Britain expels 23 Russian diplomats over ex-spy’s poisoning NATION/WORLD BRIEFING
Illinois men accused of bombing mosque near Minneapolis
CHICAGO – Three Illinois men are accused of bombing a mosque in suburban Minneapolis in an attempt to scare Muslims into leaving the United States, authorities said.
The men allegedly carried out the Aug. 5 attack, which caused a fire that damaged the Dar Al-Farooq Islamic Center in Bloomington, Minnesota. No one was hurt.
The men are also suspected in the attempted bombing of an abortion clinic on Nov. 7 in Champaign, according to the U.S. attorney’s office in Springfield.
One of the men, Michael B. Hari, 47, filed a federal lawsuit last month, naming the U.S. secretaries of agriculture and health and human services as defendants. It accuses their departments of violating his constitutional rights by doing the food-safety certification work that his firm, Equicert, does.
The other two men charged in the mosque bombing were identified as Joe Morris, 22, and Michael McWhorter, 29. All three are from Clarence.
Sen. Rand Paul says he plans to block Trump nominees
WASHINGTON – Sen. Rand Paul, RKy., said Wednesday that he will oppose President Donald Trump’s nominations of Mike Pompeo to be secretary of state and Gina Haspel to be CIA director.
The senator said he would do everything he could to block the nominees and did not rule out a filibuster.
The senator said he cannot vote for the candidates based on their past support for using torture techniques to interrogate enemy combatants and suspected terrorists. That issue is at the heart of the controversy over both nominees and has led several Democrats — including Ron Wyden of Oregon and Tammy Duckworth of Illinois — to come out against them.
CNBC’s Kudlow chosen to head Trump’s economic council
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump tapped CNBC commentator Larry Kudlow on Wednesday to head his National Economic Council, the post vacated by Gary Cohn after he opposed the president’s steel tariffs.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders confirmed the move after it was reported by Kudlow’s network. She said the timing of the appointment hadn’t been determined.
Kudlow, whom Trump has described as a “good friend,” emerged as the top candidate for the post even though he, too, opposed Trump’s tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. But Trump has said he and Kudlow have come to an understanding on the issue.
LONDON – Prime Minister Theresa May said Wednesday that Britain will expel 23 Russian diplomats after Moscow failed to explain how a Russianmade nerve agent was used to poison a former spy and his daughter in the city of Salisbury.
The move marks the largest expulsion of diplomats from Britain since the Cold War, and May said her government will cancel all high-level bilateral contacts with Russia.
She said the use of the nerve agent against Sergei Skripal, 66, and his daughter, Yulia, 33, amounted to an “unlawful use of force” against Britain with chemical weapons. Russia has denied involvement in the poisoning.
Ex-No. 2 FBI official may face firing ahead of retirement
WASHINGTON – The Justice Department is considering a recommendation that it fire former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, days ahead of his scheduled retirement, amid an inspector general investigation expected to be sharply critical of him, a person familiar with the matter said Wednesday.
McCabe stepped down in January from his deputy director position. He is scheduled to retire on Sunday after a 22year career.
The inspector general’s office, which for more than a year investigated the FBI’s handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation, has concluded that McCabe authorized FBI officials to speak with a journalist for an October 2016 story in “The Wall Street Journal.” Though President Donald Trump has criticized McCabe as biased in favor of Clinton, the story actually suggested that FBI officials wanted to more actively probe the Clinton Foundation but were discouraged by the Obama Justice Department.