Washington news in brief

Crawford tours three ex-Soviet nations

WASHINGTON — Three small nations that have escaped from Moscow’s grip are counting on the United States to stand up against Russian aggression, U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford said Friday.

The Republican from Jonesboro, who serves on the House Intelligence Committee, returned Wednesday from a trip to Azerbaijan, Georgia and Romania.

He traveled along with U.S. Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., the committee chairman.

The lawmakers were “looking at the Russian threat to the region, what our partners are doing there to address that [threat] and how we’re working together to push back against Russia in the region,” Crawford said. “We’re keeping our eye on the ball in Eastern Europe and making sure that the Russian threat is not ignored.”

For decades after World War II, Romania was a Soviet bloc nation with a pro-Moscow government.

The other two nations were formerly part of the Soviet Union.

Azerbaijan, which borders the Caspian Sea, faces Russia to the north and Iran to the south.

Georgia, which abuts the Black Sea, lost a five-day war with its Russian neighbor 10 years ago this month.

Crawford’s visit coincided with the 10th anniversary of Georgia’s military defeat.

“If you look at the history of Russia in this area, the Russian Empire has always been somewhat belligerent. … It’s no different now,” Crawford said. “They’re back to their old ways. I believe they would like to form something along the lines of a Soviet Union again.”

Nunes, a close White House ally who has clashed repeatedly with Democrats on the committee, will be traveling to Jonesboro next month, Crawford confirmed.

The chairman will attend a fundraiser to boost Crawford’s re-election chances; Helena-West Helena educator Chintan Desai is his Democratic opponent. A Libertarian named Elvis Presley is also on the ballot.

Boozman lauded on child violence filing

Save the Children, World Vision and other charitable groups praised U.S. Sen. John Boozman for introducing a resolution condemning “all forms of violence against children globally” and recognizing “the harmful impacts of violence against children.”

The Republican from Rogers introduced the resolution Wednesday. U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., is the co-sponsor.

Boozman’s resolution says that more than 1 billion children are “exposed to violence” each year. The “global economic impact of physical, psychological, and sexual violence against children” is enormous, the resolution states: up to $7 trillion annually, it adds.

The resolution addresses high rates of child marriage in the developing world, child labor and child military service.

It calls for the U.S. to “develop and implement a comprehensive and coordinated strategy” based, in part, on recommendations from the World Health Organization.

In a news release, Boozman said, “Senate passage of this bipartisan resolution would send a strong message that having a plan to end violence against children must be a priority in our global development strategy.”

The resolution, which has been referred to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, “lays the groundwork for future leadership and coordination across the U.S. government on this issue,” Save the Children stated.

55 percent in state in poll like Trump

While he faces heightened opposition on the West Coast, in the Northeast and in much of the Midwest, President Donald Trump remains popular in Arkansas and the states that surround it, according to a recent survey by Morning Consult.

Fifty-five percent of Arkansans support the New York Republican; 41 percent oppose him, Morning Consult said.

The margin of error for the state was plus or minus 2 percent, the research and media company said.

Morning Consult’s findings are based on more than 1.4 million surveys of registered voters that were conducted between Jan. 20, 2017, and July 31.

The president’s supporters outnumber his opponents in each of the Southern states besides Virginia and North Carolina, the survey found.

Virginia, which backed Republicans in 13 out of 14 presidential elections between 1952 and 2004, has now voted for the Democratic nominee in three straight contests. North Carolina has been a battleground state since 2008, voting Republican twice and Democratic once.