9A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2017 WORLD IN BRIEF U.S. base in Cuba. Nineteen of the remaining 55 prisoners are cleared for release and could be freed in the final days of Barack Obama’s presidency, part of an effort to shrink the prison since the administration couldn’t close it on his watch. But those left behind will face the future under Trump, who has said he wants to keep Guantanamo open and recently called on Obama to halt releases. “There is a great deal of anxiety and fear,” said Pardiss Kebriaei, a lawyer with the Center for Constitutional Rights, a New York-based organization that represents five prisoners. That backdrop has given a feeling of urgency to anti-Guan- tanamo demonstrations scheduled for today’s anniversary in London, Los Angeles and Washington, featuring activists in the orange prison jumpsuits that came to symbolize the detention center though now they are typically worn only by a handful of detainees who have violated detention center rules and are on “disciplinary status.” Associated Press Trump to face questions on Russia hacking, business ties NEW YORK — The last time Donald Trump held a news conference, he was plunging into a heated general election cam- paign with Hillary Clinton and suggested Russia could help dig up some of his rival’s emails. Nearly six months and a presidential campaign victory later, Trump will finally step before reporters again today to face ques- tions about what role he believes Russia played in the election year hacking of Democratic groups — interference the intelli- gence community says was intended to help the Republican defeat Clinton. Trump has challenged that assessment and has yet to say whether a full briefing with intelligence officials last week did anything to sway him. A U.S. official told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the intelligence officials informed Trump about an unsubstan- tiated report that Russia had compromising personal and finan- cial information about him. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because the official was not allowed to publicly dis- cuss the matter. Shortly after news reports were published about the brief- ing, Trump tweeted: “FAKE NEWS - A TOTAL POLITICAL WITCH HUNT!” A spokesman for President Vladimir Putin denied allegations today. Official: Trump briefed on potentially compromising report WASHINGTON — Top intelligence officials last week told President-elect Donald Trump about an unsubstantiated report that Russia had compromising personal and financial informa- tion about him, a U.S. official says. The briefing about the document was first reported by CNN. A summary of the allegations was separate from a classified assessment of Russia’s suspected attempts to meddle in the U.S. presidential election. Trump and President Barack Obama were briefed on the intelligence community’s findings last week. Shortly after news reports were published about the brief- ing, Trump tweeted: “FAKE NEWS - A TOTAL POLITICAL WITCH HUNT!” And in Moscow, a spokesman for President Vladimir Putin denied the report. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov today dismissed it as a “complete fabrication and utter nonsense.” He insisted that the Kremlin “does not engage in collecting compromising material.” A U.S. official told The Associated Press on Tuesday that intelligence officials had informed Trump about an unsubstanti- ated report that Russia had compromising personal and financial information about him. The Trump was expected to hold a pre- viously scheduled news conference today to discuss his future plans regarding his role with the Trump Organization. The offi- cial who discussed the briefing by intelligence figures spoke on condition of anonymity because the official was not allowed to publicly discuss the matter. Russia friend and sanctions foe, Tillerson gets his hearing WASHINGTON — Friend of Russia and foe of sanctions in his corporate life, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for secre- tary of state, Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson, is an unorthodox choice for a Republican White House. He may feel perfectly at home in Trump’s iconoclastic administration. Likely to face pointed questions from both sides of the aisle at his Senate confirmation hearing today, Tillerson represents a break in a longstanding tradition of secretaries of state with extensive military, legislative, political or diplomatic experi- ence. Yet his supporters, including former GOP grandees Con- doleezza Rice and Robert Gates, point to the oil man’s lengthy career as a senior executive in a mammoth multinational com- pany as proof he has the management and negotiating skills to succeed as America’s top diplomat. Democrats and even traditional GOP hawks are expected to zero in on Tillerson’s role in orchestrating business deals with Russia, which led to President Vladimir Putin awarding him the Fierce battles leave hospital in Iraqi city of Mosul gutted AP Photo/Chuck Burton Charleston, S.C., shooting suspect Dylann Roof is escort- ed from the Cleveland County Courthouse in Shelby, N.C., in June. A federal jury has sentenced Roof to death for killing nine black church members in a racially motivated attack in 2015. A judge is verifying the sentence today. Order of Friendship in 2013. Exxon and its subsidiaries’ activi- ties in Iran and Iraq, and his environmental views are also likely to be covered, as are suspicions that Tillerson’s focus will be driven by corporate interests at the expense of the nation’s. The severity of any challenge to Tillerson’s nomination is unclear. Already, some leading Democrats who met privately with him have voiced relief at his views on Russia, climate change and trade, even if they appear not to mesh with those of the president-elect. Russia is sure to be foremost on everyone’s mind. With alle- gations of Russian interference in the presidential election roil- ing the nation, several lawmakers have spoken about scrutinizing his and Exxon’s two-decade relationship with Putin and others in Moscow. Church families: Forgiving shooter doesn’t mean sparing life CHARLESTON, S.C. — Just because some of the families of the nine people killed and three people who survived a rac- ist massacre in a Charleston church have forgiven the man con- victed in the shootings doesn’t mean they think his life should have been spared. There are a broad range of feelings among the loved ones who were at Emanuel AME ranging from those who think there is no justification to taking a life anytime to those who believe the bib- lical Old Testament justice of an eye for an eye. Dylann Roof will soon be off to federal death row, but the families he shattered when he entered Emanuel AME Church and fired 77 shots at the end of Bible study get one last chance to con- front him today as U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel verifies the jury’s sentence at a hearing. It’s the only chance for them to speak to Roof and the court directly, without having to answer specific questions. The willingness to forgive dominated the news in the days after the June 17, 2015, shootings as victims’ families and survi- vors offered Roof forgiveness at his bond hearing. But there are many like Melvin Graham who said forgiveness is still a work in progress and he will forever grieve the death of his sister Cyn- thia Hurd. Inmates face uncertainty on Guantanamo prison’s anniversary MIAMI — The looming presidency of Donald Trump has created a deep sense of uncertainty for inmates at Guantanamo on the 15th anniversary of the arrival of the first prisoners at the 70 Help Wanted 80 Work Wanted 80 Work Wanted Vacasa is looking for a Maintenance Technician in the Astoria to Manzanita region. Two years maintenance experience, personal tools, transportation and computer needed for this position. $15/hour plus perks. Visit us at www.vacasa.com/careers to apply. Oregon state law requires anyone who contracts for construction work to be licensed with the Construction Contractors Board. 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Call Mike 503-836-7859 Terry Marshall Bookkeeping Service (503)298-0750 •Payables •Receivables •Payroll •Quarterly Reporting Oregon Construction Contractor's Law requires that all those who advertise remodeling, repair or construction services be registered with the Construction Contractor's Board. Registration means contractors have bonds and insurance on the job site. For your protection, be sure any construction contractors you hire are registered. If they are not, or if you are a contractor who wishes to register, call Construction Contractor's Board in Salem, OR 1-503-378-4621. 100 Employment Information *ATTENTION READERS * Readers respond to mail/phone order ads at their own risk. If in doubt about a particular offer, check with the Better Business Bureau or U.S. Postal Service before sending any money. The Daily Astorian ASSUMES NO LIABILITY FOR MAIL ORDER ADVERTISERS. 105 Business-Sales Op MOSUL, Iraq — After weeks of airstrikes and artillery fire, Mosul’s al-Salam hospital is little more than a burnt-out shell. Retaken from the Islamic State group by Iraqi forces this month, the building’s top floors were almost completely destroyed. The gardens around the complex are strewn with medical records and supplies. Bright blue hospital bedsheets hang from nearby trees. The hospital in eastern Mosul was the scene of one of the most significant setbacks for Iraqi troops in the nearly 3-month operation to retake Iraq’s second-largest city. On Dec. 6, after advancing too quickly, Iraqi forces found themselves sur- rounded by IS fighters in the hospital complex. Pummeled by wave upon wave of militant counterattacks, dozens were killed and wounded, according to Iraqi military and hospital officials, eventually forcing a withdrawal. Some Iraqi army officers blamed the setback on insuffi- cient air support by the U.S.-led coalition. Others faulted poor leadership and a lack of coordination among the many dispa- rate Iraqi forces participating in the Mosul offensive, includ- ing tribal and militia fighters who maintain their own command structures. Following the December withdrawal, Iraq’s elite rapid-re- sponse unit joined the Iraqi army on Mosul’s southeast front and the U.S.-led coalition increased its air campaign, despite an initial reluctance to use airstrikes against IS in the vicinity of the hospital. Over the past month, coalition planes dropped 25 bombs on the hospital complex, according to a Pentagon statement provided to The Associated Press. After weeks of static front lines, the renewed air and ground assault brought Iraqi forces to the edge of the Tigris River. Since the Mosul operation was launched in October, Iraqi forces have slowly clawed back about a third of the city. North Korea is a bad trip if you’re looking to get high PYONGYANG, North Korea — North Korea has been get- ting some pretty high praise lately from the stoner world. Marijuana news outlets including High Times, Merry Jane and Green Rush — along with British tabloids, which always love a good yarn — are hailing the North as a pothead paradise and maybe even the next Amsterdam of pot tourism. They’ve reported North Korean marijuana to be legal, abundant and mind-blowingly cheap, sold openly to Chinese and Russian tourists at a major market on the North’s border for about $3 a pound. But seriously, North Korea? Baked? The claim that marijuana is legal in North Korea is not true: The North Korean penal code lists it as a controlled substance in the same category as cocaine and heroin. And the person who would likely help any American charged with a crime in North Korea emphatically rejects the idea that the ban is not enforced. “There should be no doubt that drugs, including marijuana, are illegal here,” said Torkel Stiernlof, the Swedish ambas- sador. The United States has no diplomatic relations with the North, so Sweden’s embassy acts as a middleman when U.S. citizens run afoul of North Korean laws. 130 Open Houses 1 bedroom + office, full bath, gas heat, washer/dryer, covered parking, river view, private/quiet/safe, no smoking/pets. $975 503-791- 5627 Open House, January 14th, 10am- 12pm 1493 SE Honeysuckle Loop, Warrenton Now taking applications for these brand new units in Warrenton. $1150/mo. Call 541-921-8807 or jvb.management.llc@gmail.com Be an Astoria Carrier! 150 Homes for Sale $100 Signing Bonus! PUBLISHER'S NOTICE The Daily Astorian is currently seeking independent contractors to deliver its paper and related products in the Astoria Oregon area. Interested individuals must have valid drivers license, reliable vehicle, and insurance. Routes are Monday through Friday afternoons. There are no collections or weekend deliveries. Please come in person to The Daily Astorian office at 949 Exchange St, Astoria OR 97103 to pick up more information. HOME DELIVERY! Your Daily Astorian should arrive by 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. If it does not, please call us at 503-325-3211 or 1-800-781-3211. 120 Money to Lend NOTICE TO CONSUMERS The Federal Trade Commission prohibits telemarketers from asking for or receiving payment before they deliver credit repair services, advance fee loans and credit, and recovery services. If you are asked to render payment before receiving any of the preceding services, please contact the Federal Trade Commission at: 1-877-382-4357 If You Live In Seaside or Cannon Beach DIAL 325-3211 FOR A Daily Astorian Classified Ad 210 Apartments, Unfurnished EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Fair Housing Act which makes it illegal to advertise "Any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin, or an intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination." Familial status includes children under the age of 18 living with parents or legal custodians; pregnant women and people securing custody of children under 18. This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. Our readers are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal opportunity basis. To complain of discrimination call HUD at 1(800)669-9777. The toll free telephone number for the hearing impaired is 1(800)927-9275. 160 Lots & Acreage Live FT or Summer-Vacation on 6700 sqft Membership-Lot-for-Sale w/yearly fees-appx $2,000 includes DUES/SEWER/ WATER/WI- FI/CABLE/GARBAGE/CARETAKE RS setup your RV/PARKMODELorTINYHOME/B OATSPACE $25,500/CASH 360- 600-3776 Brand New Units, Warrenton Oregon $1150/mo. Call 541-921-8807 or jvb.management.llc@gmail.com For Rent: Studio Apartment $525/Month Call Mary at Astoria Coast, Inc 503-325-9093 225 Townhouses 3570 Irving, Townhouse: 3bedroom/2bath. Columbia View, W/D Hook-up. $950. No Smoking/Pets. 503-861-8169 230 Houses, Unfurnished For all our available rentals. 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