Page 8A
NATION/WORLD
East Oregonian
Friday, July 28, 2017
Deaths in Venezuela unrest hit 102 as polarizing vote nears
CARACAS, Venezuela
(AP) — Days before a polar-
izing vote to start rewriting
its constitution, Venezuela
is convulsing to a rhythm of
daytime strikes and nocturnal
clashes. The most recent
violence drove the death toll
from nearly four months of
unrest above 100 Thursday.
Most of the dead in
anti-government protests that
began in early April have been
young men killed by gunfire.
The toll also includes looters,
police allegedly attacked
by protesters and civilians
killed in accidents related
to roadblocks set up during
demonstrations.
The count by the county’s
chief prosecutor has been
highly politicized, with the
opposition and other govern-
ment agencies reporting
varying tolls and causes of
death that focus blame on the
other side.
When Neomar Lander,
17, was rushed bloody and
AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos
Pedestrians walk past closed shops and a barricade set
up by demonstrators on the second day of a 48-hour
general strike in protest of government plans to re-
write the constitution, in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday.
lifeless to a hospital in early
June, officials came out within
hours to say he had been
killed by a homemade bomb
he was carrying. Opposition
leaders maintained he was hit
by a canister of tear gas fired
by National Guard troops
standing above the bridge
where he was found dead.
“They try to question the
humanity of the other side as
a political tactic, and I think
that ends up discouraging
and dismaying people,”
said David Smilde, a Tulane
University expert on Vene-
zuela.
The
protests
began
following a Supreme Court
ruling that stripped the oppo-
sition-controlled
National
Assembly of its remaining
powers. Though quickly
reversed, the decision ignited
a protest movement against
socialist President Nicolas
Maduro fueled by anger over
triple-digit inflation, hours-
long lines to buy basic food
items and deadly medical
shortages.
Addressing a multitude
of government supporters
dressed in red Thursday,
Maduro called on Venezu-
elans to vote in Sunday’s
controversial election for
delegates to an assembly that
is to rewrite the constitution.
He posed the vote as a
choice that Venezuelans must
make between being either “a
free country or a colony of the
empire” — Maduro’s term for
the United States.
Earlier, officials announced
a host of security measures
that were being enacted
including an order that no
political protests be held
between through Tuesday.
The opposition called for
a mass demonstration in
Caracas on Friday, raising the
potential for further clashes
amid the rising tensions.
Washington ordered relatives
of U.S. diplomats to leave the
Venezuelan capital ahead of
the divisive vote.
Opposition leaders are
urging Venezuelans to boycott
the vote, saying the election
rules were rigged to guarantee
Maduro a majority and
arguing that a new constitution
could replace democracy with
a single-party authoritarian
system.
The mounting deaths of
demonstrators have now
become a separate source of
outrage for the young people
who march during the day
and assemble nightly to fight
police officers and national
guardsmen at improvised
barricades across the country.
“The ones who have fallen
fighting repression motivate us
to keep fighting,” said Sandra
Fernandez, a 21-year-old
university student.
The country’s chief pros-
ecutor reported Thursday on
Twitter that a 16-year-old was
killed at a protest in the capital
overnight and a 23-year-old
man died at a demonstration
in Merida state. A 49-year-old
man in Carababo, west of
Caracas, was reported killed
during a protest Thursday
afternoon, and a 16-year-old
died from a head wound
suffered Wednesday at a
protest in the capital.
The four killings pushed
the death toll of the political
crisis to 102. The oil-rich
South American country,
which was in the second day
of a two-day general strike
that shuttered businesses
nationwide, has also seen
thousands of injuries and
arrests.
BRIEFLY
House GOP passes $788 billion bill for
Pentagon, border wall
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House passed a $788 billion
spending bill Thursday that combines a $1.6 billion down
payment for President Donald Trump’s controversial border
wall with Mexico with a whopping budget increase for the
Pentagon.
The 235-192 vote both eases a large backlog of
unfinished spending bills and gives Trump and his House
GOP allies political wins heading into the August recess.
Challenging hurdles remain in front of the measure,
however, which will meet with more powerful Democratic
opposition in the Senate.
The 326-page measure would make good on longtime
GOP promises to reverse an erosion in military readiness. It
would give veterans programs a 5 percent increase and fund a
2.4 percent military pay raise.
GOP leaders used the popularity of the Pentagon and
veterans programs to power through Trump’s border wall.
“Every single dime the President requested to start
building a wall on our southern border he’s going to get,”
said House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. “Most
importantly, we’re sending more to the VA to fix veterans’
health care and reform outdated VA systems.”
Russia sanctions bill exposes Trump’s
legislative tug of war
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is likely
to sign a tough new sanctions bill that includes proposed
measures targeting Russia — a remarkable concession that the
president has yet to sell his party on his hopes for forging a
warmer relationship with Moscow.
Trump’s vow to extend a hand of cooperation to Russian
President Vladimir Putin has been met with resistance as
skeptical lawmakers look to limit the executive power’s
leeway to go easy on Moscow over its meddling in the 2016
presidential election.
The Senate voted decisively on Thursday to approve the
new package of financial sanctions against Russia, Iran and
North Korea two days after the House pushed the measure
through by an overwhelming margin.
The proposed measures target Russia’s energy sector as
part of legislation that prevents Trump from easing sanctions
on Moscow without congressional approval.
Two administration officials say that Trump is likely to
sign the bill, despite last-minute wrangling over language and
bureaucracy. Faced with near-unanimous bipartisan support
for the bill in both the House and Senate, the president finds
his hands are tied, according to two administration officials
and two advisers with knowledge of the discussions.
Boy Scout leader apologizes
for Trump’s political rhetoric
NEW YORK (AP) — The Boy Scouts’ chief executive
apologized Thursday to members of the scouting community
who were offended by the aggressive political rhetoric in
President Donald Trump’s recent speech to the Scouts’
national jamboree.
The apology came in a statement from Chief Scout
Executive Michael Surbaugh, three days after Trump’s speech
to nearly 40,000 scouts and adults gathered in West Virginia.
Other U.S. presidents have delivered nonpolitical speeches
at past jamborees. To the dismay of many parents and
former scouts, Trump, a Republican, promoted his political
agenda and derided his rivals, inducing some of the scouts
in attendance to boo at the mention of Barack Obama, his
Democratic predecessor.
“I want to extend my sincere apologies to those in our
Scouting family who were offended by the political rhetoric
that was inserted into the jamboree,” Surbaugh said. “That
was never our intent... We sincerely regret that politics were
inserted into the Scouting program.”
Surbaugh noted that every sitting president since 1937 has
been invited to visit the jamboree.
NO HIDDEN FEES
PLUS
UNLIMITED DATA
FOR JUST $40/MO.
– With 4 lines –
Plus Unlimited Talk and Text,
including Mexico and Canada.
uscellular.com/nohiddenfees
Taxes and certain charges such as RCRF and USF apply.
ESTATE
AUCTION
JULY 30 • 1:00pm
TH
12:00pm preview
Hermiston Conference Center
415 S. Hwy 395, Hermiston, Oregon
Vintage Coca-Cola, artwork, antique
rockers, office furniture, wicker furniture,
tools, firearms, couches, cast iron dining
table & chairs, Arabia dishes, Wild Goose
cabinet, curio, lithographs, vintage cameras,
cast iron bank, gold rings, platinum &
diamond wedding set, gold watch, jewelry.
For pictures, see
MBZ Liquidations on Facebook
Mike - 541-571-6280
Ford Bonney Auctioneer
Things we want you to know: Total Plan and Retail Installment Contract for Smartphone and basic phone purchases or Customer Service Agreement with a two-year initial term (subject to a pro-rated $150 Early
Termination Fee for modems and hotspot devices and a $350 Early Termination Fee for Tablets) required. Credit approval also required. Pricing is per line/per month. A Regulatory Cost Recovery Fee (currently
$2.02) applies; this is not a tax or gvmt. required charge. Additional charges, taxes, terms, conditions and coverage areas may apply and vary by plan, service and phone. Auto Pay/Paperless Billing required.
Unlimited Data Plans will stream at standard-definition speeds and will automatically shift to 2G when each line reaches 22GB. 2GB and 6GB data plans will stream at high-definition speeds and will automatically
shift to 2G when each line reaches the plan’s high-speed allotment. Offers valid at participating locations only and cannot be combined. Kansas Customers: In areas in which U.S. Cellular ® receives support from
the Federal Universal Service Fund, all reasonable requests for service must be met. Unresolved questions concerning services availability can be directed to the Kansas Corporation Commission Office of Public
Affairs and Consumer Protection at 1-800-662-0027. Limited-time offer. Trademarks and trade names are the property of their respective owners. See uscellular.com or an associate for details. ©2017 U.S. Cellular