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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, JANUARY 12, 2018
WORLD IN BRIEF
‘Mississippi Burning’
KKK leader Killen dies
in prison at 92
Associated Press
Trump’s immigration
remarks lambasted
from left and right
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump
today denied using certain “language” during a
private meeting with lawmakers as fury spread
over his comments about immigrants. But nei-
ther he nor the White House disputed the most
controversial of his remarks — using the word
“shithole” to describe Africa nations and saying
he would prefer immigrants from countries like
Norway instead.
Trump’s comments came during an Oval
Office meeting where he questioned why the
U.S. would accept more immigrants from Haiti
and “shithole countries” in Africa as he rejected
a bipartisan immigration deal, according to peo-
ple briefed on the extraordinary Oval Office
conversation.
“The language used by me at the DACA
meeting was tough, but this was not the lan-
guage used,” Trump insisted in a series of Fri-
day morning tweets. “What was really tough was
the outlandish proposal made — a big setback for
DACA.”
But Sen. Dick Durbin, the only Democrat in
the room, disputed the president’s account. “He
said these hate-filled things and he said them
repeatedly,” Durbin said, adding “When the
question was asked about Haitians ... he said,
‘Haitians? Do we need more Haitians?’”
Trump took particular issue with the charac-
terization of his comments on Haiti. The Wash-
ington Post reported that, during the meeting,
Trump said immigrants from Haiti should be left
out of any new agreement approved by Congress.
“Never said anything derogatory about Hai-
tians other than Haiti is, obviously, a very poor
and troubled country. Never said “take them
out.” Made up by Dems,” Trump wrote. “I have
a wonderful relationship with Haitians. Probably
should record future meetings — unfortunately,
no trust!”
Trump’s contemptuous blanket description
of African countries startled lawmakers in the
meeting and immediately revived charges that
the president is racist.
“The words used by the President, as related
to me directly following the meeting by those in
attendance, were not ‘tough,’ they were abhor-
rent and repulsive,” tweeted Arizona Sen. Jeff
Flake.
“I think it was stupid and irresponsible and
childish,” said Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho.
“He’s president of the United States. That’s not
how a president behaves.”
The comments also threatened to further
imperil immigration talks aimed at extending
protections for hundreds of thousands of young
immigrants, many of whom were brought to the
country as children and are now here illegally.
Trump last year ended the Deferred Action for
Childhood Arrivals program, which provided
protection from deportation and the ability to
work legally in the country. He gave Congress
until March to come up with a legislative fix.
Man who aided hospital
patient discharged in
gown shocked
BALTIMORE — The man who said he came
to the aid of a woman discharged from a Balti-
more hospital wearing only a gown and socks on
a cold winter’s night, says he was left outraged
and stunned at how she was treated.
Imamu Baraka, identified in local reports as
the person who sought to help the woman, said
he was so angry he decided to record Tuesday
night’s events on cellphone video, fearing no one
would believe him if he reported a woman being
left at a bus stop like that.
“I saw the unthinkable: another human in
a wheelchair being wheeled out in the dead of
cold,” he said in the phone interview Thursday
evening.
He described frigid temperatures in the 30s
and a cold wind blowing at the woman’s hospital
gown, exposing her to the elements.
As a medical professional, the psychothera-
pist said he sought to keep his emotions in check
even as he repeatedly challenged those who had
wheeled the woman out to the street in the dark.
It wasn’t immediately clear what happened
to the woman after she was driven back toward
the hospital. But the hospital confirmed in a state-
ment that the woman was discharged that Tues-
day night.
Dr. Mohan Suntha, president and CEO of
University of Maryland Medical Center Mid-
town Campus, told a news conference on Thurs-
day afternoon that the hospital had “failed”
after the video posted on Facebook showed the
unidentified woman mumbling and appearing
disoriented in frigid weather outside. Suntha also
said there were no excuses for what happened to
the woman.
“We believe firmly that we provided appro-
priate medical care to a patient who came to us in
need, but where we absolutely failed, and where
we own that failure, is in the demonstration of
basic humanity and compassion as a patient was
being discharged from our organization after
having received that care,” he said.
Ex-fighter pilot
launches bid to replace
Arizona Sen. Flake
TUCSON, Ariz. — Republican U.S. Rep.
Martha McSally called on the national GOP to
“grow a pair of ovaries” as she launched her Sen-
ate bid today, joining the race to replace retir-
ing GOP Sen. Jeff Flake by embracing President
Donald Trump and his outsider playbook in one
of the nation’s premier contests.
Chris Pizzello/Invision
Gal Gadot reacts in the audience as ‘Wonder Woman’ wins for best action movie at
the 23rd annual Critics’ Choice Awards.
Actresses, shows about women
win big at Critics’ Choice Awards
SANTA MONICA, Calif. — It was a good night for women at the Critics’ Choice Awards,
which honored women-centered stories like “Big Little Lies,” ‘’The Handmaid’s Tale” and
“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” “Wonder Woman” was named best action movie and star Gal
Gadot accepted a special award for challenging gender stereotypes.
Yet the industry’s ongoing sexual misconduct crisis remained an element of the ceremony
as James Franco won an acting award early in the evening, hours after a report detailed new
misconduct allegations against “The Disaster Artist” star and director. Franco did not attend
Thursday’s presentation at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California, and his award was
presented during a pre-telecast section broadcast only online.
Franco won a similar award at the Golden Globes earlier in the week, where most women
dressed in black to protest sexual harassment. More women dressed in color on Thursday, but
their determination to end gender discrimination remained just as fierce.
“I want to share this award with all the women and men who stand for what’s right, stand-
ing for those who can’t stand or speak for themselves,” Gadot said as she accepted the second
annual #SeeHer award. “My promise to you is: I will never be silenced. We will continue to
band together to make strides, uniting for equality.”
Guillermo del Toro’s fantasy romance, “The Shape of Water,” was the top film winner
with four awards. Del Toro, who was also named best director, closed the show Thursday
night by shouting that he’s always believed in the equality of women.
“The Shape of Water,” which led all nominees with 14 bids, also claimed the best picture
prize, along with score and production design honors.
The 51-year-old retired Air Force combat
pilot cast herself as a tough-talking outsider as
she vowed to work closely with the Republican
president to combat illegal immigration.
“There should be no sanctuary for anyone
breaking our laws and harming our people,” said
McSally, wearing a military flight suit as she
faced dozens of supporters in a Tucson airport
hangar. “You better believe I will keep working
with President Trump.”
Like few others, the Arizona election is
expected to showcase the feud between the
Republican Party’s establishment and its fiery
anti-immigration wing in particular — all in a
border state that features one of the nation’s larg-
est Hispanic populations.
The race will test the appeal of the Trump
political playbook — which emphasizes the dan-
gers of illegal immigration and demands border
security above all else — in a state where nearly
1 in 3 residents is Hispanic and roughly 1 mil-
lion are eligible to vote, according to the Pew
Research Center.
McSally, a two-term congresswoman already
backed by many GOP establishment leaders
in Arizona and Washington, first announced
her candidacy in a fiery video early today that
touched on border security and Sharia law and
featured Trump himself.
McSally enters a dynamic Republican pri-
mary field that features a nationally celebrated
immigration hardliner, 85-year-old former Ari-
zona Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who was pardoned by
Trump last year after defying a judge’s order to
stop traffic patrols that targeted immigrants. The
primary also includes former state Sen. Kelli
Ward, an outspoken Trump advocate who was
an early favorite of former Trump adviser Steve
Bannon.
President Donald Trump cheered the
announcement with a tweet, saying, “Great news,
as a result of our TAX CUTS & JOBS ACT!”
White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee
Sanders later said she would not comment on the
Sam’s Club closings but that the wage increases
were a sign that the tax measures “are having the
impact that we had hoped.”
JACKSON, Miss. — Edgar Ray Killen, a for-
mer Ku Klux Klan leader who was convicted
in the 1964 “Mississippi Burning” slayings of
three civil rights workers, has died in prison at
the age of 92, the state’s corrections department
announced today.
The one-time Klan leader was serving three
consecutive 20-year terms for manslaughter
when he died at 9 p.m. Thursday night inside the
Mississippi State Penitentiary. An autopsy was
pending, but no foul play was suspected.
His conviction came 41 years to the day after
James Chaney, Michael Schwerner and Andrew
Goodman, all in their 20s, were ambushed and
killed by Klansmen.
The three Freedom Summer workers had
been investigating the burning of a black church
near Philadelphia, Mississippi. A deputy sher-
iff in Philadelphia had arrested them on a traffic
charge, then released them after alerting a mob.
Mississippi’s then-governor claimed their disap-
pearance was a hoax before their bodies were dug
up.
The slayings shocked the nation, helped spur
passage of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964
and were dramatized in the 1988 movie “Missis-
sippi Burning.”
Trump: No trip to
London because of
embassy choice
LONDON — President Donald Trump has
canceled a trip to London to open the new $1 bil-
lion U.S. Embassy, avoiding protests promised
by political opponents.
Some British lawmakers had said Trump was
not welcome in Britain after he re-tweeted videos
from a far-right British group and criticized Lon-
don Mayor Sadiq Khan following a terror attack
last year.
But Trump said his decision, announced in a
late-night tweet, was due to concerns about the
embassy’s move from the elite Mayfair district to
a far less fashionable area of London.
“Reason I canceled my trip to London is that
I am not a big fan of the Obama Administration
having sold perhaps the best located and finest
embassy in London for ‘peanuts,’ only to build a
new one in an off location for 1.2 billion dollars.
Bad deal. Wanted me to cut ribbon-NO!” Trump
tweeted.
While the former embassy sat in a tony area of
designer boutiques and expensive restaurants, the
new building is in a former industrial area south
of the River Thames that is being redeveloped
into a new commercial and residential district.
app solutely
we have you covered
Some Walmart
employees get raises,
others to lose their jobs
NEW YORK — For some Walmart employ-
ees, the day brought news of a pay raise. Others
learned they were out of a job.
Walmart said Thursday that it is boosting its
starting salary for U.S. workers and handing out
bonuses. The announcement came as the com-
pany also confirmed it is closing dozens of Sam’s
Club warehouse stores — a move that a union-
backed group estimated could cost thousands of
jobs.
The world’s largest private employer said it
was closing 63 of its 660 Sam’s Clubs over the
next weeks, with some shut already. Up to 12 are
being converted into e-commerce distribution
centers, the company said.
It did not disclose how many people would
lose their jobs, but said some workers may
be placed at other Walmart locations. Making
Change at Walmart, a campaign backed by the
United Food and Commercial Workers Interna-
tional Union, estimates that 150 to 160 people
work at each Sam’s Club store, meaning the clo-
sures could affect about 10,000 people.
Local news reports said Sam’s Clubs stores
were closing in Texas, California, New Jersey,
Ohio, Indiana and Alaska, among other states.
Earlier in the day, Walmart cited the sweeping
Republican tax overhaul that will save it money
in announcing the higher hourly wages, one-time
bonuses and expanded parental benefits that will
affect more than a million hourly workers in the
U.S.
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