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NATION/WORLD Thursday, March 29, 2018 East Oregonian Page 7A BRIEFLY Trump is hopeful, but some skeptical ahead of U.S.-N.K. talks AP Photo/Andrew Harnik Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin speaks at a March 7 news conference in Washington. President Donald Trump fired Shulkin Wednesday and tweeted that White House doctor Ronny Jackson is his nominee to be the next Veterans Affairs secretary. Trump fires Veterans Affairs Secretary Shulkin White House physician will be nominated for secretary position By HOPE YEN and ZEKE MILLER Associated Press WASHINGTON — Pres- ident Donald Trump fired Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin on Wednesday and nominated White House doctor Ronny Jackson to replace him in the wake of a bruising ethics scandal and a mounting rebellion within the agency. A Navy rear admiral, Jackson is a surprise choice to succeed Shulkin, a former Obama administration offi- cial and the first non-veteran ever to head the VA. Trump had been considering replace- ments for Shulkin for weeks, but had not been known to be considering Jackson for the role. In a statement, Trump praised Jackson as “highly trained and qualified.” It was a decision that signaled Trump wanted to go with someone he knows and trusts, rather than the candidate with the longest resume, to run a massive agency facing huge bureaucratic challenges. Jackson has served since 2013 as the physician to the president, one of the people AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta White House physician Dr. Ronny Jackson speaks to report- ers on Jan. 16 during the daily press briefing in the Brady press briefing room at the White House in Washington. in closest proximity to Trump day in and day out. His profile rose after he conducted a sweeping press conference about the president’s medical exam in January in which he impressed Trump with his camera-ready demeanor and deft navigation of reporters’ questions as he delivered a rosy depiction of the president’s health, according to a person familiar with the president’s thinking but not authorized to discuss private conversations. The promotion of Jackson marks the latest Trump hire to be driven at least as much by personal familiarity with the president as by his vision for the role. Brigadier General Dr. Richard Tubb, who trained Jackson, said in a letter read at Jackson’s briefing that the doctor had been attached like “Velcro” to Trump since Inauguration Day. “On any given day,” he wrote,”the ‘physician’s office,’ as it is known, is generally the first and last to see the President.” A White House official said Shulkin was informed of his dismissal by Chief of Staff John Kelly before the pres- ident announced the move on Twitter on Wednesday afternoon. Trump had considered several others for the post, including conservative “Fox & Friends” contributor Pete Hegseth. The White House was hopeful Jackson will have a smoother confirmation process because he was chosen for his current posi- tion during former President Barack Obama’s administra- tion. But a major veterans’ orga- nization expressed concern over Shulkin’s dismissal and Trump’s intention to nomi- nate Jackson, whom they worried lacked experience to run the huge department. “We are disappointed and already quite concerned about this nominee,” said Joe Chenelly, the national exec- utive director of AMVETS. “The administration needs to be ready to prove that he’s qualified to run such a massive agency, a $200 billion bureaucracy.” Rep. Phil Roe, chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, said he believed Shulkin did a “fantastic job” and didn’t think he should have been dismissed, but “at the end of the day, cabinet secretaries serve at the plea- sure of the president.” “I respect President Trump’s decision, support the president’s agenda and remain willing to work with anyone committed to doing the right thing on behalf of our nation’s veterans,” Roe said. “I am in the process of reaching out to Dr. Jackson and I look forward to building a strong relationship with him also.” Judge allows Trump foreign gifts case to proceed By STEPHEN BRAUN Associated Press saying “it is a considerable stretch, however, to find the requisite injury-in-fact” to Maryland and D.C. from Trump properties outside of Washington. Despite Messitte’s limited ruling, a watchdog group that has joined the two jurisdic- tions in the lawsuit was quick to hail the judge’s decision. “This is a major step forward for the emoluments litigation,” said Norman Eisen, a former chief ethics lawyer for the Obama administration and chairman of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, also called CREW. Eisen said the decision suggests that states and businesses near Trump enterprises in other parts of the country may also have legal standing to sue. Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh said “we won the first round. It’s a very clear decision that Donald Trump is not above the law and has to be held accountable to the emolu- ments clause.” D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine, tweeted: “We have standing to hold Pres. Trump accountable for violating the Constitution.” It was not immediately clear whether the Trump administration would appeal the ruling. White House spokes- woman Sarah Huckabee Sanders declined to address the issue during an afternoon press briefing, saying “I can’t comment on pending litigation.” Kerri Kupec, a Justice Department spokeswoman, said “we believe this case should be dismissed, and we will continue to defend the president in court.” WASHINGTON — A federal judge Wednesday allowed Maryland and the District of Columbia to proceed with their lawsuit accusing President Donald Trump of accepting uncon- stitutional gifts from foreign interests, but limited the case to the president’s involve- ment with the Trump Interna- tional Hotel in Washington. U.S. District Judge Peter J. Messitte’s ruling dismissed other sections of the lawsuit that raised concerns about the impact of foreign gifts to the president from Trump Organization properties outside of Washington. 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Paid Advertisement Authorized and paid and for paid by for Vote 4 Lou Ogden PAC. Paid Advertisement ments from certain foreign government officials indi- OF EXPERIENCED EXPERIENCED OF cating that they are clearly choosing to stay at the pres- NON NON PARTISAN PARTISAN ident’s hotel because, as one representative of a foreign OTE government has stated, they VOT V E want him to know ‘I love your new hotel,’” Messitte wrote in his 47-page ruling. COMMISSIONER COMMISSIONER But the judge also warned Bureau of Labor Industries Bureau of Labor & & Industries the plaintiffs that their V OTE 4L OU OU O O GDEN GDEN . COM V OTE 4L . COM “claims sweep too broadly,” WASHINGTON (AP) — An enigmatic North Korean leader takes a secretive train trip to China to affirm fraternal ties and declare a commitment to denuclearization. It sounds like Kim Jong Un’s visit this week, but his father and predecessor Kim Jong Il made similar declarations on a trip to Beijing, months before he died in 2011. Yet North Korea’s nuclear weapons development only speeded up. President Donald Trump expressed optimism Wednesday after the younger Kim’s meeting with Chinese President Trump President Xi Jinping, saying there’s “a good chance” that Kim will “do what is right for his people and for humanity.” But there are plenty of reasons to be skeptical that the U.S.-North Korean summit slated for May will produce the breakthrough that Washington wants. After a year of escalating tensions, Trump agreed to talks after South Korean officials relayed that Kim was committed to ridding the Korean Peninsula of nuclear weapons and was willing to halt nuclear and missile tests. That has tamped down fears of war that elevated as Trump and Kim traded threats and insults and North Korea demonstrated it was close to being able to strike the U.S. with a nuclear-tipped missile. Kim’s meeting with Xi offered some reassurance to Washington that “denuclearization” will be up for negotiation if the first summit between American and North Korean leaders in decades of animosity takes place. Ecuador cuts WikiLeaks founder Assange’s internet at embassy QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — Ecuador’s government said Wednesday it has cut off WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s internet connection at the nation’s London embassy after his recent activity on social media decrying the arrest of a Catalan separatist politician. In a statement, officials said Assange’s recent posts “put at risk” the good relations Ecuador maintains with nations throughout Europe and had decided as of Tuesday to suspend his internet access “in order to prevent any potential harm.” Assange has since gone silent on social media. Ecuador granted Assange asylum in the South American nation’s London embassy in 2012, where he has remained cooped up ever since. Ecuador has repeatedly tried to find a solution that would allow Assange to leave without the threat of arrest, but with no success. He remains wanted in Britain for jumping bail and also fears a possible U.S. extradition request based on his leaking of classified State Department documents. Relations between Assange and his host nation have often grown prickly. Ecuador suspended his internet access in 2016 after a WikiLeaks dump targeting Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. And while former President Rafael Correa hailed Assange’s work, the South American country’s current head of state has called him a hacker and warned him not to meddle in politics. As part of an agreement allowing him to stay at Ecuador’s embassy, Assange is forbidden from sending any messages that would interfere with the country’s diplomatic relations other nations. “He violated that agreement,” said Maria Fernanda Espinosa, Ecuador’s minister of foreign affairs. Stormy Daniels seeking Trump’s answers under oath WASHINGTON (AP) — Cranking up pressure on the president, porn actress Stormy Daniels wants Donald Trump to answer her attorney’s questions under oath about a pre-election payment aimed at keeping her quiet about their alleged tryst. If she’s successful, it would be the first deposition of a sitting president since Bill Clinton in 1998 had to answer questions about his conduct with women. Daniels’ attorney, Michael Avenatti, is seeking sworn testimony from Trump and his personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, about a $130,000 payment made to Daniels days before the 2016 presidential election as part of a nondisclosure agreement she is seeking to invalidate. Avenatti filed the motion in U.S. District Court in California on Wednesday. Trump has kept a low profile all week, as has first lady Melania Trump, who is spending the week in Florida. White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Trump had denied the allegations and directed further questions to outside counsel. Cohen’s attorney, David Schwartz, told CBS that the filing was a “reckless use of the legal system.” Despite the pushback, the persistent focus on Daniels is a troubling distraction for a White House already struggling with an exodus of top staffers, a floundering agenda and the looming threat from the Russia investigation. LENT DENTAL Itsuratce *Individual plan. Product not available in MN, MT, NH, NM, RI, VT, WA. Acceptance guaranteed for one insurance policy/certificate of this type. Contact us for complete details about this insurance solicitation. This specific offer is not available in CO, NY; call 1-800-969-4781 or respond for similar offer. 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