North America

WASHINGTON (AP) — For Democrats, the decisions being made of whether to support impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump are personal, gut-wrenching and, at times, starkly political, with fallout in 2020 and beyond.

Some lawmakers worry impeachment will benefit the president, energizing Trump’s supporters and solidifying his campaign, much the way the proceedings against Bill Clinton ended up costing Republicans in 1998.

Others warn that failing to impeach Trump risks deflating Democratic voters they need to turn out in 2020.

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Seasoned combat veterans who described losing comrades and taking war prisoners were questioned Monday as possible jurors in the trial of a decorated Navy SEAL charged with killing a wounded Islamic State captive in Iraq.

All but one of the potential jurors in the court-martial of Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher had served in a war zone and all but two were veterans of conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq.

A jury is likely to be seated Tuesday and opening statements presented, defense lawyer Tim Parlatore said outside court.

WASHINGTON (AP) — When President Donald Trump’s internal polling suggested he was trailing Democrats in crucial states earlier this year, it did what any campaign would do: tried to bury the bad numbers.

When the findings leaked to the media anyway, an infuriated Trump and his aides first disputed the poll’s existence, then tried to dismiss its importance before finally firing some of the pollsters.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. and Iran edged toward a flashpoint Monday as Tehran announced it was breaking compliance with the accord that keeps it from making nuclear weapons and the Trump administration followed by ordering 1,000 more troops to the Middle East.

The body of a 6-year-old girl from India was found this week in a remote desert area in Arizona, just over the US-Mexico border, officials said.

WASHINGTON (AP) — What happens if President Donald Trump carries out his threat to impose tariffs on the remaining $300 billion in Chinese goods that he hasn’t already hit with 25% import taxes?

A New Hampshire fireworks company says it would have to raise prices, likely lose business and force some small towns to cancel their Fourth of July fireworks displays.

A Minnesota motorcycle maker warns that it would lose business to foreign rivals that don’t have to pay taxes on Chinese parts.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is working the phones to convince wary leaders in Asia and Europe that Iran was behind alleged attacks on shipping in a key Middle East oil route — and that it’s a problem for the whole international community to deal with, not just the United States.

While calling U.S. evidence “unmistakable” that Iran was to blame for alleged attacks on two oil tankers last week near the Strait of Hormuz, Pompeo was emphasizing international diplomacy over any possible new U.S. military response in appearances on Sunday news shows.

WASHINGTON (AP) — An eye toward his 2020 campaign, President Donald Trump is turning to a familiar playbook of exaggerated boasts about economic performance and overdrawn complaints about a race tilted against him.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump’s early strength in Florida on the night of the 2016 election was the first sign that he was about to score an upset victory. In an otherwise bleak 2018 for the GOP, the state was again a bright spot for Republicans who won the governor’s mansion and flipped a Senate seat.

But as another campaign heats up, Democrats aren’t ceding the Sunshine State.

17 June 2019; AFP: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo vowed Sunday that the US will guarantee free passage through the vital Strait of Hormuz, as he accused Iran of recent attacks on oil tankers and the downing of a US drone.

Pompeo confirmed in an interview with CBS that a US MQ-9 "Reaper" drone was shot down June 6 with a missile fired from Yemen "that we assess had Iranian assistance."