No prison time for Bergdahl
FORTBRAGG, N.C. — Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who walked off his Army base in Afghanistan in 2009 and was held captive by the Taliban for five years, was ordered to be dishonorably discharged by an Army military judge on Friday but received no prison time for desertion or endangering troops.
The military judge, Col. Jeffery R. Nance, also reduced his rank to private and required him to forfeit $1,000 a month of his pay for 10 months. Prosecutors had sought 14 years in a military prison.
President Donald Trump, who has called him a “dirty rotten traitor,” described the sentence as “a complete and total disgrace to our Country and to our Military.”
ACLU lawyers targeted
WASHINGTON— The Justice Department asked the Supreme Court on Friday to discipline lawyers for the American Civil Liberties Union because they helped a 17-year-old migrant obtain an abortion two weeks ago.
The move escalates a legal battle over abortion that arose when Trump administration officials refused to allow the unidentified teen to leave a refugee center with a guardian to see an abortion provider. Administration officials said the government need not “facilitate” abortion by allowing her to leave their custody in South Texas.
The ACLU sued on her behalf, and a federal judge ruled the federal government must allow her to have the abortion. A U.S. appeals court upheld that ruling, and she had the abortion, which was paid for with private funds.
Call for resignation
WASHINGTON— Three House Republicans on Friday called for former FBI director Robert Mueller to step down as special counsel of the probe into ties between President Donald Trump’s campaign and Russia.
Reps. Matt Gaetz of Florida, Andy Biggs of Arizona, and Louie Gohmert of Texas introduced the resolution, which, among other things, says Mr. Mueller is compromised. It comes four days after investigators indicted former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and two former aides to the president.
Manafort, Gates trial
A judge has tentatively set May 7, 2018, as a trial date for two former Trump campaign aides.
U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson scheduled the trial date in a court filing Friday for Paul Manafort, former campaign chairman for President Donald Trump, and his business associate Rick Gates.
Mr. Manafort and Mr. Gates were charged Monday in a 12-count indictment alleging violations of money laundering, banking and foreign lobbying laws. They have both pleaded not guilty and are free on bail but under house arrest.
House funds CHIP
WASHINGTON — The House passed a bill on Friday that would provide five years of funds for the popular Children’s Health Insurance Program over objections from Democrats who opposed the way it would be financed.
The vote came a month after funds for CHIP expired. The Senate plans major surgery on the legislation. But some states may have no choice but to freeze enrollment or start to shut down the program before Congress clears legislation to renew funding.