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NATION Wednesday, November 22, 2017 AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta Drumstick, Wishbone escape the axe “and, along the way, a few very strange birds. But we have yet to receive any visitors quite like our magnif- icent guest of honor today, Drumstick.” “I’m pleased to report that unlike millions of other turkeys at this time of the year, Drumstick has a very, very bright future ahead of it,” he said. Trump announced that Drumstick “and his friend Wishbone” will spend the rest of their lives on the campus of Virginia Tech, joining Tater and Tot, the two turkeys that were pardoned last year by President Barack Obama. Trump, who has undone numerous Obama initiatives, used the opportunity to poke fun at the former president. “As many of you know, I’ve been very active in overturning a number of executive actions by my predecessor,” Trump said. “However, I have been informed by the White House counsel’s office that Tater and Tot’s pardons cannot, under any circumstances, be revoked. So we’re not going to revoke them. So Tater and Tot, you can rest easy.” Before declaring that Drumstick had been pardoned, Trump took a moment to thank service members and first responders, as well as the public. “This Thursday, as we give thanks for our cherished loved ones, let us also renew our bonds of trust, loyalty and affection between our fellow citizens as members of a proud national family of Americans,” Trump said in the Rose Garden, flanked by his wife and 11-year-old son, Barron. His daughters Ivanka, a senior White House adviser, and Tiffany, a law school student; Ivanka’s husband, Jared Kushner, also a senior White House adviser; and the first lady’s parents also attended the ceremony. Trump was headed later Tuesday to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, where he was spending the holiday with family. Trump will return to a White House that will have been transformed for Christmas by an army of volunteer decorators and florists who will spend the weekend decking its halls. The first lady and Barron on Monday accepted delivery of the official White House Christmas tree. It goes on display in the White House Blue Room. Trump all but endorses GOP’s Moore Questions accusations, but says Senate ‘doesn’t need a liberal’ WASHINGTON (AP) — Silent for more than a week, President Donald Trump all but endorsed embattled Alabama Republican Senate nominee Roy Moore on Tuesday, discounting the sexual assault allegations against him and insisting repeatedly that voters must not support Moore’s “liberal” rival. The president said he would announce next week whether he will campaign for Moore, who faces Democrat Doug Jones in a Dec. 12 special election to fill the seat once held by Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Trump, who won election despite facing more than a dozen accusations of sexual misconduct himself, dismissed questions from reporters about backing a Republican accused of sexual assault over a man who is a Democrat. Trump pointed to Moore’s assertions that he did nothing wrong. “Roy Moore denies it, that’s all I can say,” Trump said. In fact, he repeated 10 times in a 5-minute session outside the White House that the GOP candidate has denied any wrongdoing. Two Alabama women have accused Moore of assault or molestation — including one who says she was 14 at the time — and six others have said he pursued romantic relationships when they were teenagers and he was a deputy district attorney in his 30s. Trump didn’t explicitly say he was endorsing Moore, but he said with emphasis, “We don’t need a liberal person in there. ... We don’t need somebody who’s soft on crime like Jones.” He also noted that the allegations are alleged to have happened decades ago. “Forty years is a long time,” Trump said, ques- tioning why it took so long for Moore’s accusers to come forward. Former Sen. Sessions has said he has no reason to doubt the allegations against Moore, Republican leaders in Washington have called for Moore to leave the race, and the White House has repeat- edly said Trump himself felt Moore would “do the right Page 11A Teen idol David Cassidy, ‘Partridge’ star dies at 67 President Donald Trump with first lady Melania Trump, right, and their son Barron Trump, look at National Thanksgiv- ing Turkey Drumstick after being pardoned by Presi- dent Trump during a ceremony in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, Tuesday. WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump wielded his pardon power Tuesday to spare a pair of turkeys from the Thanks- giving roaster, joking that he would also let last year’s turkey pardons stand despite his penchant for overturning Obama-era orders. In a brief and humorous White House ceremony, Trump extended the annual presidential tradition of pardoning turkeys ahead of Thanksgiving, an act of leni- ency that prolongs the lives of Minnesota-bred gobblers Wishbone and Drumstick, with the latter receiving the formal reprieve. Trump said he and the first lady have welcomed many special visitors to the White House, including world leaders, Congress members East Oregonian AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before leaving the White House, Tuesday in Washington, for a Thanksgiving trip to Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. Democratic Rep. John Conyers confirms harassment settlement; ethics probe opens DETROIT (AP) — John Conyers has dealt with various ethics investigations and a public corruption case that landed his wife in prison during a U.S. House career spanning more than five decades — longer than any other current member. Allegations that the 88-year-old Michigan Democrat sexually harassed female staff members may be the toughest opponent yet for the party’s top member on the House Judiciary Committee. Conyers “He’s not as sharp as he used to be,” said Adolph Mongo, a longtime follower of Detroit politics who has worked on mayoral campaigns. “This is a young person’s game now. You hate to see somebody who has put in 50 years ... go out like this.” Leaders of the House Ethics Committee announced Tuesday that the panel had begun an investigation into Conyers after receiving allegations of sexual harassment and age discrimination involving staff members as well as using “official resources for impermissible personal purposes.” Conyers said he would fully cooperate. News website BuzzFeed reported Monday night that Conyers’ office paid a woman more than $27,000 under a confidentiality agreement to settle a complaint in 2015 that she was fired from his Washington staff because she rejected his sexual advances. BuzzFeed also published affidavits from former staff members who said they had witnessed Conyers touching female staffers inappropriately — rubbing their legs and backs — or requesting sexual favors. One former staffer said one of her duties was “to keep a list of women that I assumed he was having affairs with and call them at his request and, if necessary, have them flown in using Congressional resources.” thing and step aside” if the allegations proved true. But Trump had been publicly silent until Tuesday when he exchanged questions and answers with reporters, shouting to be heard over the noise of his Marine helicopter, waiting to take him to Air Force One, which then flew him to his Mar-a- Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, for Thanksgiving. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan, both Republicans, have called on Moore to leave the race in light of the accusations. The Republican National Committee and the National Republican Senatorial Committee have pulled their support for his campaign. Trump backed incumbent Sen. Luther Strange in a September Republican primary, but moved quickly to embrace Moore after he won. A White House official said Tuesday that Trump’s attack on Jones did not amount to a formal endorse- ment of Moore, only that Trump was communicating that sending the Democrat to Washington would hamper his agenda. Republican leaders briefly explored the possibility of seeking a write-in candidate but have determined those efforts would only increase Jones’ chances by splitting the GOP vote in the Republican state. Sessions has resisted pleas to mount a last-minute campaign for his old seat. The allegations against Moore come amid a national reckoning over misdeeds by powerful men in media, business and politics. Trump said he was “very happy” that women are speaking out about their experiences. “I think it’s a very special time because a lot of things are coming out, and I think that’s good for our society and I think it’s very, very good for women,” he said. More than a dozen women came forward in the waning days of the 2016 presidential election to say that Trump had sexually assaulted or harassed them over the years. He denied it. A tape was also released catching him boasting in 2005 that he could grab women’s private parts with impunity. “When you’re a star, they let you do it,” Trump said. Trump, who has said all of his accusers lied, did not answer why he does not believe Moore’s accusers. Jones, Moore’s senatorial opponent, served as a federal prosecutor in Alabama, where he brought charges against two Ku Klux Klan members over their roles in killing four girls in the 1963 church bombing in Alabama. Jones began airing a new ad Monday that features statements made by Sessions, Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby and first daughter Ivanka Trump responding to the allegations. Shelby, a fellow Repub- lican, said he will “absolutely not” vote for Moore. Ivanka Trump said there’s “a special place in hell” for people who prey on children. NEW YORK (AP) — David Cassidy, the teen and pre-teen idol who starred in the 1970s sitcom “The Partridge Family” and sold millions of records as the musical group’s lead singer, died Tuesday at age 67. Cassidy, who announced earlier this year that he had been diagnosed with dementia, died surrounded by his Cassidy family, a family statement released by publi- cist JoAnn Geffen said. No further details were immediately available, but Geffen said on Saturday that Cassidy was in a Fort Lauderdale, Florida, hospital suffering from organ failure. “David died surrounded by those he loved, with joy in his heart and free from the pain that had gripped him for so long,” the state- ment said. Thank you for the abundance and support you have shown him these many years.” “The Partridge Family” aired from 1970-74 and was a fictional variation of the ‘60s performers the Cowsills, intended at first as a vehicle for Shirley Jones, the Oscar winning actress and Cassidy’s stepmother. Jones played Shirley Partridge, a widow with five children with whom she forms a popular act that travels on a psychedelic bus. The cast also featured Cassidy as eldest son and family heartthrob Keith Partridge; Susan Dey, later of “L.A. Law” fame, as sibling Laurie Partridge and Danny Bonaduce as sibling Danny Partridge. Cassidy would endure personal and financial troubles. He was married and divorced three times, battled alcoholism, was arrested for drunk driving and in 2015 filed for bankruptcy. Cassidy had two children, musician Beau Cassidy and actress Katie Cassidy, with whom he acknowledged having a distant relation- ship. BRIEFLY FBI: Border agent’s death a ‘potential assault,’ may have fallen into culvert DALLAS (AP) — An FBI official said Tuesday that the bureau is investigating the death of a border patrol agent and severe injuries to another as “potential assault,” but he wouldn’t rule out that they could have been hurt in some other way. Special Agent in Charge Emmerson Buie Jr. said during a news conference in El Paso that investigators are still trying to “gather the facts,” but they are currently treating it as an assault on a federal officer. The couched language comes more than two days after U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agent Rogelio Martinez succumbed to traumatic head injuries and broken bones suffered while on duty, and after several politicians portrayed his death as the result of an attack. Martinez died Sunday and his partner, whose name has not been released, was seriously injured. At Tuesday’s news conference, Buie and U.S. Border Patrol Acting Chief Victor Velazquez did not say why they believed the agents may have been attacked. A U.S. official with knowledge of the investigation told the Associated Press Martinez may have fallen into a culvert. FBI investigating U.S. Rep. Brady over payment to challenger PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The FBI says it has reason to believe U.S. Rep. Bob Brady unlawfully concealed a $90,000 payment made by the Philadelphia Democrat’s campaign to get an opponent to quit a 2012 primary race. According to federal court documents unsealed Monday, the FBI requested a search warrant and has obtained one CD of data from an email account belonging to Brady. Brady has not been charged with a crime, but the filings confirm the powerful congressman is under investigation for the payment. His attorney says they’ve already provided the emails to authorities and that Brady has done nothing wrong. The primary opponent and a former aide have pleaded guilty to concealing the payment. Two political consultants also have been charged in the case. Tribe’s marijuana consultant pays fine, court costs SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — A cannabis cultivation expert who was prosecuted in South Dakota after working with a Native American tribe trying to open the nation’s first marijuana resort will see his drug case dismissed. A sentence handed down Tuesday for Jonathan Hunt caps the state’s prosecution of two consultants who worked with the Flandreau Santee Sioux on an ambitious venture that the tribe once dubbed an “adult playground” that could bring in $2 million a month. The plan for a resort north of Sioux Falls was ultimately abandoned after fears of a federal raid culminated with the tribe burning its marijuana crop in 2015. A state judge agreed to Hunt’s request for a suspended imposition of sentence, allowing the case to be dismissed and the record to be sealed after he met the conditions of paying a $500 fine and about $100 in court costs, according to Hunt’s attorney, Clint Sargent. “I feel free,” Hunt told The Associated Press. It’s not too late to get your flu shot! Available for individuals 6 months of age and older. FLU SHOTS AVAILABLE NOW Umatilla County Public Health is dedicated to promoting, protecting, and preserving the health of our community. NOW HIRING NURSES, NPs and PAs! 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