1,000 TROOPS WILL BE SENT TO POLAND

WASHINGTON The U. S. is expected to announce Wednesday that it will send about 1,000 additional troops to Poland to beef up the nation’s ability to defend itself amid worries about Russian military activity, U. S. officials said.

The final details were still under discussion Tuesday, but the decision to expand America’s military presence in Poland comes after months of lobbying by Polish leaders who had hoped for a U. S. base in their country.

Officials said Tuesday that the preliminary agreement avoids any permanent U. S. base or presence in the country and sticks instead to a rotational force. There are currently about 4,500 U. S. troops that routinely rotate in and out of Poland.

The new plans call for the construction of a new combat training center in Drawsko Pomorskie and additional facilities in the future. U. S. officials said the Reaper drones will be used to provide greater intelligence to Poland. The U. S. also expects to set up a military headquarters there.

U. S. submits extradition request for Julian Assange.

» The United States government has formally submitted an extradition request to the United Kingdom for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, a Justice Department official said.

Assange faces an 18- count indictment that accuses him of soliciting and publishing classified information and of conspiring with former Army private Chelsea Manning to crack a Defense Department computer password. That indictment, which includes Espionage Act charges, was issued by the Justice Department last month and is pending in federal court in Alexandria, Va.

Assange, 47, was evicted on April 11 from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, where he had been holed up since 2012 after Ecuador granted him political asylum. He was arrested by British police and is currently serving a 50- week sentence for jumping bail. Sweden also seeks him for questioning about an alleged rape, which Assange has denied.

Trump says he’s looking at protections for Venezuelans in U. S.

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump said his administration is considering granting temporary protected status to thousands of Venezuelans who have fled to the United States amid ongoing unrest.

The once- wealthy oil nation is now facing severe shortages of basic goods and hyperinflation. Trump said the situation in Venezuela is a horrible thing that’s “been brewing for a long time.”

Temporary protected status is granted to people from countries ravaged by natural disasters or war and lets them remain in the U. S. until the situation improves back home.

Russian journalist freed after charges abruptly dropped.

MOSCOW Russian authorities Tuesday abruptly dropped all charges against a prominent investigative reporter after a public and media outcry over his arrest, and they promised to go after the police who allegedly tried to frame him as a drug dealer.

The release of Ivan Golunov marked an extremely rare case of security officials admitting a mistake. It also highlighted the difficulties that Russian journalists routinely face when reporting on sensitive topics such as graft, corruption and President Vladimir Putin’s personal life.

Pilot killed in crash wasn’t certified to fly in bad weather.

The pilot killed Monday when his helicopter slammed into the roof of a New York City skyscraper was not authorized to fly in limited visibility, according to his pilot certification, raising questions about why he took off in fog and steady rain.

Tim McCormack, 58, was only certified to fly under regulations known as visual flight rules, which require generally good weather and clear conditions.

The rules demand at least 3 miles of visibility and that aircraft steer clear of clouds for daytime flights. The visibility at the time of Monday’s crash was about 1 ¼ miles at nearby Central Park. — Denver Post wire services