Voters vent frustration, disappointment with Washington, elected officials

ABC News contributor Frank Luntz held a focus group with Democratic and Republican voters to understand how they feel about the state of politics heading into the midterms.

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Russian FM says US trying to 'divide Syria into parts'

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia's foreign minister said Saturday the United States is trying to divide Syria.

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Armenia opposition stages show of force ahead of PM vote

Supporters of Armenia's opposition leader Nikol Pashinyan rallied in the capital on Sunday, hoping that a massive show of force two days ahead of a parliamentary vote will help propel him to power. "The victory of the velvet revolution is irreversible," Pashinyan told the ecstatic crowd chanting "Nikol Prime Minister". Pashinyan, who needs a handful of votes from lawmakers to become the country's next premier, saw his chances boosted Sunday when a senior lawmaker said the ruling Republican Party would not stand in the way of his candidacy.

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Rep. Gohmert reacts to recovered Strzok-Page text messages

Recovered FBI text messages were delivered to congressional committees; House Judiciary Committee member Rep. Louie Gohmert reacts on 'Fox & Friends.'

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Iran says U.S.-Saudi cooperation to destabilize Mideast: state TV

ANKARA (Reuters) - Iran said on Monday cooperation between Saudi Arabia and the United States will further destabilize the Middle East, a senior official said, adding that Tehran will continue its presence in the region despite Washington's pressure to limit its influence.

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Donald Trump Demands Democratic Senator Quit In Saturday Morning Twitter Rant

President Donald Trump kickstarted his weekend by launching a blistering

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Stage Set for Trump’s Meeting with Kim Jong Un

The president shared updates about his forthcoming summit with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, saying he spoke with the leaders of South Korea and Japan, and that the meeting’s time and location are being set.

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Duterte permanently bans Filipinos going to work in Kuwait after maid found stuffed in freezer

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday said the temporary ban on Filipinos going to work in Kuwait is now permanent, intensifying a diplomatic standoff over the treatment of migrant workers in the Gulf nation. Mr Duterte in February imposed a prohibition on workers heading to Kuwait following the murder of a Filipina maid whose body was found stuffed in a freezer in the Gulf state. The crisis deepened after Kuwaiti authorities last week ordered Manila's envoy to leave the country over videos of Philippine embassy staff helping workers in Kuwait flee allegedly abusive employers. The two nations had been negotiating a labour deal that Philippine officials said could result in the lifting of the ban but the recent escalation in tensions has put an agreement in doubt. "The ban stays permanently. There will be no more recruitment for especially domestic helpers. No more," Mr Duterte told reporters in the southern city of Davao. There was no immediate response from Kuwait, where around 262,000 Filipinos are employed - nearly 60 percent of them as domestic workers, according to the Philippines' foreign department. Last week the Philippines apologised over the rescue videos but Kuwaiti officials announced they were expelling Manila's ambassador and recalling their own envoy from the Southeast Asian nation. In quotes | Rodrigo Duterte, President of the Philippines Kuwait also detained four Filipinos hired by the Philippine embassy and issued arrest warrants against three diplomatic personnel, Manila said. Mr Duterte on Sunday described the treatment of workers in Kuwait as a "calamity". He said he would bring home Filipina maids who suffered abuse as he appealed to workers who wanted to stay in the oil-rich state. "I would like to address to their patriotism: come home. No matter how poor we are, we will survive. The economy is doing good and we are short of our workers," he said. About 10 million Filipinos work abroad, seeking high-paying jobs they are unable to find at home, and their remittances are a major pillar of the Philippine economy. The Philippine government has for decades hailed overseas workers as modern heroes but advocacy groups have highlighted the social cost of migration, tearing families apart and making Filipinos vulnerable to abuse. Mr Duterte lashed out at Kuwait in February, alleging Arab employers routinely rape Filipina workers, force them to work 21 hours a day and feed them scraps. However after the latest row, Mr Duterte used a conciliatory tone as he addressed the "diplomatic ruckus" on Saturday. "Apparently it seems as if they have anger against Filipinos ... I do not want to send (workers) because apparently you do not like Filipinos," he said in a speech before Filipinos in Singapore. "Just do not hurt them. I plead that they'd be given a treatment deserving of a human being," he said in the same event.

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Syrian army, Islamic State wage fierce battle in south Damascus

The Syrian army and its allies engaged in a fierce battle on Saturday with Islamic State fighters in an enclave south of Damascus held by the jihadist group. Reuters witnesses, a war monitor and state television reported intense fighting including artillery bombardment and small arms fire. The army had made broad advances, said state television.

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Nicaragua student protesters put conditions on talks

University students at the forefront of anti-government unrest in Nicaragua on Saturday issued conditions for talks with the government of President Daniel Ortega. In a bid to calm the situation, 72-year-old veteran leader Ortega has agreed to hold talks, but the framework has not yet been defined. The students told a news conference in Managua that their demands must be met for them to take part.

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Modi-Xi talks highlight India-China rivalry, cooperation

BEIJING (AP) — The leaders of China and India stressed the importance of close ties in talks Saturday, against the background of their rivalry for leadership in Asia and the potential for cooperation on economic and security matters.

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Israeli military kills three Palestinians along Gaza Strip border

Israeli troops shot and killed three Palestinians along the border with the Gaza Strip in two separate incidents on Sunday, the Israeli military said. The shootings follow a month of violence along the Israel-Gaza border, where Palestinians have been holding protests every Friday pressing for the right of return for refugees and their descendants to what is now Israel. In the first incident on Sunday, two men "attempted to infiltrate" into Israel from the southern Gaza Strip, the military said in a statement.

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Danish national first to be convicted under Malaysia's fake news law

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - A Malaysian court convicted a Danish citizen on Monday for inaccurate criticism of police on social media, the first person to be prosecuted under a new law against fake news.

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North Korea’s ‘Complete Denuclearization’ pledge raises questions after summit

The leaders of North Korea and South Korea committed to the idea of a nuclear-free region in Friday’s historic summit, but U.S. officials want proof that Kim Jong Un will get rid of his weapons.

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Southwest Airlines sued after woman claims post-traumatic stress disorder following fatal engine explosion

A passenger on a Southwest Airlines flight that made an emergency landing after an engine burst apart is suing the company, saying she has been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder sparked by the carriers’ alleged negligence. Lilia Chavez was sitting three rows behind the window that was shattered by shrapnel from the exploding engine. Ms Chavez, a California native, has argued in her federally filed lawsuit that she has been suffering from PTSD, depression and other personal injuries since the fateful flight.

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Detractors deride Duterte for asking Filipinos to leave Kuwait

By Neil Jerome Morales MANILA (Reuters) - A Philippine labor group and a senator accused President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday of gambling with the livelihoods of tens of thousands of Filipinos in Kuwait, after he asked them to come home amid a diplomatic dispute over reported labor abuse. The Philippines and the Gulf Arab state are embroiled in a row over what Duterte says is a pattern of mistreatment of domestic workers by Kuwaiti employers. The Philippine ambassador has been asked to leave following attempts by embassy workers to "rescue" distressed workers there, which Kuwait says is a breach of its sovereignty.

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Kim Jong-un: North Korea to allow foreign experts to witness nuclear site closure in May

North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un has said that he will dismantle his country’s main nuclear testing site in May and invited South Korean and US experts, and journalists to view the process. The dictator’s pledge was made to Moon Jae-in, South Korea’s prime minister, during their historic talks on Friday, according to Mr Moon’s spokesman. As well as promising to close the Punggye-ri bomb testing site Kim said he would change North Korea’s time zone by half an hour, reverting it to match South Korea’s. Reports of the pledge came as senior White House figures spoke optimistically about hopes for full North Korean denuclearisation. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who held secret talks with Kim in Easter when he was still head of the CIA, said the US has an "obligation" to pursue a diplomatic solution with North Korea. In an interview with ABC news, he said the US must "engage in diplomatic discourse to try and find a peaceful solution so that Americans aren't held at risk by Kim Jong Un and his nuclear arsenal". Rocket man: How Kim Jong-un emerged from his father's shadow to silence the doubters Kim and Mr Moon, meeting in a ‘truce village’ between their countries’ borders on Friday, pledged to work towards the “complete denuclearisation” of the Korean peninsular. The meeting, which some analysts have criticised for not producing a timetable or firm plans for denuclearisation, came ahead of Kim’s scheduled talk with US President Donald Trump, expected within the next few weeks. According to a team of Chinese geologists the Punggye-ri site may not be usable anyway, having suffered a land collapse following North Korea’s sixth nuclear bomb test in September 2017. However, Yoon Young-chan, Mr Moon's spokesman said that Kim claimed that the site still had new tunnels “in a very good condition”. On Sunday Mr Yoon quoted Kim as saying: “Once we start talking, the United States will know that I am not a person to launch nuclear weapons at South Korea, the Pacific or the United States… if we maintain frequent meetings and build trust with the United States and receive promises for an end to the war and a non-aggression treaty, then why would be need to live in difficulty by keeping our nuclear weapons?” Analysts have cast doubt over the meaningfulness of Kim’s pledges. Before Friday’s talks Jeffrey Lewis, director East Asia Nonproliferation Program at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, said that Kim did not need the Punggye-ri site, and could “shift big tests to neighbouring mountains”. Korean detente How did we get here? Professor Tong Zhu, fellow in the Nuclear Policy Program at Beijing’s Carnegie–Tsinghua Center for Global Policy, told The Telegraph: “There is no way that North Korea is going to give up its nuclear deterrent capability.” “North Korea worked so hard to obtain that capability in the first place. Its primary objective is to keep its nuclear capabilities, then the next priority is to address the negative consequences resulting from its nuclear development. Then to develop a normal relationship with the rest of the international community.” On Sunday John Bolton, the US National Security Adviser, was asked by Fox News if the US making concessions to North Korea, such as easing sanctions, would require Kim to fully give up his nuclear weapons. "We have very much in mind the Libya model from 2003, 2004,” he replied. Mr Bolton was referring to Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi allowing US and UK weapons inspectors to view and help dismantle the Libya’s nuclear and chemical weapons programmes around that time. Gaddafi’s move followed years of sanctions against Libya, but many US government officials claimed that the 2003 US invasion of Iraq was the biggest influence for him denuclearising. Analysts have argued that Kim sees the fate of Gadaffi, who was toppled from power then killed in the Libyan civil war in 2011 after US forces attacked troops loyal to him, as a cautionary tale. Others have said that Mr Trump's recent threats to scrap the Iran nuclear deal, will make North Korea nervous about US promises. Addressing the concerns, Mr Pompeo said last night/SUN: "I don't think Kim Jong Un is staring at the Iran deal and saying, 'Oh goodness, if they get out of that, I won't talk to the Americans any more,’. There are higher priorities that he is more concerned about than whether or not the Americans stay in the [Iran deal]." With the clock ticking towards the historic Trump-Kim meeting, on Sunday Mr Yoon also suggested that Kim’s decision to alter North Korea’s time zone to match South Korea’s was made when he saw two wall clocks in a summit room showing different times for the two countries. Mr Yoon said that Kim found it “heartbreaking” seeing the un-matched clock hands. In August 2015 North Korea announced a new ‘Pyongyang time’ zone for the country, which was half an hour before Japan and South Korea’s time zone. The move was made to symbolically distance North Korea from Japan, which occupied the country from 1910 until 1945. Pope Francis last night/SUN lauded Kim and Mr Moon for their "brave commitment... to follow a sincere path to peace towards a Korean peninsula free of nuclear weapons."

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Syria regime, US-backed forces in deadly clashes: monitor

Rare clashes broke out on Sunday between Syrian regime forces and a US-backed alliance in the east of the country, killing a total of 15 combatants, a war monitor said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said the clashes in Deir Ezzor province killed nine pro-regime fighters and six members of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces. State news agency SANA said the army seized control of four villages in the eastern province, where the Kurdish-led SDF alliance has been fighting the Islamic State jihadist group.

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Armenia opposition stages show of force ahead of PM vote

Supporters of Armenia's opposition leader Nikol Pashinyan rallied in the capital on Sunday, hoping that a massive show of force two days ahead of a parliamentary vote will help propel him to power. "The victory of the velvet revolution is irreversible," Pashinyan told the ecstatic crowd chanting "Nikol Prime Minister". Pashinyan, who needs a handful of votes from lawmakers to become the country's next premier, saw his chances boosted Sunday when a senior lawmaker said the ruling Republican Party would not stand in the way of his candidacy.

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Rep. Gohmert reacts to recovered Strzok-Page text messages

Recovered FBI text messages were delivered to congressional committees; House Judiciary Committee member Rep. Louie Gohmert reacts on 'Fox & Friends.'

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Russian FM says US trying to 'divide Syria into parts'

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia's foreign minister said Saturday the United States is trying to divide Syria.

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Stephen Colbert Reveals Evil Genius Plan To Avoid 'Avengers: Infinity War' Spoilers

Stephen Colbert doesn't want fellow "Avengers: Infinity War" superfans ruining

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Morning rush hour blasts kill 25 in Afghan capital

KABUL (Reuters) - Twin blasts in the Afghan capital Kabul killed 25 people on Monday, including journalists who had arrived to report on the first explosion and who were apparently targeted by a suicide bomber in a second attack, officials said.

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Arizona police officer shot by carjacking suspect dies

NOGALES, Ariz. (AP) — A police officer in the Arizona border city of Nogales was killed after he tried to stop a carjacking suspect.

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'American Fair' — Pamela Littky documents an enduring tradition

The essence of the American fair has not changed much over the past century. As the social and cultural fabric of the United States has evolved considerably, the fairs continue to draw attendance from wide swaths of the heartland, providing a place for far-flung citizens of a county or state to maintain community and celebrate elements of their culture that recall some of the most nostalgic American ideals. Pamela Littky traveled thousands of miles across the country capturing the sights of these important seasonal markers for so many communities. Idyllic portraits of farmers and rope-and-ride spectators accompany portraits and tableaux that evoke undertones of apprehension and uncertainty.

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Syrian state TV says successive blasts heard in Hama province

AMMAN (Reuters) - Syrian state television said on Sunday successive blasts were heard in rural Hama province and that authorities were investigating the cause. State television did not give a location for the explosions but two residents contacted in eastern Hama countryside said the blasts came from a military base reported to be used by Iranian-backed forces. Israel has repeatedly hit Iranian-backed militia outposts in Syria. ...

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Palestinians vote on aging leadership as Abbas tightens grip

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — The top-tier leadership group of the PLO— average age 70 — is up for election for the first time in over two decades, when hundreds of delegates attend a West Bank convention this week.

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Trump Claims He Wants To Help Dreamers. Time To Put Up Or Shut Up.

The Trump administration was dealt yet another blow to its un-American

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Fox News Reporter: Sarah Huckabee Sanders Deserves Apology After Press Dinner

Fox News reporter Ed Henry said White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee

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Duterte permanently bans Filipinos going to work in Kuwait after maid found stuffed in freezer

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday said the temporary ban on Filipinos going to work in Kuwait is now permanent, intensifying a diplomatic standoff over the treatment of migrant workers in the Gulf nation. Mr Duterte in February imposed a prohibition on workers heading to Kuwait following the murder of a Filipina maid whose body was found stuffed in a freezer in the Gulf state. The crisis deepened after Kuwaiti authorities last week ordered Manila's envoy to leave the country over videos of Philippine embassy staff helping workers in Kuwait flee allegedly abusive employers. The two nations had been negotiating a labour deal that Philippine officials said could result in the lifting of the ban but the recent escalation in tensions has put an agreement in doubt. "The ban stays permanently. There will be no more recruitment for especially domestic helpers. No more," Mr Duterte told reporters in the southern city of Davao. There was no immediate response from Kuwait, where around 262,000 Filipinos are employed - nearly 60 percent of them as domestic workers, according to the Philippines' foreign department. Last week the Philippines apologised over the rescue videos but Kuwaiti officials announced they were expelling Manila's ambassador and recalling their own envoy from the Southeast Asian nation. In quotes | Rodrigo Duterte, President of the Philippines Kuwait also detained four Filipinos hired by the Philippine embassy and issued arrest warrants against three diplomatic personnel, Manila said. Mr Duterte on Sunday described the treatment of workers in Kuwait as a "calamity". He said he would bring home Filipina maids who suffered abuse as he appealed to workers who wanted to stay in the oil-rich state. "I would like to address to their patriotism: come home. No matter how poor we are, we will survive. The economy is doing good and we are short of our workers," he said. About 10 million Filipinos work abroad, seeking high-paying jobs they are unable to find at home, and their remittances are a major pillar of the Philippine economy. The Philippine government has for decades hailed overseas workers as modern heroes but advocacy groups have highlighted the social cost of migration, tearing families apart and making Filipinos vulnerable to abuse. Mr Duterte lashed out at Kuwait in February, alleging Arab employers routinely rape Filipina workers, force them to work 21 hours a day and feed them scraps. However after the latest row, Mr Duterte used a conciliatory tone as he addressed the "diplomatic ruckus" on Saturday. "Apparently it seems as if they have anger against Filipinos ... I do not want to send (workers) because apparently you do not like Filipinos," he said in a speech before Filipinos in Singapore. "Just do not hurt them. I plead that they'd be given a treatment deserving of a human being," he said in the same event.

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Russia, Turkey, Iran stress unity at Syria talks

Moscow (AFP) - Russian, Iranian and Turkish foreign ministers on Saturday talked up their successes in brokering a political solution to the Syrian conflict at a meeting in Moscow.

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Israeli says 3 Palestinian infiltrators from Gaza killed

Israeli troops fatally shot two Palestinians who infiltrated the country from Gaza and attacked soldiers with explosives Sunday night, and in a separate incident killed another Palestinian who tried to ...

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Thousands march to demand justice as Nicaragua protest toll hits 43

Thousands of Nicaraguans marched peacefully through the capital Managua on Saturday in a mass demonstration to demand justice following the violent suppression of a wave of protests that left 43 people dead. During the rally, which was called by the Catholic church, Managua's bishop issued a deadline of one month to see if there was a serious intention to achieve change through a national dialogue aimed at resolving issues that triggered the country's worst unrest in 11 years. The rally took place just hours after university students at the forefront of anti-government unrest issued conditions for talks with the government of embattled President Daniel Ortega.

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Confident Pompeo makes Middle East diplomatic debut

Washington's newly appointed secretary of state landed in Riyadh Saturday on a tour of America's key Middle East allies, after vowing to bring some "swagger" back to US diplomacy. Mike Pompeo touched down in Saudi Arabia shortly after authorities in the kingdom said they had intercepted four missiles fired at the south of the country by Yemeni rebels, underlining the tensions in the region. The Saudi capital is the first stop on a three-day trip that will also take him to Israel and Jordan to update friends on President Donald Trump's plans for the Iran nuclear deal.

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Rep. Gohmert reacts to recovered Strzok-Page text messages

Recovered FBI text messages were delivered to congressional committees; House Judiciary Committee member Rep. Louie Gohmert reacts on 'Fox & Friends.'

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Kim Jong Un and Moon Jae-in meet for historic inter-Korean summit

North Korea's state news agency on Saturday called the inter-Korean summit a turning point for the Korean peninsula, while President Donald Trump said he would maintain sanctions pressure on Pyongyang ahead of his own unprecedented meeting with Kim Jong Un.

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Syrian army renews push on besieged areas

BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Syrian army began an intense bombardment of a rebel enclave near Homs on Monday, a war monitor said, as President Bashar al-Assad pushed to recapture all the remaining areas his forces have besieged.

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North Korea’s ‘Complete Denuclearization’ pledge raises questions after summit

The leaders of North Korea and South Korea committed to the idea of a nuclear-free region in Friday’s historic summit, but U.S. officials want proof that Kim Jong Un will get rid of his weapons.

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