Mattis predicts partnership with Bolton
Compiled from news services
WASHINGTON— Defense Secretary Jim Mattis acknowledged Tuesday that he and President Donald Trump’s incoming national security adviser, John Bolton, have different world views but predicted they will develop a working partnership.
Mr. Mattis said he has never met Mr. Bolton, a former ambassador to the United Nations and conservative firebrand. He said he expects Mr. Bolton to pay a visit to the Pentagon soon, perhaps this week, to begin developing a relationship.
Mr. Bolton, who will replace Army Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster on April 9, has publicly advocated for overthrowing the North Korean government, possibly by force. Mr. Mattis, a retired Marine general who knows intimately the costs of war, favors diplomacy to rid the North of its nuclear weapons and has said war on the Korean peninsula would be “catastrophic.”
Military border wall hinted
WASHINGTON— President Trump frequently said Mexico would pay for a wall along the southern border as he sought the presidency in 2016. Now, he is privately pushing the U.S. military to fund construction of his signature project.
Mr. Trump, who told advisers he was spurned in a large spending bill last week when lawmakers only appropriated $1.6 billion for the border wall, has begun suggesting the Pentagon could fund the sprawling construction, citing a “national security” risk.
Senior Capitol Hill officials said it was an unlikely prospect.
Facebook sued
NEW YORK — Fair housing advocates sued Facebook Tuesday, saying it lets landlords and real estate brokers target advertising to discriminate against women, those with disabilities and families with children.
The lawsuit in Manhattan federal court alleges investigations by fair housing supporters in New York, Washington, D.C., Miami and San Antonio, Texas, prove Facebook continues to let advertisers discriminate even though civil rights and housing groups have notified the company since 2016 that it is violating the federal Fair Housing Act. It seeks unspecified damages and a court order to end discrimination.
Facebook said in a statement that the lawsuit is without merit and the company will defend itself vigorously.
911 system hacked
BALTIMORE — Baltimore’s 911 dispatch system was hacked by an unknown actor or actors over the weekend, prompting a temporary shutdown of automated dispatching and an ongoing investigation into the breach, Mayor Catherine Pugh’s office confirmed to The Baltimore Sun on Tuesday.
James Bentley, a spokesman for Ms. Pugh, confirmed the Saturday morning hack affected messaging functions within the Computer Aided Dispatch, or CAD, system, but said the mayor would not otherwise be commenting on it.