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4A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2018 WORLD IN BRIEF Associated Press Democratic senators sue over Whitaker’s appointment as AG WASHINGTON — Three Senate Democrats filed a lawsuit today arguing that Acting Attor- ney General Matthew Whitaker’s appointment is unconstitutional and asking a federal judge to remove him. The suit, filed by Sens. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Mazie Hirono of Hawaii and Shel- don Whitehouse of Rhode Island, argues that Whitaker’s appointment violates the Constitution because he has not been confirmed by the Senate. Whitaker was chief of staff to Attorney Gen- eral Jeff Sessions and was elevated to the top job after Sessions was ousted by President Donald Trump on Nov. 7. The Constitution’s Appointments Clause requires that the Senate confirm all principal offi- cials before they can serve in their office. The Justice Department released a legal opin- ion last week that said Whitaker’s appointment would not violate the clause because he is serv- ing in an acting capacity. The opinion concluded that Whitaker, even without Senate confirmation, may serve in an acting capacity because he has been at the department for more than a year at a “sufficiently senior pay level.” “President Trump is denying senators our constitutional obligation and opportunity to do our job: scrutinizing the nomination of our nation’s top law enforcement official,” Blumen- thal said in a statement. “The reason is simple: Whitaker would never pass the advice and con- sent test. In selecting a so-called ‘constitutional nobody’ and thwarting every senator’s constitu- tional duty, Trump leaves us no choice but to seek recourse through the courts.” Yemeni rebels say they will halt rocket fire at Saudi Arabia SANAA, Yemen — Yemen’s Shiite rebels said today that they will halt rocket fire into Saudi Arabia for the sake of peace efforts, answering a key Saudi demand in the latest push to stop the civil war in the Arab world’s poorest country. But the rebels also said they had fired a bal- listic missile into Saudi Arabia overnight in response to an attempted border incursion and a Saudi airstrike, and that they reserved the right to respond to attacks. For the past three years, a U.S.-backed, Sau- di-led coalition has been waging war against the Iran-aligned rebels, known as Houthis, to restore Yemen’s internationally recognized government. The rebels say they have long been excluded AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd Demonstrators clash with police outside a migrant shelter Sunday as they protest the presence of thousands of Central American migrants in Tijuana, Mexico. Tijuana protesters chant ‘Out!’ at migrants camped in city TIJUANA, Mexico — Hundreds of Tijuana residents congregated around a monument in an affluent section of the city south of California on Sunday to protest the thousands of Central American migrants who have arrived via caravan in hopes of a new life in the U.S. Tensions have built as nearly 3,000 migrants from the caravan poured into Tijuana in recent days after more than a month on the road, and with many more months ahead of them while they seek asylum. The federal government estimates the number of migrants could soon swell to 10,000. U.S. border inspectors are processing only about 100 asylum claims a day at Tijuana’s main crossing to San Diego. Asylum seekers register their names in a tattered notebook managed by migrants themselves that had more than 3,000 names even before the caravan arrived. On Sunday, displeased Tijuana residents waved Mexican flags, sang the Mexican national anthem and chanted “Out! Out!” in front of a statue of the Aztec ruler Cuauhtemoc, 1 mile from the U.S. border. They accused the migrants of being messy, ungrateful and a danger to Tijuana. They also complained about how the caravan forced its way into Mexico, calling it an “inva- sion.” And they voiced worries that their taxes might be spent to care for the group. Most of the migrants who have reached Tijuana via caravan in recent days set out more than a month ago from Honduras, a country of 9 million people. Dozens of migrants in the caravan have said they left their country after death threats. But the journey has been hard, and many have turned around. Alden Rivera, the Honduran ambassador in Mexico, said Saturday that 1,800 Hondurans have returned to their country since the caravan first set out on Oct. 13, and that he hopes more will make that decision. from that government and aim to rectify historic grievances. The Houthis swept down from north- ern Yemen in 2014 and captured the capital, Sanaa, with the help of forces loyal to longtime strongman Ali Abdullah Saleh, who had been forced from power by an Arab Spring-inspired popular uprising. Saleh was killed in internal fighting between the Houthis and their allies last year. The government fled Sanaa in early 2015, and Saudi Arabia, citing fears that its nemesis Iran was trying to make inroads on the Arabian Penin- sula, began launching airstrikes against the rebels in March of that year. Florida recount ends, Nelson concedes Senate race to Scott TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Sen. Bill Nelson, a Florida political icon who first arrived on Capitol Hill in the decades when Democrats dominated this presidential battleground state, conceded his bitterly close re-election bid to Republican Rick Scott on Sunday after a bruising recount left Nel- son thousands of votes short of the outgoing governor. Nelson gave up his quest after days of tense and often acrimonious recounting wrapped up at midday Sunday, when Florida’s counties had to turn in their official results. Florida will not offi- cially certify the final results until Tuesday, but the totals showed Nelson trailing Scott by more than 10,000 votes. The close of nearly two weeks of high polit- ical drama in the presidential swing state likely spelled the end of the political career of the 76-year-old Nelson. First elected to the U.S. House 40 years ago, Nelson had been a Demo- cratic survivor in an era when Republicans swept to power in Florida in the ‘90s. He was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2000 and was mak- ing his fourth bid at Senate re-election. A Florida native with a distinct twang, Nel- son fought a hard race against Scott, a multimil- lionaire businessman and relative newcomer to the state who had been urged to run by President Donald Trump. A Scott victory will help Repub- licans boost their Senate majority. This marked the third time Scott, who did not jump into politics until eight years ago, has barely edged a Democratic rival. Nelson was seen as a moderate, rarely mak- ing waves or gaining much national exposure as he focused on Florida-specific issues. One of his more notable moments came when he flew on Space Shuttle Columbia while serving in Congress. Acrimonious Pacific summit underscores China-US tensions PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea — Pacific Rim leaders at a key Asian sum- mit failed to reach agreement on a joint decla- ration on world trade for the first time in nearly three decades, highlighting the growing tensions between China and the U.S. The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit’s acrimony also underscored the rivalry between China and the West for influence in the South Pacific, where Beijing has been wooing impoverished island states with aid and loans. The 21 APEC nations, which account for 60 percent of the world economy, struggled at the two-day summit in Papua New Guinea to bridge their differences over the role of the World Trade Organization, which governs international trade, officials said. Draft versions of the declaration showed the U.S wanted strong language against unfair trade practices that it accuses China of conducting. China wanted a reaffirmation of opposition to protectionism and unilateralism that it says the U.S. is engaging in. ‘‘ Word of mouth goes a long way through our coffee stand window, but when we need an extra boost to reach the community we know The Daily Astorian can bridge that gap. April is always helpful when coming up with fresh ideas too. Our main priority is the benefit to local community with fun and rewarding specials. The Daily Astorian is our way of getting those promotions to our customers. Mary Freiurger The Human Bean-Seaside REACH NEW CUSTOMERS! n Drive More Business n Find New Customers n Marketing assistance from print/digital experts n Gain Exposure. Over 10,000 Clatsop county readers every day Talk to our customer success team today! 503.325.3211 95 Hamburg Ave Astoria (503) 325-4341 T HE D AILY A STORIAN
