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U.S. NEWS Wednesday 26 July 2017
Trump cranks up heat on Sessions, says “time will tell” fate

“We will see what hap- thus stepped aside from
pens,” Trump said. “Time the probe.
will tell. Time will tell.” As he has previously, Trump
His intensifying criticism has said he would have “quite
fueled speculation that the simply picked someone
attorney general may step else” for the job if he’d
down even if the president known Sessions would re-
stops short of firing him. But cuse himself. He called
several people close to the Sessions’ decision a “bad
former Alabama senator thing for the presidency,”
have said he does not plan changing a word from his
to quit. previous comments that
In private, Trump raged to it had been bad for “the
confidants that Sessions president.” He also said the
had been disloyal in recus- attorney general ought to
ing himself from the federal get cracking on stopping
investigation of Russia’s leaks from federal intelli-
meddling in the presiden- gence agencies.
tial election and the possi- The president’s first broad-
bility of collaboration with side of the day came in a
the Trump campaign. Ses- tweet: “Attorney General
sions himself had met with Jeff Sessions has taken a
Russian Ambassador Ser- VERY weak position on Hill-
In this June 13, 2017 photo, Attorney General Jeff Sessions speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington. gey Kislyak before the elec- ary Clinton crimes (where
Trump’s withering invective about Sessions over the last week suggests an effort to pressure the tion as a representative of are E-mails & DNC server) &
attorney general into resigning .
(AP Photo/Alex Brandon) the Trump campaign and Intel leakers!” q
By JONATHAN LEMIRE his onetime political ally. It
SADIE GURMAN was an extraordinary pub-
Associated Press lic rebuke, and even fellow
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans pushed back
President Donald Trump forcefully.
cranked up the heat Tues- All through a day of any-
day on Attorney General thing-but-subtle tweets
Jeff Sessions, scorning him and statements, Trump
as “very weak” and refus- rued his decision to choose
ing to say whether he’ll Sessions for his Cabinet and
fire the nation’s top law left the former senator’s fu-
enforcement officer and ture prospects dangling.

House decisively passes sanctions
bill seen as curbing Trump’s power

By RICHARD LARDNER The 184-page measure
Associated Press serves as a rebuke of the
WASHINGTON (AP) — Ea- Kremlin’s military aggres-
ger to punish Russia for sion in Ukraine and Syria,
meddling in the 2016 elec- where Russian President
tion, the House on Tuesday Vladimir Putin has backed
overwhelmingly backed President Bashar Assad. It
a new package of sanc- aims to hit Putin and the oli-
tions against Moscow that garchs close to him by tar-
prohibits President Donald geting Russian corruption,
Trump from waiving the human rights abusers, and
penalties without first get- crucial sectors of the Rus-
ting permission from Con- sian economy, including
gress. Lawmakers passed weapons sales and energy
the legislation, 419-3, exports.
clearing the far-reaching “It is well past time that we
measure for action by the forcibly respond,” said Rep.
Senate. If senators move Ed Royce, R-Calif., chair-
quickly, the bill could be man of the House Foreign
ready for Trump’s signa- Affairs Committee.
ture before Congress exits They’ve argued it would
Washington for its regular infringe on the president’s
August recess. The Senate, executive authority and
like the House, is expected tie his hands as he explores
to pass the legislation by a avenues of communica-
veto-proof margin. The bill tion and cooperation be-
also slaps Iran and North tween the two former Cold
Korea with sanctions. War foes.q