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U.S. NEWS Tuesday 25 april 2017
Border wall, health care jeopardize bill days from shutdown

ERICA WERNER ernment by midnight Friday
ANDREW TAYLOR or trigger a partial shut-
Associated Press down the next day, which
WASHINGTON (AP) — Par- happens to coincide with
tisan disputes over health the 100th day of Trump’s
care and President Donald presidency.
Trump’s border wall threw The standoff echoed simi-
must-pass spending legisla- lar spending fights during
tion into jeopardy Monday the Obama administration
days ahead of a govern- when Republicans would
ment shutdown deadline. push to “defund” Obama’s
The border wall money is health law over the objec-
fiercely opposed by Dem- tions of Democrats. Even
ocrats, whose votes are though Republicans now
needed to pass the legisla- control both chambers of
tion, and they are equally Congress and the White
incensed over Trump’s House the dynamics are
threat to deprive former not all that different, given
President Barack Obama’s Democrats still have lever-
health care law of key age and Republicans fear
funds to help poor people. that as the party in charge,
Those were the most press- they would shoulder the
ing unresolved issues con- blame from any shutdown. Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer of New York takes a question during a news confer-
fronting lawmakers as they “I’m optimistic. I don’t think ence on Capitol Hill in Washington. President Donald Trump could avert the risk of a government
returned from a two-week anybody wants a shut- shutdown next weekend by stepping back from his demand that lawmakers fund his promised
border wall with Mexico in a must-pass spending bill, Congress’ two top Democrats said Monday,
spring recess to face a down,” said Sen. Roy Blunt, April 24, 2017.
critical deadline. Con- R-Mo., who said there are (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
gress must pass a $1 trillion just a handful of unresolved
catch-all spending bill to issues on the core package
pay for all agencies of gov- of spending bills. q

In call to Trump, Chinese leader
urges restraint over North Korea

MATTHEW PENNINGTON “unacceptable” and the
Associated Press council must be prepared
WASHINGTON (AP) — As to impose additional and
the world braces for a pos- stronger sanctions.
sible North Korean nuclear “This is a real threat to the
test, Chinese President Xi world, whether we want to
Jinping on Monday urged talk about it or not. North
restraint in a call to Presi- Korea is a big world prob-
dent Donald Trump. Ameri- lem, and it’s a problem we
can’s U.N. envoy warned have to finally solve. Peo-
of a strike if Pyongyang at- ple have put blindfolds on
tacks a U.S. military base for decades, and now it’s
or tests an intercontinental time to solve the problem,”
ballistic missile. he said at the White House.
Xi’s phone call with Trump Xi told Trump that China
came amid signs Pyong- strongly opposes North
yang could soon conduct Korea’s nuclear weapons
its sixth nuclear test explo- program, which violates
sion since 2006, or the lat- U.N. Security Council reso-
est in a rapid series of mis- lutions, and hopes “all par-
sile tests, further advancing ties will exercise restraint
its ambitions of developing and avoid aggravating the
a nuclear-tipped missile situation” on the Korean
that could reach the U.S. Peninsula, China’s official
mainland. In Washington, broadcaster CCTV said.
the Trump administration The USS Carl Vinson air-
invited the entire 100-mem- craft carrier and ships in
ber Senate for a briefing the strike group accom-
Wednesday on the esca- panying it are continuing
lating crisis. Adding to the to move toward the South
atmosphere of animosity, Korea region, after com-
officials said North Korea pleting a short naval exer-
has detained a third U.S. cise with Japanese ships in
citizen. Trump told ambas- the Philippine Sea. But the
sadors from U.N. Security ships are probably several
Council members that the days from arriving in the
status quo in North Korea is region.q