NEWS OF THE DAY
From Across the Nation
1 China ambassador: The Republican-led Senate has confirmed President Trump’s pick to be U.S. ambassador to China, sending Terry Branstad from the governor’s office in Iowa to the American Embassy in Beijing. Senators voted 82-13 Monday to approve the nomination of Branstad, 70, who is in his sixth nonconsecutive term as Iowa’s governor. Among his most immediate and sensitive assignments will be persuading the Chinese to help defuse North Korea’s advancing ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programs. During his confirmation hearing this month, Branstad assured lawmakers that he would not shy away from confronting Beijing on a range of issues, including human rights and trade.
2 Reprieve for Haitians: The Trump administration said Monday that it will extend until January a humanitarian program that has allowed roughly 58,000 Haitians to live in the United States, but it is hinting that further extensions are unlikely. Temporary Protected Status was given to Haitians living in the United States after a 2010 earthquake devastated parts of that country. Haitians granted the protection can live and work in the U.S. without fear of deportation. Haitian participation in the program has been regularly renewed for 18-month intervals and the latest extension expires in July. The renewal announced Monday is for only six months. But Haitian immigrants were advised to start getting their affairs in order.
3 Hate crime suspected: Authorities appealed for patience Monday from two college communities reacting in shock, fear and anger after a white University of Maryland student was arrested in what police called the unprovoked stabbing of a black Bowie State University student. Police in College Park, Md., and the FBI are investigating the killing of Richard Collins III, 23, as a possible hate crime because the suspect, Sean Urbanski, 22, became a member of a racist Facebook group several months ago.
4 Freak killing: A judge entered a not guilty plea for a man in Anchorage, Alaska, accused of killing his girlfriend after he shot himself and the bullet traveled through his head and hit the woman in the chest. Brittanymae Haag, 22, was trying to prevent Victor Carl Sibson, 21, from killing himself. 5 Long-awaited reunion: A dog found near death will be reunited with her owners two years after she disappeared. The 5-year-old dog, named Cali, was found at a rest stop in Howell, N.J., in April. The emaciated Rhodesian ridgeback was taken to Broken Promises Sanctuary, where volunteers set out to bring her back to life. A veterinarian stabilized the dog. The sanctuary contacted Cali’s owner, Brittney DiBartolo, after finding the dog’s microchip. DiBartolo and her family looked for their dog after she disappeared in 2015. The family moved from New York to North Carolina in 2016. Broken Promises started a GoFundMe campaign to fund radiation treatment for cancer that was later found in Cali’s nose. The hardy canine is scheduled to be reunited with her family in June.