Mich. leader: trump did not ask for interference

LANSING, MICH. » President Donald Trump did not ask Michigan Republican lawmakers to “break the law” or “interfere” with the election during a meeting at the White House, a legislative leader said Sunday, a day before canvassers plan to meet about whether to certify Joe Biden’s 154,000vote victory in the battleground state.

House Speaker Lee Chatfield was among seven GOP legislators who met with Trump for about an hour on Friday, amid the president’s longshot efforts to block President- elect Biden’s win.

“There was this outrage that the president was going to ask us to break the law, he was going to ask us to interfere, and that just simply didn’t happen,” Chatfield told Fox News of the unusual meeting.

Thousands march against U. S. pork imports.

TAIPEI, TAIWAN » Thousands of people marched in Taipei’s streets on Sunday demanding the reversal of a decision to allow U. S. pork imports into Taiwan, alleging food safety issues.

President Tsai Ingwen’s administration lifted a long- standing ban on U. S. pork and beef imports in August, in a move seen as one of the first steps toward possibly negotiating a bilateral trade agreement with the U. S. The ban is due to be lifted in January.

That decision has met with fierce opposition, both by the opposition Kuomintang party and citizens.

Protesters set fire to legislative building over spending cuts.

ANTIGUA, GUATEMALA » Thousands of protesters took to the streets in Guatemala’s capital Saturday, setting fire to the nation’s congressional building in a show of anger over a budget bill passed this past week that cut funding for health care and education.

The demonstrations in Guatemala City, which also included peaceful marches in the central plaza, rocked a nation still recovering from back- to- back hurricanes that displaced thousands of people, destroyed homes and obliterated critical infrastructure.

As heavy rains brought on by the second storm pummeled impoverished towns in Guatemala’s highlands and coastal regions Wednesday, the country’s Congress passed a budget that cut spending on education and health in favor of increasing lawmakers’ meal stipends.

Guitar Center files for bankruptcy.

Guitar Center, the largest U. S. retailer of musical instruments, filed for bankruptcy protection late Saturday.

The company, which was struggling to compete against online rivals even before the pandemic, was hit hard when it was forced to temporarily close most of its stores earlier this year.

It entered Chapter 11 restructuring proceedings in the U. S. Bankruptcy Court of the Eastern District of Virginia.