Page 12 The Skanner May 10, 2017
News
Trump Firing Comey
Shrouds Russia Probe in
Doubt, Turmoil
WASHINGTON (AP) — President
Donald Trump’s stunning firing of
FBI Director James Comey throws into
question the future of a counterintel-
ligence investigation into the Trump
campaign’s possible connections to
Russia and immediately raised suspi-
cions of an underhanded effort to sty-
mie a probe that has shadowed the ad-
ministration from the outset.
Democrats likened Tuesday’s ouster
to President Richard Nixon’s “Saturday
Night Massacre” and renewed calls for
the appointment of a special prosecu-
tor, and some Republicans also ques-
tioned the move.
In his letter to Comey, Trump said the
firing was necessary to restore “public
trust and confidence” in the FBI. The
administration paired the letter with
a scathing review by Deputy Attorney
General Rod Rosenstein of how Comey
handled the investigation into Demo-
crat Hillary Clinton’s email practices,
including his decision to hold a news
conference announcing its findings
and releasing “derogatory informa-
tion” about Clinton.
While Comey has drawn anger from
Democrats since he reopened the email
investigation in the closing days of last
year’s campaign, they didn’t buy that
justification for his firing Tuesday. Sev-
eral Republicans joined them in raising
alarms of how it could affect probes
into possible coordination between
Trump associates and Russia to influ-
ence the 2016 presidential election.
Trump will now appoint a successor
at the FBI, which has been investigating
since late July, and who will almost cer-
tainly have an impact on how the inves-
tigation moves forward and whether
the public will accept its outcome.
Tunnel Collapse Latest
Safety Issue at Nuclear Site
RICHLAND, Wash. (AP) — The col-
lapse of an underground tunnel con-
taining radioactive waste that forced
workers at the Hanford Nuclear Res-
ervation to shelter in place is the latest
incident to raise safety concerns at the
sprawling site that made plutonium for
nuclear bombs for decades after World
War II.
Officials detected no release of ra-
diation Tuesday and no workers
were injured, said Randy Bradbury, a
spokesman for the Washington state
Department of Ecology.
No workers were inside the tunnel
when it collapsed, causing soil on the
surface above to sink 2 to 4 feet (half
to 1.2 meters) over a 400 square foot (37
square meters) area, officials said.
The tunnels are hundreds of feet long,
with about 8 feet (2.4 meters) of soil
covering them, the U.S. Department of
Energy said.
The anti-nuclear group Beyond Nu-
clear said the incident helped show “ra-
dioactive waste management is out of
control.”
AP PHOTO/CAROLYN KASTER, FILE
World News Briefs
S. Korea’s Leader
Willing to Visit
North, Talk to US,
China
SEOUL, South Korea (AP)
— New South Korean Pres-
ident Moon Jae-in said as
he took office Wednesday
that he was open to visit-
ing rival North Korea un-
der the right conditions
to talk about Pyongyang’s
aggressive pursuit of nucle- In this May 3 file photo, FBI Director James Comey listens on
Capitol Hill in Washington. President Donald Trump has fired
ar-tipped missiles.
Moon’s softer stance on Comey. In a statement on Tuesday, May 9, Trump says Comey’s
North Korea could create firing “will mark a new beginning” for the FBI.
friction with Washington,
which has swung from
diately to Washington. I will go to Bei-
threats of military action to
hints of dialogue as it seeks to formu- jing and I will go to Tokyo. If the condi-
late a policy under President Donald tions shape up, I will go to Pyongyang,”
Moon said.
Trump.
South Korea’s first liberal leader in a
decade, Moon also said he’ll “sincere- Trump to Meet Top
ly negotiate” with the United States,
Seoul’s top ally, and China, South Ko- Russian Diplomat at the
rea’s top trading partner, over the con- White House
tentious deployment of an advanced
WASHINGTON (AP) — President
U.S. missile-defense system in south- Donald Trump will meet Wednesday
ern South Korea. The system has an- with Vladimir Putin’s top diplomat at
gered Beijing, which says its powerful the White House, officials say, marking
radars allow Washington to spy on its the highest level, face-to-face contact
own military operations.
with Russia of the American leader’s
In a speech at the National Assembly, young presidency. It would also signal
Moon pledged to work for peace on the that the two countries have improved
Korean Peninsula amid growing wor- ties that Trump recently described as
ry over the North’s expanding nuclear being at an “all-time low.”
weapons and missiles program.
Trump’s talks with Russian Foreign
“I will quickly move to solve the crisis Minister Sergey Lavrov will take place
in national security. I am willing to go after the Russian’s meetings earlier in
anywhere for the peace of the Korean
Peninsula — if needed, I will fly imme-
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