declared they were launching proceedings simply to decide if they should impeach Trump. While the White House was attempting to project an all-is-calm demeanor, outside groups were preparing for war. According to a senior Republican National Committee official, the RNC's in-house research team has begun putting together materials to counter-attack House Democrats and a "war room" of its own to deal with Trump impeachment. As Trump World's strategy for how to handle growing impeachment woes comes together, the president and his staff will have to adjust to a reality in which even less progress is made on his agenda than was before. Earlier in the week, a senior administration official bemoaned how much of a gigantic pain impeachment proceedings would be for the White House staff to manage. The official said this is, in part, due to how getting impeached would inevitably devastate President Trump's focus, mood, actions, and agenda for the remainder of his first term. And White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham has said that "House Democrats have destroyed any chances of legislative progress for the people of this country by continuing to focus" on impeachment.Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| N.Korea praises Trump, hopes for progress towards summit Posted: 26 Sep 2019 04:58 PM PDT  North Korea on Friday praised US President Donald Trump as "different from his predecessors" as well as "wise" and "bold" as Pyongyang angles for a possible new summit between their leaders. According to Kim Kye Gwan, advisor to North Korea's foreign ministry, the idea of holding a new summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is "highly topical these days in the US", the official wrote in a statement carried in the North's official news wire KCNA.
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| Trump lashes out at whistleblower and Democrats after hearing Posted: 26 Sep 2019 04:51 PM PDT  President Donald Trump spent much of his time at the annual United Nations General Assembly in New York fielding questions about a whistleblower complaint. A day later, he lashed out Democrats, the secret whistleblower and the press -- behind closed doors and in front of the camera. Upon arriving at Joint Base Andrews in Washington on Thursday, the president said "there should be a way" to stop investigations into his communications with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
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| Trump condemns religious persecution amid refugee squeeze Posted: 26 Sep 2019 04:20 PM PDT  President Donald Trump said at the United Nations this week that "protecting religious freedom is one of my highest priorities." But his promise rings hollow to advocates for persecuted religious minorities seeking refuge in the United States. Trump's administration already has slashed the nation's refugee admissions ceiling to a historic low and on Thursday proposed a further cut for next year, to 18,000 — an 84% drop from the cap proposed during the last year of Barack Obama's presidency. The president's promotion of global freedom to worship prompted the State Department to set aside 5,000 refugee slots for religious minorities.
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| Lawyer: WV mother charged in fake abduction case not racist Posted: 26 Sep 2019 04:18 PM PDT ![Lawyer: WV mother charged in fake abduction case not racist]( "Lawyer: WV mother charged in fake abduction case not racist") A West Virginia woman charged with concocting a story about an Egyptian man trying to kidnap her daughter isn't a racist, her lawyer said Thursday. Santana Renee Adams, 24, was initially hailed as a hero after claiming she used a gun to thwart a brazen, mid-day kidnapping of her 5-year-old in April.
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| All agreements off if Israel annexes territory, Abbas warns at UN Posted: 26 Sep 2019 04:18 PM PDT  Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas told the United Nations Thursday he would terminate all signed agreements with Israel if it moved forward with plans announced by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to annex a key part of the West Bank. Netanyahu, who is trying to form a new government following a deadlocked election, pledged before the vote to impose Israeli sovereignty over the Jordan Valley and the northern Dead Sea which account for one-third of the West Bank.
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| Maduro: Trump 'obsession' with Venezuela about impeachment Posted: 26 Sep 2019 04:11 PM PDT ![Maduro: Trump 'obsession' with Venezuela about impeachment]( "Maduro: Trump 'obsession' with Venezuela about impeachment") Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is accusing Donald Trump of seeking regime change in Venezuela as a way to divert attention from calls for his impeachment. Maduro on Thursday returned from a trip to Russia where he met President Vladimir Putin.
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| Trump Branding Whistle-Blower a ‘Spy’ May Fuel Impeachment Probe Posted: 26 Sep 2019 04:02 PM PDT ![Trump Branding Whistle-Blower a 'Spy' May Fuel Impeachment Probe]( "Trump Branding Whistle-Blower a 'Spy' May Fuel Impeachment Probe") (Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump appeared to threaten a government whistle-blower who is protected under federal law, adding to the list of accusations that could fuel the impeachment inquiry in Congress.Trump said the unidentified whistle-blower had no direct knowledge of the president's actions and was "almost a spy," according to an account of his remarks Thursday to members of the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. A recording of the private meeting was published by the Los Angeles Times.He also took aim at unidentified White House officials cited in the whistle-blower's complaint. "I want to know who's the person, who's the person who gave the whistle-blower the information? Because that's close to a spy," Trump said. He went on: "You know what we used to do in the old days when we were smart with spies and treason, right? We used to handle it a little differently than we do now."Whistle-blowers are supposed to be protected from retaliation by superiors, and the law outlines the procedures. This employee who came forward followed those steps, said Joseph Maguire, the acting director of national intelligence."I think he followed the law every step of the way," Maguire told the House Intelligence Committee on Thursday.The Democratic chairmen of three powerful House committees said Trump's words could harm their effort to secure testimony from the intelligence whistle-blower and others."The president's comments today constitute reprehensible witness intimidation and an attempt to obstruct Congress' impeachment inquiry," a statement from Representatives Eliot Engel, Adam Schiff and Elijah Cummings said.A federal law passed in 1998 outlines the procedure for members of the intelligence community to complain confidentially about government practices, while protecting them from retaliatory acts like getting fired or demoted. The Intelligence Community Whistle-Blower Protection Act spells out how employees or contractors should give information to Congress."The law says we will give protections to whistle-blowers to have the confidence to come forward," said John Phillips, whose Washington law firm represents whistle-blowers. "You have to do that in this world because we know how whistle-blowers can get chewed up and pay a huge price for revealing information that's harmful to others."Phillips said that Trump's comments could have a chilling effect on would-be informants."If the president calls a whistle-blower a spy, he's discouraging others from coming forward," Phillips said. "Who wants to be labeled as a spy by the president?"Senator Susan Collins, a Republican member of the Intelligence Committee who sometimes breaks with Trump, also expressed concern."Whistle-blowers have been essential in bringing to the public's attention wrongdoing, fraud, waste, abuse, law-breaking, and I very much disagree with the president's characterization," she told reporters on Thursday.The intense focus on the intelligence employee who came forward could threaten his or her anonymity. The New York Times reported Thursday that the person was a Central Intelligence Agency employee who was assigned to work at the White House at one point but has since returned to the CIA.Critics said the Times was encouraging intimidation of the whistle-blower. The newspaper's executive editor, Dean Baquet, defended his decision to publish details about the person, saying it was "essential to understanding one of the most important issues facing the country — whether the president of the United States abused power and whether the White House covered it up."\--With assistance from Steven T. Dennis.To contact the reporter on this story: David Voreacos in New York at dvoreacos@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Jeffrey D Grocott at jgrocott2@bloomberg.net, David S. JoachimFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| EU may be forced to withdraw from nuclear deal, Iran told Posted: 26 Sep 2019 04:00 PM PDT  EU warns it may have no choice if Iran takes further steps away from dealHassan Rouhani this week urged the United States to 'cease this policy of maximum pressure' in favour of 'dialogue, and logic and reason'. Photograph: Mary Altaffer/APThe European Union has privately warned Iran that it will be forced to start withdrawing from the nuclear deal in November if Tehran goes ahead with its threat to take new steps away from the deal.Iran has already taken three separate calibrated steps away from the deal, and has warned it will take a fourth in November unless the US lifts economic sanctions.The warning to Iran, pre-agreed by the three EU signatories to the 2015 deal, was made at a meeting on Wednesday, and makes clear that the agreement is now on life support.The EU told Iran that it would put the issue of Iranian non-compliance into the agreement's formal dispute mechanism if the next Iranian move away from the deal is significant.Iran says it has been taking advertised, reversible and calibrated steps away from the deal as a reprisal for US sanctions, including its ban on Iranian oil exports, and the failure of the EU to do more to build trade with Iran. Tehran is due to take a fourth step on 7 November.One source said: "The difficulty is that Iran says the steps are reversible, but if they learn about building a nuclear bomb, that is irreversible."Once the deal's dispute mechanism is triggered, both sides have 30 days to prove significant non-compliance, and if necessary a world-wide sanctions snap-back occurs.Such a move would be a huge blow to the EU, which has refused for 16 months to join the US in pulling out of the deal. The Trump administration has been trying to persuade the EU to abandon the deal, and the US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, this week claimed the September 14 attack on the Saudi Aramco oil facilities represented "an awakening" for Europe.The EU warning also came after the French president, Emmanuel Macron, failed to broker a new deal between the US and Iran in which the Washington would lift sanctions, and the Tehran would return to full compliance with the agreement.Macron had hoped the shock of the attack on the Saudi oil fields, ascribed to Iran by both the EU and the US, would jolt the two sides into compromise.But Washington's refusal to lift any sanctions before talks with Iranian officials, and Tehran's refusal to have any contacts before sanctions were eased significantly made Macron's mission impossible.Speaking to reporters in New York on Thursday, Iran's president, Hassan Rouhani, urged the United States to "cease this policy of maximum pressure" in favour of "dialogue, and logic and reason".He said: "If we reach a time when these preconditions are taken off the table, of course the possibility exists to talk with America."EU diplomats do not see an appetite in Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates to lead a war against Iran. Riyadh wants the US to lead a military response, something President Trump is reluctant to do. The UAE argues that Iran's move is ultimately counter-productive since it is forcing the EU to rethink its approach.But European diplomats still argue that the American strategy is incoherent: Washington has applied a sanctions regime so severe that Tehran has responded militarily, but the president is not yet willing to respond in kind, meaning his only real option is more sanctions.In early June, the Iranian government announced it would break from a key component of the Iran deal – the joint comprehensive plan of action – by ramping up its enrichment of low-grade uranium and increasing its stockpile beyond the limitations outlined in the deal.So far, Iran has announced that it would breach on its commitments to increase the low-enriched uranium stockpile above the 300kg limit of 3.67% enriched uranium and enrich uranium above the 3.67% level. In September Iran said it would develop more advanced centrifuges that allow for more rapid uranium enrichment.
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| GOP’s Collins Blasts Trump’s ‘Spy’ Comment: Impeachment Update Posted: 26 Sep 2019 03:34 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump turned over to Congress a secret whistle-blower's complaint that sparked congressional investigations of his interactions with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. The House Intelligence Committee questioned Joseph Maguire, the acting director of national intelligence, on Thursday about why he initially ordered the complaint withheld from Congress.Here are the latest developments:GOP's Collins Blasts Trump's 'Spy' Comment (6:27 p.m.)Republican Senator Susan Collins criticized Trump for saying people who gave information to the whistle-blower were "close to a spy" and suggesting that such action was tantamount to treason.Read More: Whistle-Blower on Trump Call 'Appears Credible,' Letter Says"That is a gross mischaracterization of whistle-blowers," Collins of Maine, a member of the Intelligence Committee, told reporters after a closed hearing on the whistle-blower's complaint."Whistle-blowers have been essential in bringing to the public's attention wrongdoing, fraud, waste, abuse, law-breaking, and I very much disagree with the president's characterization," she said. Whistle-blowers have legal protection against retaliation, Collins said, "but that doesn't make the president's comments acceptable in any way."She said she would like to see the intelligence community's inspector general continue to investigate the Ukraine matter. "There are obviously a lot of questions and I personally believe the inspector general does have the authority to proceed under the law," she said.Three House chairmen issued a joint statement on Trump's remark."President Trump is fully aware that our committees are seeking testimony from this whistle-blower and others referenced in the whistle-blower's complaint released today as part of the House's impeachment inquiry, and our nation's laws prohibit efforts to discourage, intimidate, or otherwise pressure a witness not to provide testimony to Congress," said the chairmen, Eliot Engel of the the Committee on Foreign Affairs; Adam Schiff of Intelligence; and Elijah Cummings of Oversight and Reform."No officials with knowledge relevant to the committees' investigation, including knowledge of the subject of the whistle-blower complaint, may be subject to any intimidation, reprisal, or threat of reprisal, and all witnesses must be made available for congressional testimony," added Engel, Cummings and Schiff, who are all Democrats. https://t.co/Ook0a2jhud— Bloomberg (@business) September 26, 2019 "The president's comments today constitute reprehensible witness intimidation and an attempt to obstruct Congress' impeachment inquiry. We condemn the president's attacks, and we invite our Republican counterparts to do the same because Congress must do all it can to protect this whistle-blower, and all whistle-blowers. Threats of violence from the leader of our country have a chilling effect on the entire whistle-blower process, with grave consequences for our democracy and national security."GOP-Led Senate Panel Begins Ukraine Inquiry (5:50 p.m.)The Senate Intelligence Committee is "committed to make sure that we get to the bottom" of the Trump-Ukraine matter, GOP Chairman Richard Burr said after the panel's closed meetings with Maguire and intelligence community Inspector General Michael Atkinson.Burr said the sessions were productive and that both men were "extremely forthcoming" on what he called the "first day" of the committee's probe into Trump's contacts with the Ukraine president."There's a lot we have to learn," Burr said. "Don't expect us to move at light speed, that will probably happen in the House."The panel's top Democrat, Senator Mark Warner, said Thursday's meeting showed the committee "could take on an extraordinarily serious issue in a bipartisan way."The Intelligence panel conducted a relatively bipartisan probe of Russian meddling in the 2016 election.Almost Half of Americans Back House Inquiry (5:17 p.m.)Almost half of Americans say they approve of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's decision to hold a formal impeachment inquiry, a new poll shows.The NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist Poll released Thursday shows 49% of the adults surveyed support the probe, while 46% oppose it. The poll was conducted by phone Wednesday night after the release of a rough transcript of Trump's phone call with the Ukrainian president, which showed Trump asking his counterpart to investigate political rival Joe Biden.Support for impeachment hearings rose by 10 percentage points from May 1, when the poll showed that 39% supported hearings while 53% opposed.The latest NPR poll asked whether respondents approved of the House "formally starting an impeachment inquiry into President Trump" -- a different question from whether Trump deserves to be impeached and removed from office.A separate Morning Consult poll, conducted online Sept. 24-26 of 1,640 registered voters, showed they were evenly split at 43% to 43% on whether to begin the impeachment process. That matched the highest support of Trump's presidency tracked by that poll. The margin of error was plus or minus 2 percentage points.Trump Says Whistle-Blower 'Almost a Spy' (3:56 p.m.)Trump lashed out at the whistle-blower complaint that's fueling a congressional impeachment probe and suggested that passing along allegations that he committed wrongdoing was tantamount to treason.Speaking Thursday behind closed doors to diplomats at the U.S. mission to the United Nations in New York, Trump faulted the whistle-blower for relaying second-hand information about the president's July phone call with Zelenskiy. A recording of the comments was posted online by the Los Angeles Times."Basically, that person never saw the report, never saw the call, he never saw the call, heard something and decided that he or she, or whoever the hell they saw -- they're almost a spy," Trump said of the whistle-blower.He demanded to know the identity of the whistle-blower's sources. "Who's the person who gave the whistleblower the information -- because that's close to a spy," he said. "You know what we used to do in the old days when we were smart? Right? The spies and treason, we used to handle it a little differently than we do now."Zelenskiy Visits Sept. 11 Memorial in New York (3:39 p.m.)Zelenskiy made an appearance at the Sept. 11 memorial in New York on Thursday, laying a wreath with yellow and blue flowers. He declined to take questions from reporters about his interactions with the Trump administration.A day earlier, Zelenskiy met with Trump in New York and indicated to reporters that he didn't feel pressured by Trump to re-open an investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden. Ukraine's president visited the U.S. during the week of the United Nations General Assembly.Schiff Wants to Know Barr, Giuliani Roles (1:45 p.m.)House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff said he wants to know what part Attorney General William Barr and Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani may have had in Trump's discussions with the president of Ukraine. Both were named in the notes of the two leaders' phone conversation earlier this year."We want to know what role Giuliani had in this," Schiff said. "We want to know what role Bill Barr had in any of this."After Thursday's Intelligence panel hearing ended, Schiff told reporters his committee will work through Congress's upcoming two-week recess to investigate the whistle-blower's complaint, which he said proves a "road map" of areas that the probe should go."We are going to move as expeditiously as possible," the chairman said.Trump Calls Probe 'Another Fake News Story' (12:47 p.m.)After the hearing ended, Trump responded on Twitter: "A whistleblower with second hand information? Another Fake News Story! See what was said on the very nice, no pressure, call. Another Witch Hunt!"He also lashed out at the Democratic chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.Schiff Criticizes Spy Chief's Decisions (12:40 p.m.)As the hearing neared its end, Schiff said he disagreed with Maguire's decision to consult the White House and Justice Department on whether the whistle-blower's complaint should be investigated."If the subject of a complaint can keep that complaint from getting to Congress, then the most serious complaints may never get here," Schiff said.The chairman also said he had a message for the people of Ukraine."We support you in your fight with Russia" and Ukraine's fight against corruption and for democracy, he said, adding that what they are are seeing "in the actions of this president is not democracy.""This is democracy," said Schiff, referring to Thursday's committee hearing.Earlier, Democrat Denny Heck of Washington asked Maguire, "Is it OK for a president of the United States to pressure a foreign government for help to win an election?"Maguire responded: "It is unwarranted, it is unwelcome, it is bad for the nation to have outside influence by any foreign power" on elections.Top committee Republican Devin Nunes concluded by saying that if Democrats on the panel "would like to impeach the president, they need to go to the floor of the House and actually call for a vote.""The Intelligence Committee is not an appropriate place to try articles of impeachment," Nunes said. "There is a process in the Constitution I would advise you to follow."Pelosi Says Whistle-Blower Alleges 'Cover-Up' (11:21 a.m.)House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters the whistle-blower's allegation that the White House tried to "lock down" records of Trump's interaction with Ukraine's president amounts to a "cover-up" by the administration.Pelosi said lawmakers need to "get the facts" before deciding whether to impeach Trump. "This is a heavy decision to go down this path," she said.She said she told Trump he is now in her "wheelhouse" on matters of intelligence, given her experience in the matter."It is is not the role of the president to shake down foreign leaders for his own political purpose," Pelosi said.DNI Says Trump Didn't Seek Whistle-Blower's Identity (11:06 a.m.)Maguire said, "emphatically, no," when asked by Democrat Jackie Speier whether Trump ever asked him to find out the whistle-blower's identity. He also said nobody else in the White House asked him to do so."I am not political, I am not partisan, and I did not look to be sitting here as the acting director of national intelligence," Maguire said while being questioned by Republican Chris Stewart of Utah. "But the president asked me to do this."Stewart chided Democratic members of the panel who criticized Maguire's initial decision to withhold the whistle-blower's complaint."Good luck convincing the American people that this is a dishonorable man sitting here," Stewart said.Committee Chairman Adam Schiff responded, "No one is suggesting that there is a dishonor here, but nevertheless we are going to insist that the law be followed."DNI Says Whistle-Blower Will Be Free to Testify (10:32 a.m.)Maguire assured committee Chairman Adam Schiff that after security clearances are finalized with the whistle-blower's lawyer, the whistle-blower will be able to give full testimony to lawmakers.Schiff had asked whether the person will be able "to relay the full facts within his knowledge of wrongdoing" and "be able to testify fully, and freely, and enjoy the protection of the law." It was unclear whether the person would appear in public or behind closed doors.Maguire said he was "not stonewalling" when he delayed turning over the complaint. "I have to comply with the way the law is, not the way some people would like it to be," he said.A Republican member of the committee, Mike Turner of Ohio, said Trump's call with Zelenskiy is "disappointing" to Americans."That conversation is not okay," Turner said.DNI Says Discussions With Trump Are 'Privileged' (10:18 a.m.)Maguire wouldn't say whether he has discussed the whistle-blower's complaint with Trump.Under questioning from Democrat Jim Himes, the official said his conversations with the president about intelligence matters are "privileged" and that disclosing them "would destroy my relationship with the president in intelligence matters."Maguire said the White House hasn't instructed him to exert that privilege. He also said he wasn't told by the White House not to turn over the whistle-blower complaint to Congress.DNI Doesn't Know Whistle-Blower's Identity (10:03 a.m.)Maguire said he doesn't know who the whistle-blower is, adding that his job is to protect the person from reprisals."You don't believe the whistle-blower is a political hack, do you?" House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff said, referring to Trump's statement dismissing the complaint as "another political hack job."Asked why Maguire went to the White House to ask whether the complaint should be turned over to Congress, the intelligence official said that because the matter involved issues of executive privilege, it "seemed prudent" to check with the administration.Maguire Says Whistle-Blower Acted in 'Good Faith' (9:45 a.m.)Maguire said he believes that the whistle-blower and the intelligence community's inspector general acted in "good faith."He said executive privilege prevented him from initially forwarding the whistle-blower's complaint to congressional intelligence committees, because the allegations involved a call between the president and the leader of a foreign government."I believe that this matter is unprecedented," Maguire said.Schiff Asks Why Official 'Stood Silent' (9:27 a.m.)House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff said at a hearing that the whistle-blower complaint brought to light "gross misconduct" by the president.Schiff questioned why Maguire didn't provide the complaint to the committee and "stood silent when an intelligence professional under your care and protection was ridiculed by the president, was accused of potentially betraying his or her country.""This matter would not have come to the attention of our committee, or the nation's attention, without the courage of a single person -- a whistle-blower," Schiff said.The committee's top Republican, Devin Nunes, said the complaint "relies on hearsay evidence of the whistle-blower," and called the controversy the latest "fake news story" from Democrats and their "media assets."Whistle-Blower Cited Giuliani Meeting With Ukrainian (9:12 a.m.)The whistle-blower complained of learning from multiple U.S. officials that Trump's personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, traveled to Madrid in early August to meet with one of Zelenskiy's advisers, Andriy Yermak. Giuliani has sought to investigate and amplify allegations about former Vice President Joe Biden's activities in Ukraine.U.S. officials characterized the meeting as a follow-up to Trump's call with Zelenskiy, according to the complaint.Whistle-Blower Said Officials Were 'Disturbed' (9:06 a.m.)The whistle-blower said that he or she didn't have direct knowledge of the phone call with Ukraine's leader, but heard multiple accounts from other officials who were concerned."White House officials who told me this information were deeply disturbed by what had transpired in the phone call. They told me that there was already a 'discussion ongoing' with White House lawyers about how to treat the call because of the likelihood, in the officials' retelling, that they had witnessed the president abuse his office for personal gain," the letter said.Complaint Said Call Records Handled Improperly (9:01 a.m.)The whistle-blower said that senior White House officials used unusual procedures when handling the records of Trump's phone call with Zelenskiy."I learned from multiple U.S. officials that senior White House officials had intervened to 'lock down' all the records of the phone call, especially the word-for-word transcript of the call that was produced -- as is customary -- by the White House Situation Room," the whistle-blower said in a letter addressed to the chairmen of the House and Senate Intelligence committees."White House officials told me that they were 'directed' by White House lawyers to remove the electronic transcript from the computer system in which the transcripts are typically stored,' the whistle-blower wrote.Whistle-Blower Complaint Released (8:44 a.m.)The whistle-blower report regarding President Donald Trump's interactions with the Ukrainian president has been declassified and released Thursday by the House Intelligence Committee.The complaint from an unnamed intelligence official concerns a sequence of events including Trump's July 25 call with Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskiy. That call and the complaint moved House Democrats to go forward with an impeachment inquiry against Trump this week.Michael Atkinson, the inspector general of the intelligence community, said in a separate letter dated Aug. 26 that the complaint "appears credible."Redacted Whistle-Blower Report Is Declassified (8:09 a.m.)The whistle-blower complaint about Trump has been lightly redacted and declassified so that it can be released to the public, according to people familiar with the matter.The Trump administration turned the whistle-blower's report over to select lawmakers Wednesday, following the release of a White House memo of Trump's July 25 call with the Ukrainian president. The report is expected to be released to the public Thursday morning, according to the people who asked for anonymity to discuss information not yet public.Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire will testify publicly before the House Intelligence Committee about the complaint, which details Trump's request that the president of Ukraine investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter. Maguire will also appear behind closed doors with the Senate Intelligence Committee.Maguire headed off a confrontation over whether Congress would see the complaint after the administration agreed to give it to the intelligence panels, but Democrats want to know -- among other things -- why he withheld it in the first place, and whether he was responding to political pressure from Trump.Key EventsHouse Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff said the allegations in the whistle-blower's report are "deeply disturbing" and expose "serious wrongdoing" after he viewed it Wednesday along with other committee members.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is weighing fellow Democrats' suggestions to limit the impeachment probe to Trump's interactions with the Ukraine government, a Democratic leadership official said.Trump said Wednesday he was surprised Democrats are moving to impeach him. "I thought we won, I thought it was dead" after Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report didn't lead to impeachment, he said.Some Senate Republicans showed discomfort with Trump's conversation with Zelenskiy but said a rough transcript of the call didn't warrant removing the president from office. Senator Pat Toomey, a Pennsylvania Republican, said he gave Trump a pass because the memo "reveals no quid pro quo."\--With assistance from Erik Wasson, Evan Sully, James Rowley, Henry Meyer, Chris Strohm and Gregory Korte.To contact the reporters on this story: Steven T. Dennis in Washington at sdennis17@bloomberg.net;Billy House in Washington at bhouse5@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Joe Sobczyk at jsobczyk@bloomberg.net, Laurie AsséoFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| UPDATE 1-N.Korea says lack of progress casts doubt on prospects for future summit with U.S. -KCNA Posted: 26 Sep 2019 03:06 PM PDT ![UPDATE 1-N.Korea says lack of progress casts doubt on prospects for future summit with U.S. -KCNA]( "UPDATE 1-N.Korea says lack of progress casts doubt on prospects for future summit with U.S. -KCNA") North Korea said on Friday that a lack of progress in implementing agreements made between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un cast doubt on prospects for a future summit, state news agency KCNA said. "The U.S. has done nothing for implementing the joint statement" from the first summit between Trump and Kim in Singapore last year, KCNA said, quoting North Korean Foreign Ministry advisor Kim Kye Gwan. The official criticised the joint military drills between U.S. and South Korea, as well as strengthened sanctions and pressure on North Korea.
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| Former French president Jacques Chirac dies aged 86 Posted: 26 Sep 2019 02:48 PM PDT  Former French president Jacques Chirac died on Thursday at the age of 86 after a long battle with deteriorating health, prompting tributes from across the political spectrum for a charismatic statesman who famously said "non" to the 2003 Iraq war. The centre-right Chirac, acknowledged even by foes as a canny political fighter, rose to prominence as mayor of Paris before becoming prime minister and then serving as head of state from 1995 to 2007. Former opponents and supporters hailed his common touch and enduring popularity, while world leaders including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin acclaimed his service to France.
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| The Latest: Lawyer says abduction case not tied to race Posted: 26 Sep 2019 02:41 PM PDT ![The Latest: Lawyer says abduction case not tied to race]( "The Latest: Lawyer says abduction case not tied to race") The lawyer for a West Virginia woman charged with falsely reporting that an Egyptian man tried to kidnap her daughter says race had nothing to do with the incident. Attorney Kathryn Cisco-Sturgell issued a statement on Thursday saying 24-year-old Santana Renee Adams was genuinely fearful for her child's safety when she called 911. Adams was initially hailed as a hero after claiming she used a gun to thwart the attempted kidnapping of her 5-year-old on April 1.
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| N.Korea says lack of progress casts doubt on prospects for future summit with U.S. -KCNA Posted: 26 Sep 2019 02:36 PM PDT ![N.Korea says lack of progress casts doubt on prospects for future summit with U.S. -KCNA]( "N.Korea says lack of progress casts doubt on prospects for future summit with U.S. -KCNA") North Korea said on Friday that a lack of progress in implementing agreements made between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un cast doubt on prospects for a future summit, state media KCNA reported. "This makes me doubt whether a new breakthrough could be brought about in the DPRK-U.S. relations though another DPRK-U.S. summit talks may open," a statement by North Korean Foreign Ministry advisor Kim Kye Gwan said, using North Korea's official name, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).
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| Iranian woman convicted of US sanctions violation released Posted: 26 Sep 2019 02:22 PM PDT  An Iranian woman sentenced in the United States for violating sanctions against Tehran was released and has returned home, her lawyer told AFP Thursday, following her country's unsuccessful attempt at a prisoner swap. A judge in Minneapolis sentenced Negar Ghodskani to 27 months in prison on Tuesday, but determined the time she had already spent in custody in Australia and the United States was enough to fulfill her punishment. Ghodskani "is now free in Iran with her family," her lawyer Robert Richman said in an email.
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| The Whistle-Blower Is Not a Traitor, Mr. President Posted: 26 Sep 2019 02:15 PM PDT  (Bloomberg Opinion) -- Until Thursday afternoon, President Donald Trump's impeachment struggles were going slightly better than expected. Then Trump himself, as is his habit, upended the news cycle — and one of his best defenses against his accusers.In the morning, the White House released the whistle-blower complaint that kicked off the Ukraine scandal. It largely confirmed elements of earlier news reports, but also showed that the whistle-blower was piecing his information together from secondhand sources inside the White House. There were no promises to a foreign leader or an explicit quid pro quo.In a hearing before the House Intelligence Committee, acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire was calm and credible. He didn't besmirch the whistle-blower or the inspector general. But he stood his ground and explained his rationale for seeking guidance from the White House counsel and the Justice Department before sending the unprecedented whistle-blower complaint to Congress.Then, at about 1 p.m., reports began to surface of Trump's remarks earlier in the day to the U.S. mission at the United Nations. The whistle-blower and his or her sources, Trump suggested, should be executed. "I want to know who's the person who gave the whistle-blower the information, because that's close to a spy," he said. "You know what we used to do in the old days when we were smart, right, with spies and treason? We used to handle it a little differently than we do now."Let those remarks sink in. Trump is saying that officials who believed they witnessed him coerce a foreign leader to investigate his political rival were no different than traitors or foreign spies. Conflating loyalty to the sovereign with loyalty to country is what despots and dictators do. The American presidency was designed — created, even — to keep those loyalties separate.In addition to being despicable on the merits, Trump's remarks also highlight his gift for self-sabotage. Earlier in the day, Maguire testified under oath that at no point did Trump ask him about the identity of the whistle-blower, which Maguire himself does not know. Trump could have used that testimony to close off another avenue in the impeachment inquiry: whether the president sought vengeance against those who spoke to the inspector general.That is what a competent president would have done. Instead, Trump has given his impeachers more ammunition. It is reminiscent of Trump's efforts to coerce White House staff to lie about the 2016 Trump Tower meeting.That episode was sleazy and inept, but not politically fatal. The meeting was with a Russian lawyer who was offering the Trump campaign some weak opposition research about Hillary Clinton — information that didn't, in the end, pan out. Trump's lies about the encounter fed the speculation that there was more to it than there really was.The Ukraine scandal is following a similar pattern. Musing that the whistle-blower is a traitor, and his sources spies, lends credence to the view that their account is accurate: The argument is not that they are wrong, but that they have breached his confidence. In addition, Trump's remarks undermine a point he and his surrogates had been making earlier, which is that the whistle-blower complaint is speculative hearsay.Indeed, the whole Ukraine episode shows again how Trump is his own worst enemy. Trump got into this mess because he believes one of his possible opponents for the presidency was involved in an abuse of power in Ukraine, and he wanted the Ukrainian president to investigate. All he has to show for his efforts so far, however, is an impeachment inquiry into his own abuse of power.To contact the author of this story: Eli Lake at elake1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Michael Newman at mnewman43@bloomberg.netThis column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.Eli Lake is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering national security and foreign policy. He was the senior national security correspondent for the Daily Beast and covered national security and intelligence for the Washington Times, the New York Sun and UPI.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Trump returns to White House and biggest crisis of presidency Posted: 26 Sep 2019 01:33 PM PDT  Donald Trump flew back to Washington on Thursday and into the biggest crisis of his tempestuous presidency, raging at enemies and talking darkly of a conspiracy. Trump's three day trip to New York was meant to showcase his achievements in a speech to the United Nations and multiple meetings with other world leaders. The former real estate tycoon and reality TV performer returned to Washington on Air Force One as only the fourth president to face an impeachment inquiry.
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| Rouhani says he expects UK tanker held in Iran to be released Posted: 26 Sep 2019 01:07 PM PDT ![Rouhani says he expects UK tanker held in Iran to be released]( "Rouhani says he expects UK tanker held in Iran to be released") Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Thursday he expected the British-flagged oil tanker Stena Impero, seized by Iran in July, to be released after the completion of legal procedures in his country. "The tanker is going through the final court proceedings. The ship's owner, Stena Bulk of Sweden, said on Wednesday the vessel was still being held in Iran despite the lifting of a detention order on the tanker by Tehran.
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| The US is sending more firepower to the Middle East to check Iran — here are the weapons the US has sent that way Posted: 26 Sep 2019 12:53 PM PDT  The US has sent a carrier strike group, bombers, fighters, and ground troops to counter Iran, and just announced it's sending more forces.
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| China's top diplomat says Beijing willing to buy more U.S. products Posted: 26 Sep 2019 12:27 PM PDT ![China's top diplomat says Beijing willing to buy more U.S. products]( "China's top diplomat says Beijing willing to buy more U.S. products") China's top diplomat said on Thursday that China was willing to buy more U.S. products and said trade talks would yield results if both sides "take more enthusiastic measures" to show goodwill and reduce "pessimistic language" in the trade dispute. Wang Yi, China's state councillor and foreign minister, said in response to questions from Reuters that the Trump administration had shown goodwill by waiving tariffs on many Chinese products. "And so, (on) the Chinese side, we are willing to buy more products that are needed by the Chinese market," Wang said on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
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| UPDATE 1-Pentagon to send radar, Patriot missiles to bolster Saudi defenses Posted: 26 Sep 2019 12:27 PM PDT ![UPDATE 1-Pentagon to send radar, Patriot missiles to bolster Saudi defenses]( "UPDATE 1-Pentagon to send radar, Patriot missiles to bolster Saudi defenses") The Pentagon said on Thursday it plans to send four radar systems, a battery of Patriot missiles and about 200 support personnel to bolster Saudi Arabia's defenses after the largest-ever attack on the kingdom's oil facilities this month. The Pentagon's statement added details to the Pentagon's announcement on Friday about U.S. plans to deploy more forces to Saudi Arabia after the Sept. 14 attack on the world's biggest crude oil-processing facility, which Washington has blamed on Iran.
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| How U.S. F-14 Tomcats and F-15 Eagles Battled for Iran's Love (And Money) Posted: 26 Sep 2019 12:16 PM PDT  A 46-year-old video reveals the impressive aerial display that apparently helped to convince the shah Iran to buy Grumman-made F-14 Tomcat fighters from the United States back in July 1973.
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| Sierra Leone leader: Add Africa to UN Security Council now Posted: 26 Sep 2019 12:09 PM PDT  The leader of Sierra Leone demanded Thursday that the U.N. Security Council reconfigure itself to add permanent representation for Africa, saying the continent's "patience is being tested" by its longstanding exclusion. Julius Maada Bio, president of the West African nation, used blunt words in his annual U.N. General Assembly speech to amplify longstanding calls by African countries that they have a more robust voice on the body that represents the most powerful political and global-security authority of the United Nations. Bio, who also advocated for two additional nonpermanent seats to be held by Africans, was anything but indirect.
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| US deploys air defense systems, troops to Saudi Arabia Posted: 26 Sep 2019 12:05 PM PDT ![US deploys air defense systems, troops to Saudi Arabia]( "US deploys air defense systems, troops to Saudi Arabia") The U.S. is sending one Patriot missile battery and four ground-based radar systems to Saudi Arabia, the Pentagon said Thursday, in what officials describe as the first steps to help the kingdom protect itself against Iranian attacks. Two more Patriot batteries and a THAAD missile defense system will be prepared to go later if needed, and the deployment will involve about 200 troops. Military commanders and defense leaders have been working since last week to iron out what military aid to send to the region in response to what U.S. officials say was a brazen and unprecedented cruise missile and drone attack by Iran on Saudi oil facilities on Sept. 14.
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| Iranian woman deported following conspiracy sentence Posted: 26 Sep 2019 10:06 AM PDT ![Iranian woman deported following conspiracy sentence]( "Iranian woman deported following conspiracy sentence") An Iranian citizen who was brought to the U.S. to face criminal conspiracy charges has been deported back in her home country. Robert Richman, an attorney for 40-year-old Negar Ghodskani, told The Associated Press on Thursday that Ghodskani left Minnesota on Tuesday after she was sentenced to time served for conspiracy to illegally export restricted technology from the U.S. to Iran. Prosecutors say Ghodskani and others established a front company in Malaysia to illegally obtain restricted communications circuitry from companies in Minnesota and Massachusetts.
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| White House Bars Iranian Officials From U.S. as Bid for Diplomacy Fails Posted: 26 Sep 2019 11:56 AM PDT  UNITED NATIONS -- The Trump administration barred senior Iranian government officials from entering the United States on Wednesday, just hours after a failed attempt to renew diplomacy with President Hassan Rouhani as he attended an annual gathering of world leaders in New York.The order followed a new round of American economic penalties against China, Iran's largest oil customer to further squeeze the Iranian economy and force Tehran into new negotiations to limit its nuclear and military programs.Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States was still open to talking to Iran and hoped to tamp down inflamed tensions after leaders in the United States, Europe and Arab nations blamed Tehran for attacks on oil fields in Saudi Arabia this month."We want peace and we want a peaceful resolution," Pompeo said during a news conference Wednesday afternoon with President Donald Trump. "In the end, it will be up to the Iranians to make that decision whether they choose violence and hate."The White House announced the new travel restrictions on senior Iranian government officials and their family members shortly after the news conference ended. In a statement, it described the Iranian government as a state sponsor of terrorism that threatened the stability of the Middle East and beyond.It was an extraordinary declaration, given its timing: Rouhani and more than 80 of his top diplomats and aides were in New York attending the annual U.N. General Assembly. However, the travel ban was not expected to force them to leave; the United States generally issues visas to allow foreign leaders to come to U.N. headquarters but tightly restricts their movements while in New York.A similar travel ban was issued against members of President Nicolas Maduro's government in Venezuela, which the Trump administration is trying to oust.In a morning speech to the General Assembly, Rouhani appeared to shut down any attempt at detente with what he described as an "enemy who uses sanction and poverty as a tool." He also devoted considerable time to berating the Trump administration for inviting him to talk while threatening Iran."If you want a 'yes' response, then the only road to negotiations is returning to your commitments," Rouhani said, referring to Trump's repudiation of a 2015 nuclear accord that eased international sanctions in return for limiting Iran's nuclear activities. "A photo opportunity is the last stop, not the first stop."The new economic sanctions were announced by Pompeo at a conference sponsored by United Against Nuclear Iran, an advocacy group that Tehran this week said it was considering declaring a terrorist organization.Pompeo said the sanctions would punish six Chinese companies and five business executives for defying American financial restrictions that aim to stop Iran from exporting oil. The targeted businesses are an oil company and five shipping companies, two of which are subsidiaries of a large state-owned conglomerate, China COSCO Shipping. But the parent company is not a target.China has been the biggest foreign buyer of Iran's oil, a crucial Iranian export. Last year, roughly 6% of China's oil imports came from Iran. But in the past two months, Chinese state-owned companies have begun importing more oil from Saudi Arabia under tightening pressure from the Trump administration.A New York Times investigation found that at least six Iranian tankers unloaded at Chinese ports during a two-month period after the United States on May 2 ended purchase waivers for Iranian oil granted to China and seven other governments.In July, the State Department announced its first set of Iran-related sanctions against a Chinese oil company. But the United States has avoided sanctioning Chinese banks or Sinopec, a much larger state-owned company that is also a big importer of Iranian oil. Sanctions on those institutions would have far-reaching effects in global finance and business.Some analysts believe the oil sanctions and other penalties imposed by the Trump administration are what set Tehran on its current course of confrontation with the United States and its partners in the Persian Gulf region.The administration's so-called maximum pressure campaign "has not only failed to secure a better deal with Iran on its nuclear activities and problematic Iranian regional behavior but actually created problems that did not previously exist," said Andrew Miller, a former State Department official who is deputy director for policy at the Project on Middle East Democracy.European officials, led by President Emmanuel Macron of France, had for weeks sought to broker talks between the United States and Iran on the sidelines of the General Assembly.Diplomats from the nations still party to the 2015 nuclear accord -- Britain, China, France, Germany, Iran and Russia -- all committed during a Wednesday morning meeting to try to preserve it, said Federica Mogherini, the European Union's foreign policy chief."We all welcome the efforts being made to open the channel of dialogue," said Mogherini. She predicted it would be difficult to save the nuclear deal but said Iran could easily return to compliance.Iran's foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, described it as "a good meeting" but declined to comment further.The diplomatic breakdown followed an overnight flurry of messages between Iranian and European officials about a possible meeting on Wednesday between Rouhani and Trump.Hard-line members of the power hierarchy in Iran who are especially suspicious of the American government applauded Rouhani's rejection of talks. "If such a thing happens, Messrs Rouhani and Zarif must know they will pay a very high price," said Javad Karimi Ghodoosi, a member of Parliament.At the nuclear conference, Pompeo appeared to taunt Iran, describing its "panicked aggression" in reaction to the American pressure campaign. He also said Iran's leaders respond to "strength and not to supplication" and drew titters from the audience when he noted that Rouhani had claimed of working to bring peace to the Middle East.In his speech, Pompeo again accused Iran of bombing four oil tankers in the Persian Gulf in May, downing an unmanned American spy drone in June and attacking oil fields in Saudi Arabia this month,as evidence of its "long history of unprovoked aggression."Iran has denied responsibility for the Sept. 14 strikes on the Saudi oil facilities, which Pompeo has called an "act of war" and which again raised the specter of a new military conflict in the Middle East. Officials in the Gulf also blamed Iran for the attacks but urged caution, and not until this week did diplomats from Britain, France and Germany publicly agree that they considered Tehran responsible for the strikes.Pompeo said the United States also would intensify warnings to countries and companies against doing business with entities linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guard, a branch of Iran's military. The United States declared the Guard a terrorist organization this year; the broad designation prohibits doing business with as many as 11 million Iranians and affiliated groups.The developments at the United Nations unfolded as the fate of a Swedish-owned, British-flagged oil tanker, the Steno Impero, detained in Iran for months, remained unclear two days after the Iranians said the ship was free to leave.An Iranian official on Wednesday said that while the detention order on the ship had been lifted, it may not leave Iran because of a pending inquiry into the ship's conduct.The ship has not budged from the southern Iranian port of Bandar Abbas. Its seizure was widely seen as retaliation for the earlier detention of an Iranian vessel, the Grace 1, later renamed the Adrian Darya, in Gibraltar. That vessel was released in August.This article originally appeared in The New York Times.(C) 2019 The New York Times Company
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| Egypt rights group: Nearly 2,000 detained since protests Posted: 26 Sep 2019 11:56 AM PDT  An Egyptian rights groups said Thursday the number of people arrested and detailed in the wake of last weekend's protests has risen to nearly 2,000 amid fresh calls for new rallies demanding President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi step down. El-Sissi, who is expected to arrive in Cairo from New York where he was attending U.N. General Assembly meetings early Friday, had dismissed the accusations as "sheer lies and defamation." Police quickly dispersed the protests, but they were a startling display of street unrest. Egyptian security authorities have imposed tighter measures on Tahrir Square and downtown Cairo, the main scene of Egypt's uprising of 2011.
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| Israel's Netanyahu begins coalition hunt amid deadlock Posted: 26 Sep 2019 11:47 AM PDT  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday began the daunting task of trying to cobble together a coalition government amid political deadlock that emerged from this month's repeat elections, which had no clear winner. Blue and White wants Gantz to lead any unity government and refuses to sit in a coalition with Netanyahu so long as he faces likely indictment for a series of corruption scandals.
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| Naval base in Syria cements Russia's Mediterranean foothold Posted: 26 Sep 2019 11:24 AM PDT  A Russian submarine has moored at Russia's base in Syria after a patrol mission while another one is getting ready to sail off after replenishing supplies — the rotation that underlines Moscow's growing military foothold in the Mediterranean Sea. The naval base in Tartus is the only such facility Russia has outside the former Soviet Union.
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| New Zealand's Ardern announces five-way climate trade talks Posted: 26 Sep 2019 11:20 AM PDT  New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced a first of its kind five-way climate trade initiative that would remove tariffs on green technology and cut fossil fuel subsidies. The initiative was announced along with the prime ministers of Fiji, Iceland, Norway and vice minister of foreign trade of Costa Rica at the United Nations on Wednesday, with formal talks expected to begin next year with the hope of eventually achieving treaty status.
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| Pentagon to send radar, Patriot missiles to bolster Saudi defenses Posted: 26 Sep 2019 11:15 AM PDT ![Pentagon to send radar, Patriot missiles to bolster Saudi defenses]( "Pentagon to send radar, Patriot missiles to bolster Saudi defenses") The Pentagon said on Thursday it plans to send four radar systems, a battery of Patriot missiles and about two hundred support personnel to bolster Saudi Arabia's defenses after the largest-ever attack on the kingdom's oil facilities this month. The deployment details clarify the Pentagon's Friday announcement about U.S. plans to deploy more forces to Saudi Arabia after the Sept. 14 attack on the world's biggest crude oil processing facility, which Washington has blamed on Iran.
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| UPDATE 1-No U.S.-North Korea talks possible by end September -Pompeo Posted: 26 Sep 2019 11:07 AM PDT ![UPDATE 1-No U.S.-North Korea talks possible by end September -Pompeo]( "UPDATE 1-No U.S.-North Korea talks possible by end September -Pompeo") U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Thursday the United States has not been able to arrange working-level meetings with North Korea in September, but Washington is ready to meet and believes it is important to do so. Negotiations aimed at dismantling North Korea's nuclear and missile programs have stalled since a failed second summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in February. "We have see these public statements that we were hopeful that there would be working level meetings by the end of this month ... we've not been able to make those happen and we don't have a date yet when we will be able to get together," Pompeo said at a news conference in New York, where he attended the United Nations General Assembly this week.
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| Iran's Rouhani says wider talks with U.S. possible if 2015 deal implemented Posted: 26 Sep 2019 10:37 AM PDT ![Iran's Rouhani says wider talks with U.S. possible if 2015 deal implemented]( "Iran's Rouhani says wider talks with U.S. possible if 2015 deal implemented") Iran can discuss other issues with the United States providing its 2015 nuclear deal with six powers is fully implemented, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Thursday, adding that Tehran's missile capabilities were not negotiable. Rouhani also said Iran's steps to scale back its nuclear commitment were reversible if the European parties to the pact carried out their promises to salvage the deal, which the United States exited last year, then reimposed sanctions on Tehran to force it to renegotiate a broader pact.
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| Robert Mugabe to be buried in home village as Zimbabwe government abandons mausoleum plans Posted: 26 Sep 2019 10:29 AM PDT  The tussle over Robert Mugabe's burial took a new twist on Thursday when the government of Zimbabwe abandoned plans to inter him at a national cemetery following pressure from his family. Mugabe will now be buried at his home village of Zvimba in accordance with his family's wishes, the government of Zimbabwe has said. "The family of the late former president R G Mugabe has expressed its desire to proceed wit his burial in Zwimba. In line with Government policy to respect the wishes of families of deceased heroes, Government is cooperating with the Mugabe family in their new position," President Emmerson Mnanagwa's office said in a statement. The family was not immediately reachable for comment, but local media said the burial would take place at a private ceremony on Saturday. Mugabe, who ruled Zimbabwe from independence in 1980 until he was overthrown in a coup in 2017, died in a Singapore hospital at the age of 95 on September 6. His state funeral on September 14 was overshadowed by a tug of war between his widow, Grace Mugabe, and Mr Mnangagwa, the former right-hand man who overthrew him two years ago. Mr Mnangagwa had insisted on burying him at Heroes' Acre, a cemetery Mugabe founded for veterans of Zimbabwe's independence war and where a plot has long been set aside for hims alongside the grave of his first wife, Sally Mugabe. But Mrs Mugabe and other members of the family said the former president had changed his mind about being buried at Heroes' Acre after the 2017 coup. They wanted to bury him alongside his mother and brothers in Zvimba, the rural district about 50 miles from Harare where he grew up. Two weeks ago the government appeared to have won when a deal was announced to build a new mausoleum for Mugabe at the highest point in Heroes Acre, rather than lay him to rest in the plot next to Sally. Mr Mnangagwa, who is attending the United Nations General Assembly in New York, is under increasing pressure at home over a spiraling economic crisis.
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| US says Syria used chemical weapons in May attack Posted: 26 Sep 2019 10:22 AM PDT  Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says the United States has concluded that the Syrian government used chemical weapons in an attack in May. Speaking in New York on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly on Thursday, Pompeo said U.S. officials had determined that Syrian President Bashar Assad's government had used chlorine in the attack on opposition forces in Idlib province on May 19.
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| UPDATE 2-U.S. accuses Syrian government of chemical weapon attack in May in Idlib Posted: 26 Sep 2019 10:15 AM PDT ![UPDATE 2-U.S. accuses Syrian government of chemical weapon attack in May in Idlib]( "UPDATE 2-U.S. accuses Syrian government of chemical weapon attack in May in Idlib") U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Thursday that the United States had concluded the government of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria had used chlorine as a chemical weapon in an attack in May during a battle with insurgents in Idlib. "The Assad regime is responsible for innumerable atrocities, some of which rise to the level of war crimes and crimes against humanity," Pompeo told a news conference in New York, where he has been attending the United Nations General Assembly. "Today I am announcing that the United States has concluded that the Assad regime used chlorine as a chemical weapon on May 19," Pompeo said.
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| UK PM loses fresh parliamentary vote as tensions rise Posted: 26 Sep 2019 10:09 AM PDT  British Prime Minister Boris Johnson suffered yet another setback on Thursday after MPs rejected a request to briefly suspend business for his party's conference, highlighting the hostility he faces in parliament just weeks before Brexit. In his seventh successive defeat in parliament, MPs voted to reject his call for three days off next week to hold his Conservative party's annual conference. MPs reconvened on Wednesday but, in a stormy session that evening, Johnson showed no contrition and instead vowed to press ahead with Brexit come what may.
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| Trump’s Team Sought to Conceal Ukraine Call He Calls ‘Perfect’ Posted: 26 Sep 2019 10:09 AM PDT ![Trump's Team Sought to Conceal Ukraine Call He Calls 'Perfect']( "Trump's Team Sought to Conceal Ukraine Call He Calls 'Perfect'") (Bloomberg) -- Donald Trump says that his July 25 phone call with the president of Ukraine was "perfect." But it so alarmed White House and administration officials that they allegedly concealed records of the conversation.An extraordinary whistle-blower's complaint made public on Thursday, deemed "credible" by the inspector general for the U.S. intelligence community, claims that White House officials "were deeply disturbed" by the call and attempted to "lock down" a transcript by placing it in a system normally used for sensitive classified information.There were ongoing discussions within the White House about how to handle the call, according to the complaint. Trump spent much of the 30-minute call pressing the Ukrainian president, Volodomyr Zelenskiy, to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, as Zelenskiy was seeking additional U.S. military aid to fight Russia-backed separatists.And there was internal disagreement about whether the whistle-blower's complaint should be provided to Congress. The whistle-blower -- an unidentified U.S. intelligence official -- made the complaint to the intelligence community's inspector general, Michael Atkinson, on Aug. 12.Taken together, the events suggest that White House officials feared the appearance of a quid pro quo when the president asked Zelenskiy to investigate Ukraine's role in a hack of Democratic e-mails in 2016, as well as the man who at the time was the Democratic front-runner to challenge Trump's re-election. Democrats have been quick to invoke the language of Watergate, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi calling the Trump administration's actions a "cover-up" on Thursday.'Urgent Concern'Trump insisted again on Thursday that he had not done anything wrong in the call and that Zelenskiy, whom he met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday, had agreed with him."My call was perfect," he told reporters after returning to Washington from the summit. "The president, yesterday, of Ukraine said there was no pressure put on him whatsoever, none whatsoever."The whistle-blower intended his or her letter to be delivered to Congress immediately, specifying that it was "UNCLASSIFIED" and citing a law allowing intelligence matters of "urgent concern" to be reported to lawmakers. Atkinson, in an Aug. 26 letter to acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire, said that he agreed the complaint represented an "urgent concern."But Maguire didn't hand over the complaint, claiming he disagreed with Atkinson's reasoning. He relied in part on Justice Department advice that he wasn't obligated to submit the complaint to Congress.Attorney General William Barr -- who the whistle-blower said "appears to be involved" in Trump's effort to enlist Zelenskiy in an investigation of Biden -- declined to recuse himself from the matter. Justice officials say he wasn't involved in the analysis of the complaint.The Justice Department's criminal division conducted a preliminary review into whether Trump violated election laws and determined he did not.Maguire said in testimony to the House Intelligence Committee on Thursday that he consulted with the White House and Justice Department, but was never explicitly ordered not to release the complaint.Trump RelentsTrump relented to demands for more information about his interactions with Zelenskiy this week, only after mounting pressure from Democrats and some Republicans. On Wednesday, he first declassified and released a memorandum documenting his July 25 phone call, then provided the whistle-blower complaint and Atkinson's letter to Congress. Those documents were declassified and released to the public on Thursday.QuickTake: All About Impeachment, Including What Happens NextBefore the call, Trump had ordered a freeze on $250 million in U.S. military aid to Ukraine. The whistle-blower's complaint provides a relatively concrete timeline for the suspension.An unnamed Office of Management and Budget official told federal agencies on July 18 that Trump had ordered the military aid suspended earlier that month, according to the complaint. In meetings on July 23 and 26 -- two days before and one day after Trump's call with Zelenskiy -- OMB officials reiterated the suspension, and said "explicitly" that Trump had ordered it, the whistle-blower said.The aid was released on Sept. 11, the day before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee planned a vote to force the Trump administration to send the aid to Ukraine.'Nothing Has Changed'The White House argues that the president's efforts toward transparency in recent days shows he has nothing to hide."Nothing has changed with the release of this complaint, which is nothing more than a collection of third-hand accounts of events and cobbled-together press clippings -- all of which shows nothing improper," White House spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham said Thursday. "The president took the extraordinary and transparent steps of releasing the full, unredacted, and declassified transcript of his call with President Zelenskiy, which forms the heart of the complaint, as well as the complaint itself."Trump has offered to also provide records of an April 21 call he held with Zelenskiy, as well as communications between the Ukrainian leader and Vice President Mike Pence. The White House so far has not done so and declined to answer questions about when -- or if -- the documents would be released.The New York Times reported Wednesday night that Trump first urged Zelenskiy to cooperate with his personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, on that initial call. Giuliani has endeavored to resuscitate the Biden investigation in Ukraine, and the whistle-blower complaint recounts meetings between the former New York City mayor and Ukrainian officials.\--With assistance from Jordan Fabian.To contact the reporter on this story: Justin Sink in Washington at jsink1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Alex Wayne at awayne3@bloomberg.net, Justin BlumFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| 5.8 magnitude earthquake shakes Istanbul, 8 slightly injured Posted: 26 Sep 2019 09:47 AM PDT  A 5.8 magnitude earthquake in Istanbul slightly injured eight people Thursday and sent school children and residents into the streets of Turkey's commercial and cultural hub. The Disaster and Emergency Management Authority said the earthquake struck in the Sea of Marmara at 1:59 p.m. (1059 GMT) at 7 kilometers (4.4 miles) deep and was felt throughout the western Marmara region. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said eight people were injured and had received treatment.
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| Boris Johnson Says Brexit Needed to ‘Lance the Boil’: Brexit Update Posted: 26 Sep 2019 09:40 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Boris Johnson is refusing to back down after sparking outrage over his attacks on opposition politicians who are trying to stop him forcing Britain out of the European Union with no deal. He has accused them of "surrender" to the EU and dismissed their concerns that his war-like language was fueling violence and division.In a private meeting on Thursday, the prime minister told Tory MPs he would not be bullied into changing the way he speaks. He said he wants a deal, but an agreement with the EU is not close.Key Developments:Johnson says "Surrender Act" is fair description of new law banning no-deal BrexitBrexit minister James Duddridge insists Johnson will obey lawBrexit Secretary Stephen Barclay and Chief EU Negotiator Michel Barnier to meet in Brussels on FridayHere's What Parliament Could Do Next to Stop a No-Deal BrexitJohnson: Brexit Needed to 'Lance the Boil' (5:25 p.m.)Boris Johnson once again denied accusations that his choice of language in the House of Commons is inciting threats against MPs, telling the BBC "it is important I should be able to talk about the surrender bill, the surrender act in the way that I did."The prime minister said he deplored the threats made to female MPs and that "tempers need to come down."Johnson recognized he will need to reach across the House of Commons to secure the votes for a Brexit deal and said it is a "reasonable anxiety" that his language might have deterred Labour MPs from backing one.But he doubled down on his statements in Parliament that tensions would only dissipate once Brexit is resolved. "People need to come together because it's only by getting Brexit done that you'll lance the boil, as it were, of the current anxiety and we will be able to get on with the domestic agenda," he said.Opposition Parties Mull Tighter Anti No-Deal Law (4:50 p.m.)Opposition party leaders meeting this afternoon discussed ways of tightening the anti no-deal Brexit law, which requires the prime minister to request a delay if he can't get a deal by Oct. 19, according to a spokesman for the Liberal Democrats.They talked about moving forward the date when Boris Johnson has to request an extension and agreed to meet again on Monday, he said.There has been concern among opposition parties that their fragile alliance could fracture under the temptation to press for a general election before a no-deal Brexit is blocked. But the parties managed to hold together, according to two people familiar with the discussions.They are concerned that the prime minister can't be trusted not to break the law.Belfast Court to Rule Friday on No-Deal Brexit (3:55 p.m.)A Belfast appeals court will rule Friday on whether a no-deal Brexit would violate the Good Friday peace accord. A lower court on Sept. 12 said the debate over the peace agreement is a purely political matter and the issue shouldn't be subject to a judicial review.The case is separate from the landmark ruling handed down by the U.K. Supreme Court earlier this week, overturning Boris Johnson's suspension of Parliament in the run up to the Oct. 31 Brexit deadline.Raymond McCord, whose son was killed in the political violence that dogged Northern Ireland for decades, had brought the Belfast case, arguing that leaving the EU without a deal would breach the peace deal known as the Good Friday Agreement. EU membership facilitated an open border on the island of Ireland, and a no-deal exit could put that at risk.Johnson Weighs Up Prorogation Options (3:45 p.m.)Prime Minister Boris Johnson's instinct is to suspend Parliament in order to have a Queen's Speech, though no decision has yet been made, a government official said.Before the Supreme Court ruling, the government planned to hold a Queen's Speech on Oct. 14, and theoretically that still remains possible. One option is to prorogue on Oct. 10 with the speech on Oct. 14, the official said. Having it much later would risk a clash with the EU council meeting in Brussels starting Oct. 17.Lib Dems Press Corbyn to Accept a Tory Interim PM (3 p.m.)Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn will meet leaders of other opposition parties in Parliament at 3:30 p.m. and, according to Liberal Democrat Brexit spokesman Tom Brake, his party will press Corbyn to accept that he can't lead any interim government of national unity.Instead, the Liberal Democrats have suggested veteran Tories Caroline Spelman or Ken Clarke as possibilities, hopeful they will command the support of a majority of MPs.The party, which has 18 MPs in Parliament, also wants Labour to agree to bring forward the date by which Johnson must ask the EU for a Brexit extension.Currently the prime minister must ask for an extension by Oct. 19 if no deal has been reached with the bloc. Concerned Johnson may refuse to honor the law and string the matter out in the courts (see 10 a.m.), the Liberal Democrats want to buy more time to avoid crashing out without an agreement.Rees-Mogg Extends Olive Branch to Opposition (2:15 p.m.)After MPs rejected a recess to allow for the Conservative Party conference (see 2:05 p.m.), Leader of the House of Commons Jacob Rees-Mogg listed the business Parliament will debate next week.On Monday, MPs will discuss Northern Ireland legislation; on Tuesday a number of regulations will be debated, and on Wednesday they'll have the second reading of the Domestic Abuse Bill.The calendar of business is an olive branch to opposition parties, which had been suggesting they could debate relatively non-contentious legislation next week to coincide with the Tory conference. Wednesday's business drew cheers from the opposition benches."So the domestic abuse bill is back," Jess Phillips, a Labour MP who has pushed hard for the legislation, said on Twitter. "Thanks to all who supported."No Election Now Possible Before Nov. 5 (2:10 p.m.)Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow confirmed that, based on current rules, the soonest an election can now take place is Nov. 5 -- after the Oct. 31 Brexit deadline.He was asked to confirm the schedule by Labour's justice spokesman Richard Burgon, who said the House of Commons Library had said if Parliament was dissolved next week the vote would fall after Halloween."I can confirm that my understanding of the electoral timetable under the existing statutory framework, is the same as his," Bercow said, emphasizing it is true "under the existing statutory framework."Burgon told MPs that Labour "wants an election called as soon as possible, once an extension to avoid a no-deal Brexit has been agreed."MPs Vote to Block Tory Conference Recess (2:05 p.m.)Members of Parliament voted to reject a short recess for the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester from Sept. 29 to Oct. 2. If they had accepted it, Parliament would have adjourned for a week starting today.The vote is a break with convention as there's traditionally a recess to allow for all the major parties to hold their annual conferences. The government defeat is a sign of the anger in Parliament at Boris Johnson for suspending Parliament earlier this month only to be told by the Supreme Court that he had acted unlawfully.Johnson's office said earlier that regardless of the vote, the conference will go ahead and the prime minister will address it.More Anger at No Brexit Than No Deal: Official (1:40 p.m.)A lot of MPs are trying to escape the consequences of the 2016 referendum result and find a way to avoid Brexit, a senior government official said.But canceling Brexit would make people angrier than leaving the European Union without a deal, according to the person, who asked not to be named discussing government thinking. They added it would be a very serious problem if politicians chose to reverse the voters' decision.Boris Johnson is trying to extract the country from a cul-de-sac that former Prime Minister Theresa May took it into by trying to fudge everything on Brexit, according to the official. The government ideally wants to leave the EU with a deal, because that's friendlier, they said.The official acknowledged that there will be some problems with a no-deal Brexit, but that would be nothing compared to destroying confidence in basic democratic politics, which would be the result of reversing the referendum. They also reinforced the message that Johnson will take Britain out of the EU on Oct. 31, saying there won't be any extension.Johnson Realizes Difficulty of Getting Election (12:45 p.m.)In the meeting with Tory MPs, Johnson suggested he realizes it will be difficult to get the election he wants before the Oct. 31 Brexit deadline. The opposition parties won't agree to it.But he said he will still seek an election even after that date, according to two people in the room. The ideal scenario now would be to go to the polls after he's secured a deal with the EU -- and after Britain has left the bloc on Oct. 31.The premier cautioned that an agreement is not close, the people said.Progress, But Deal Long Way Off, U.K. Says (11:50 a.m.)The U.K. and EU have made progress in Brexit negotiations but a deal is a long way off, Prime Minister Boris Johnson's spokesman told reporters in London. The Benn Act, which Parliament passed to prevent a no-deal Brexit on Oct. 31, is "bad legislation" that is undermining the government's position in the talks, he said.The two sides are discussing a non-permanent backstop to resolve the Irish border conundrum, based on the principle of "consent" in Northern Ireland, he told reporters.The U.K. government has argued that Northern Ireland has to somehow approve, or "consent" to being tied closely to EU rules after Brexit. But it's not a position that the EU or Ireland accept as it could give the Democratic Unionist Party, which is opposed to Northern Ireland being treated differently to the rest of the U.K., an effective veto in the future.Slack also commented on the angry scenes in the House of Commons on Wednesday night, saying that Johnson has been "very clear" that it is "completely unacceptable" for MPs or others in public life to face threats.Johnson Says He Won't Be Bullied Over Language (11:45 a.m.)Johnson addressed his Conservative MPs in Parliament, telling them he won't be bullied into abandoning his strong language on plans to block a no-deal Brexit, according to two people who were in the room.He condemned abuse and threats to female MPs but said he retained the right to use simple and effective words, the people said.Commission Urges Respect in U.K. Parliament (11:30 a.m.)The European Commission made clear it had been watching proceedings in the House of Commons, and is not impressed."We would remind everybody that respect is a fundamental value in all democracies," Commission spokeswoman Mina Andreeva told reporters in Brussels. "It is the responsibility of each and every politician to uphold our values. History has shown us what happens when they are not respected."Andreeva reiterated that the EU is still waiting for the U.K to come up with "legally operational" alternatives to the backstop, and signaled the real deadline for the negotiations is next month's summit.Technical talks will continue tomorrow in Brussels, while the EU's Brexit negotiation Michel Barnier will also meet Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay on Friday.EU Officials: Johnson Rhetoric Makes Deal Harder (11:05 a.m.)The fiery scenes in the House of Commons on Wednesday night, including Johnson's use of the word "surrender," will make getting a deal more difficult, EU officials closely involved in the Brexit negotiations said.The hostility and heightened rhetoric hasn't gone unnoticed in Brussels, and Johnson's failure to build bridges between government and Parliament is damaging talks between the U.K. and EU, the officials said, on condition of anonymity because the process is private. Wednesday's tense debate followed the Supreme Court's ruling that the prime minister's suspension of Parliament was unlawful -- a move which officials described as unsettling.The EU is having to weigh up how far it should go in conceding to Johnson's demands on the "backstop" for the Irish border, but officials said leaders were less likely to compromise if they thought there was little chance of consensus in Parliament.With an EU summit beginning in three weeks, where Johnson is hoping to strike a deal, European officials are pessimistic about the chances of striking an agreement, saying that British proposals on the backstop have gone nowhere near far enough.Johnson to Send Junior Minister to Answer for Him (11 a.m.)Boris Johnson has been asked by Parliament to appear to answer concerns that his language is inflaming nationwide tensions. Instead of appearing himself, two people familiar with the matter said Johnson will send Kevin Foster -- Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales and Assistant Government Whip, as well as being constitution minister -- to answer questions.The appearance of one of the most junior members of the government to speak for the prime minister is likely to do little to assuage tensions in the House of Commons after a particularly poisonous sitting on Wednesday.Tory Turns on Johnson Over Law (10 a.m.)Simon Hoare, a member of Parliament from Boris Johnson's Conservative Party, said there needs to be a change in the tone from the prime minister's office over whether or not he will obey the law."It comes to a very bad place in politics when a Tory government's adherence to the law comes into question and is in doubt," Hoare told the House of Commons. "There needs to be a change in the mood music coming from Number 10 because, as a Tory Party, we obey the rule of law and the fact that is a question in this place should bring shame on all of us."In answer to another question about whether the law will be obeyed, Brexit minister James Duddridge said "if we don't get that deal, we will obey the law as it stands at the time."Deal Within Reach, Minister Says (9:40 a.m.)James Duddridge, a Brexit minister, told MPs in the House of Commons that a deal with the EU "is possible and is now within reach.""The government will obey the law, this has always been the case," he said when asked if the government would follow the strictures of the Act of Parliament which requires Johnson to request a delay from the EU if an agreement isn't reached by Oct. 19."This government will not indulge in defeatism," Duddridge said. "The outcome this government wants, the outcome this government has always wanted is a deal with the EU."On Wednesday Johnson said "no" when asked if he would request a delay from the EU if he couldn't get a deal.Keir Starmer, Brexit spokesman for the opposition Labour Party, said if the prime minister doesn't obey the law, and tries to force the U.K. out of the bloc without a deal on Oct. 31, it will be fought in the courts and blocked by further action in Parliament.Cleverly Says Both Sides At Fault (8:15 a.m.)Conservative Party Chairman James Cleverly said the mood in Parliament is the worst he's seen, and tried to turn the tables by listing examples of opposition MPs using violent language about Boris Johnson."There has been language used right across this debate which I think is deeply uncomfortable," Cleverly told BBC radio on Thursday. "The temper in the House is unlike anything I've seen in my time, and it is deeply uncomfortable. We've seen language and accusations flung around."Cleverly added that the "this can be de-escalated, tempers can be taken out of this," but he doesn't expect tensions to calm until Brexit has been resolved.Asked whether Johnson will heed legislation to force him to seek to delay Brexit if he can't get a deal approved, Cleverly said the government "will obey the law" but still emphasized it would take the U.K. out of the European Union on Oct. 31. He didn't say how that might be possible.Abbott Says Chance of Labour Support 'Over' (7:50 a.m.)Diane Abbott, home affairs spokeswoman for the opposition Labour Party, said any prospect of some of her party's politicians backing a deal that Johnson brings back from the European Union is "over" after the prime minister's performance on Wednesday night."I've heard from and seen comments from MPs who might have wanted to have considered a Boris Johnson deal and that's over," Abbott told BBC Radio.She said Johnson's "adversarial, military language" was "not befitting the prime minister."Soames Appalled at Johnson's Behavior (7:20 a.m.)Nicholas Soames, Winston Churchill's grandson who was expelled from the Parliamentary Conservative Party for voting to block a no-deal Brexit, said he was "absolutely appalled by the whole language and tone'' of the House of Commons."The job of the prime minister, even under difficult circumstances, is to try and bring the House together and what the prime minister did was drive it further apart,'' Soames told BBC radio. "The prime minister is taking some very, very bad advice.''"I've never felt such a poisonous atmosphere and I deeply regret it,'' Soames said. "This language that's being used is doing so much damage to our democracy.''Cox Widower Urges Moderate Language (7:10 a.m.)Brendan Cox, the widower of murdered Labour lawmaker Jo Cox, appealed for all sides to moderate their language in the Brexit debate after Boris Johnson claimed that the best way to honor his dead wife's memory would be to deliver Brexit.Jo Cox, a fervent pro-European, was killed during the 2016 Brexit referendum campaign by a far-right extremist. Her memory was invoked by women Labour MP's in the House of Commons on Wednesday night when they pleaded with Johnson to stop accusing opponents of "surrender" and betraying the referendum result, because they had seen that language in death threats against them.Johnson dismissed their concerns as "humbug," adding that "the best way to ensure that every parliamentarian is properly safe, and we dial down the current anxiety in this country, is to get Brexit done.""I was shocked by the willingness to descend to vitriol and the type of language that was used. I think it does long-lasting harm," Cox told the BBC. "These words we throw across in rhetoric can have real world consequences."Labour Frontbencher Quits to Back Remain (Earlier)Matthew Pennycook, a Brexit spokesman for the opposition Labour Party in the House of Commons, quit leader Jeremy Corbyn's team of shadow ministers on Wednesday evening, saying he wants to campaign for the U.K. to stay in the European Union.In his resignation letter, Pennycook said that while he welcomed the party's decision to promise a referendum in the next election, "I now want the opportunity to focus my efforts on campaigning vigorously for that public vote and unequivocally for the U.K. to stay in the EU when it is secured."The Labour Party voted to adopt a wait-and-see policy at its conference on Monday, promising to negotiate with the EU and offer the public the choice of whether to accept that deal or stay in the bloc. But it rejected a motion that would have seen it back Remain, opting instead to hold a special conference after a new deal with the EU is agreed to decide its position.Earlier:Boris Johnson Comes Out Fighting and Demands a Brexit ElectionHere's What Parliament Could Do Next to Stop a No-Deal BrexitBrexit Can Get Much More Toxic From Here: Lionel Laurent\--With assistance from Nikos Chrysoloras, Thomas Penny, Ian Wishart and Anthony Aarons.To contact the reporters on this story: Kitty Donaldson in London at kdonaldson1@bloomberg.net;Alex Morales in London at amorales2@bloomberg.net;Jessica Shankleman in London at jshankleman@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, Stuart Biggs, Thomas PennyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| UK PM Johnson says tempers need to calm down amid Brexit fury Posted: 26 Sep 2019 09:05 AM PDT ![UK PM Johnson says tempers need to calm down amid Brexit fury]( "UK PM Johnson says tempers need to calm down amid Brexit fury") British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Thursday tempers needed to calm down and that getting Brexit resolved would "lance the boil" after a vitriolic confrontation with lawmakers in parliament a day earlier.
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| UK's Johnson uses fiery strategy with election in mind Posted: 26 Sep 2019 09:00 AM PDT  Prime Minister Boris Johnson has come out fighting after a string of defeats, including a bruising blow from the country's highest court, and while his combative stance is offending some, that may well be the point. While Johnson is setting the stage for a "People-versus-Parliament" election, the reality is that the nation remains deeply split over the wisdom of leaving the EU, and the debate has become ever more shrill and angry, particularly after Britain's Supreme Court unanimously declared earlier this week that the prime minister acted illegally in suspending Parliament for five weeks. The court said the suspension had the effect of squelching debate over Brexit.
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| UPDATE 2-Iran commits new breach of fraying nuclear deal, expands enrichment-IAEA Posted: 26 Sep 2019 08:58 AM PDT ![UPDATE 2-Iran commits new breach of fraying nuclear deal, expands enrichment-IAEA]( "UPDATE 2-Iran commits new breach of fraying nuclear deal, expands enrichment-IAEA") Iran has committed another breach of its nuclear deal with major powers by enriching uranium with advanced centrifuges, a report by the U.N. nuclear watchdog policing that deal said on Thursday, further fraying the landmark accord. Iran is breaching the restrictions of its deal with major powers step-by-step in response to U.S. sanctions imposed since Washington pulled out of the agreement in May of last year. Washington has repeatedly said it is prepared to hold talks with Iran on a more far-reaching deal, arguing its crippling economic sanctions will force Iran to the negotiating table.
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| Iran checks cyber security at key energy sites, eyes U.S. threat Posted: 26 Sep 2019 08:49 AM PDT ![Iran checks cyber security at key energy sites, eyes U.S. threat]( "Iran checks cyber security at key energy sites, eyes U.S. threat") Iran has launched an inspection of security at its key Gulf oil and gas facilities, including preparedness for cyber attacks, the Oil Ministry news agency SHANA said, following media reports of Washington weighing possible cyber attacks on Tehran. U.S. media reports have said the United States is considering possible cyber attacks against Iran after the Sept. 14 attacks on Saudi oil sites which U.S. officials have blamed on Tehran. The Islamic republic has denied being behind the raids which were claimed by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi group.
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| Analysis: After UN visit, Iran faces diminishing choices Posted: 26 Sep 2019 08:49 AM PDT  Iran has long prided itself on its forceful defiance of the United States and Israel, a resistance that has defined the Shiite-led Islamic Republic for the 40 years since its revolution. For months, the European nations that signed Iran's nuclear accord have been trying — unsuccessfully — to find ways around U.S. sanctions that were imposed after President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of the agreement last year.
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| Why Pelosi and her party finally embraced impeachment Posted: 26 Sep 2019 08:39 AM PDT  Speaker Nancy Pelosi dialed her long-time deputy, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, on Monday afternoon to let him know she'd come to a momentous decision: she was going to endorse an impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump. Pelosi was in New York City for a private dinner with members of the Acela Corridor elite — Fortune 500 executives, politicians and high-profile journalists — to kick off the annual United Nations General Assembly meeting. Hoyer was sitting in a rental car in South Carolina, after attending the funeral of Emily Clyburn, the late wife of House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, earlier in the day.
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