Stocks Post Strong Finish              02/15 16:02

   The Dow Jones Industrial Average surged more than 400 points Friday as 
renewed optimism over trade talks between the U.S. and China put investors in a 
buying mood.

   (AP) -- The Dow Jones Industrial Average surged more than 400 points Friday 
as renewed optimism over trade talks between the U.S. and China put investors 
in a buying mood.

   The rally marked a turnaround from a day earlier, when disappointing holiday 
sales data led to a modest sell-off. Friday's gains helped push the benchmark 
S&P 500 index to its third-consecutive weekly gain.

   Financial, health care, technology and industrial stocks accounted for much 
of the broad wave of buying. U.S. markets will be closed Monday in observance 
of Presidents Day.

   Two days of trade talks wrapped up Friday in Beijing. China's government 
said negotiators will meet in Washington next week for more negotiations aimed 
at ending the trade war between the world's largest economies.

   A March 2 deadline hangs over both sides, after which the U.S. is set to 
impose additional tariffs on Chinese goods, escalating a trade dispute that has 
already raised costs for companies and consumers. President Donald Trump has 
said that there is a possibility he would extend that deadline if the two 
countries are close to a deal, however.

   Wall Street has been encouraged by the signals that Chinese and U.S. 
officials have sent in the latest round of trade talks that began Monday.

   That's given investors "hopefulness and maybe optimism surrounding some sort 
of resolution between the U.S. and China," said Willie Delwiche, investment 
strategist at Baird. "And maybe (both sides) keep talking and maybe delaying 
the implementation of the tariffs that are supposed to come into effect" on 
March 2, Delwiche said, "so, it's evidence of progress."

   The S&P 500 index gained 29.87 points, or 1.1 percent, to 2,775.60. The Dow 
climbed 443.86 points, or 1.7 percent, to 25,883.25.

   The Nasdaq composite rose 45.46 points, or 0.6 percent, to 7,472.41. The 
Russell 2000 index of smaller companies picked up 24.14 points, or 1.6 percent, 
to 1,569.25. Major European indexes also finished higher, as did gold and crude 
oil prices.

   Markets moved higher for most of this week as investors grew more optimistic 
that the latest round of talks could move the U.S. and China closer to a 
resolution of their trade fight.

   On Friday, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer told Chinese 
President Xi Jinping negotiators "made headway" in talks this week in Beijing.

   Economists said this week's two days of talks were too brief to resolve the 
sprawling dispute that extends to cyber-spying and China's trade surplus. They 
said Beijing is trying to persuade Trump enough progress is being made to 
postpone the penalties.

   The Trump administration raised tariffs in July over complaints Beijing 
steals or pressures companies to hand over technology. The White House imposed 
25 percent penalties on $50 billion of goods from China and 10 percent on $200 
billion of other products. China retaliated by raising duties on American 
soybeans and other imports and ordering its companies to find other suppliers.

   While the trade conflict remains a focus of the market, a resolution may not 
be enough to ease a growing sense among investors that the global economy is 
slowing, setting the stage for weaker corporate earnings growth this year, 
Delwiche said.

   "I'm not one to think that getting this trade deal done is going to all of a 
sudden clear up a bunch of uncertainty around the economy, particularly the 
global economy," he said. "We need to see some evidence that the global economy 
is stabilizing. That's really where you're getting the downward pressure on 
earnings expectations."

   So far, S&P 500 companies have reported 13.1 percent earnings growth for the 
October-December quarter, better than the 12.1 percent gain projected by 
analysts. But the outlook for earnings growth in the first three months of 2019 
has dimmed. Analysts forecast that corporate profits will fall in the current 
quarter, according to FactSet. That would represent the first decline in nearly 
three years.

   Corporate earnings continued rolling out Friday as the fourth-quarter 
reporting period nears an end.

   Chipmaker Nvidia rose 1.8 percent after reporting a strong fourth-quarter 
profit. Despite a downturn in revenue, the company expects demand to increase 
this year. Its forecast for the year topped Wall Street's forecasts.

   Nvidia has been hurt by a plunge in demand from the cryptocurrency sector 
and lower video game console sales.

   Snack and beverage giant PepsiCo gained 2.9 percent despite reporting 
relatively soft fourth-quarter results. Much like rival Coca-Cola on Thursday, 
the company gave investors a weak forecast for the year as it faces a stronger 
dollar. Unlike its rival, PepsiCo announced $8 billion in stock buy backs and a 
round of cost cuts.

   Agricultural equipment maker Deere slid 2.1 percent after warning that 
farmers are buying less new equipment because of the ongoing trade war between 
the U.S. and China. The company gave investors a mixed fourth-quarter report, 
with profit falling short and revenue beating forecasts.

   Newell Brands plunged 20.9 percent. The loss of retailer Toys R US hurt the 
company's core sales. Newell makes a range of baby products that were carried 
by the now defunct Babies R US.

   Mattel tumbled 18.3 percent after the toy maker issued a 
weaker-than-expected 2019 revenue outlook. The maker of Barbies and Hot Wheels 
named a new CEO last April and has launched a plan to restructure the company. 
Last week, Mattel reported that it swung to a profit in the last three months 
of 2018, but revenue was down 5 percent.

   U.S. benchmark crude climbed 2.2 percent to settle at $55.59 a barrel in New 
York. Brent crude, the standard for international oil prices, gained 2.6 
percent to close at $66.25 a barrel in London.

   Bond prices fell. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose to 2.67 
percent from 2.65 percent late Thursday. That yield is used to set rates on 
mortgages and other kinds of loans.

   The dollar fell to 110.45 yen from 110.49 yen on Thursday. The euro weakened 
to $1.1295 from $1.1301.

   Gold rose 0.6 percent to $1,322.10 an ounce. Silver gained 1.4 percent to 
$15.74 an ounce. Copper added 0.9 percent to $2.80 a pound.

   In other energy futures trading, wholesale gasoline climbed 4.3 percent to 
$1.57 a gallon. Heating oil rose 2.5 percent to $2.02 a gallon. Natural gas 
gained 2 percent to $2.63 per 1,000 cubic feet. 


(BE)

Mexico:Makeshift Shelter to Close Soon 02/17 10:05

   An improvised shelter where hundreds of Central American migrants have been 
confined in the border city of Piedras Negras, across from Eagle Pass, Texas, 
will close next week, authorities said Saturday.

   PIEDRAS NEGRAS, Mexico (AP) -- An improvised shelter where hundreds of 
Central American migrants have been confined in the border city of Piedras 
Negras, across from Eagle Pass, Texas, will close next week, authorities said 
Saturday.

   Coahuila State Public Safety Secretary Jose Luis Pliego said the shelter in 
an abandoned factory has served its purpose, which was to provide attention to 
the migrants and process their migratory status.

   It is expected to close Wednesday, and authorities have begun taking some 
migrants to neighboring states such as Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas to be 
incorporated into the workforce while others may seek other options to try to 
cross into the United States.

   Pliego said about 1,500 now have papers that let them move freely in Mexico. 
Some 400 have already been taken to other states, and about 70 were deported to 
their home countries for purportedly disturbing the peace.

   "Given the conditions we have right now, the advances in registrations, the 
advances in providing documents" and the fact that many who were ill when they 
arrived have been or are being treated, Pliego said, "the purpose of the 
shelter has practically concluded."

   Soldiers in camouflage and body armor formed a perimeter outside the 
facility on Saturday, resting casually on riot shields, as migrants milled 
about on the other side of the yellow chain-link fence. A helicopter buzzed 
overhead, some boarded buses to be transported elsewhere.

   On Wednesday police and migrants scuffled briefly at the building, which was 
ringed by officers and soldiers, because they were not being allowed outside. 
Video of the images showed some migrants tearing down a temporary awning and 
trying to wrestle metal barricades from police.

   Some migrants still at the shelter said they were not being allowed to come 
and go despite holding the permits, and they hope to leave as soon as possible 
for fear of possible deportation.

   "I don't feel safe here," said Donaldo, a Honduran migrant who declined to 
give his last name for fear of possible reprisals in Mexico or back home. He 
added that officials had torn up the credentials of some people and that was 
the cause of the Wednesday's disturbance.

   A field officer with the Texas-based refugee advocacy group Raices has 
spoken of "prison"-like conditions inside.

   The migrants have wanted to appear at the U.S. border to apply for asylum, 
but only about a dozen per day have been allowed to do so.

   Pliego said he was aware of another possible migrant caravan from Honduras, 
but it was not clear where it would head once in Mexico.

   Some previous caravans have made for the border city of Tijuana, where there 
is a long waiting list for asylum seekers to be allowed to present their case.


(KA)

Reform Embraced in Chicago Mayor Race  02/17 10:08

   CHICAGO (AP) -- Reform is not a concept usually embraced by Chicago 
politicians known for their patronage, but after corruption charges were filed 
against a powerful alderman and a court got involved in overseeing the city's 
troubled police department, the word is now on the lips of the 14 candidates 
running for mayor.

   Those looking to succeed retiring Mayor Rahm Emanuel include veteran 
politicians--- some with legacy ties --- businessmen, former prosecutors and 
community activists. The Feb. 26 election will almost certainly lead to a 
runoff: If none of the candidates receives more than 50 percent of the vote, 
the top two vote-getters will face off April 2. Although a nonpartisan 
election, most of the candidates have links to the Democratic Party. The 
Republican Party has virtually disappeared from the city.

   The variety of candidates reflects the many issues facing Chicago's next 
mayor: poor neighborhoods in need of investment, overwhelming pension debt, 
low-performing public schools and a crime rate that is often pointed to as 
among the nation's worst.

   But the issue taking center stage is the need to change how business is 
conducted at City Hall. For some that means an end to pay-to-play, paying off 
influential politicians in order to do business in the city.

   Former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas has taken to showing up at 
events with a broom, saying it's part of his mission of "sweeping corruption 
out of City Hall."

   "There's nothing Chicago politicians fear more than this broom," Vallas says 
in a campaign ad that shows him sweeping cash off the floor of City Hall.

   Nothing crystalized the reform issue like the federal fraud charges filed 
last month against powerful Democratic alderman Edward Burke, a 50-year veteran 
and former chairman of the City Council's Finance Committee. Authorities say a 
wiretap on Burke's cellphone captured him pressuring executives of a fast-food 
chain to hire his law firm in exchange for help with permits to renovate a 
restaurant.

   The corruption charges roiled the mayor's race. Four early favorites have 
ties to Burke and have since tried to distance themselves.

   Burke raised $116,000 for Toni Preckwinkle for her re-election as Cook 
County Board president in 2018. Burke also contributed nearly $13,000 to 
Preckwinkle's mayoral campaign, which she has since donated to charity. Burke's 
son, in the Chicago tradition, was placed in a $100,000 county job, which he 
has since quit.

   Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza had Burke's backing in her climb through 
Democratic Party ranks. She is also close to Alderman Danny Solis, who wore a 
wire to help federal investigators build their cases against Burke.

   Burke also is a longtime supporter of former Chicago Public Schools CEO Gery 
Chico. Burke once said of Chico that there is "probably nobody more qualified 
than he is."

   William Daley has admitted, without being specific, to having "a political 
relationship with Ed for years."

   Daley is the son of the legendary Mayor Richard J. Daley. It was the 1955 
election of the elder Daley that prompted saloonkeeper and Alderman Mathias 
"Paddy" Bauler to blurt, "Chicago ain't ready for reform yet."

   The effort by William Daley and the others to distance themselves from Burke 
has aroused the ire of candidate and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Lori 
Lightfoot.

   "It's like cockroaches --- there's a light that's shined on them. They 
scramble. Initially, they're silent. Then, they try to say, 'Not me. Not me.' 
Then, when they get caught, they finally stand up and do something," Lightfoot 
said.

   Despite his family's history, Daley, whose older brother, Richard M. Daley, 
held the office from 1989 to 2011, isn't deterred from proclaiming himself a 
reformer. He proposes reducing the size of the 50-member City Council by more 
than half. His media commercials note he served, like Emanuel, as former 
President Barack Obama's chief of staff.

   "Some can make the claim of being a reformer and others are blowing smoke in 
the face of the people," DePaul University political scientist Larry Bennett, 
who supports Lightfoot, said of the Democratic Party stalwarts running in the 
race.

   Reforming the city's police department is a job the winning candidate can't 
dodge. A consent decree approved last month by U.S. District Judge Robert Dow 
Jr. is aimed at tightening supervision, improving training and fixing the 
department's disciplinary system.

   The decree is the most consequential aftereffect of the 2014 fatal shooting 
of black teenager Laquan McDonald by former officer Jason Van Dyke. A video of 
the shooting sparked demonstrations and resulted in Van Dyke's murder 
conviction. Illinois' attorney general sued the city to force the court's 
involvement after years of inaction by the City Council, which dealt with 
systemic police misconduct in recent years by approving millions of dollars in 
lawsuit settlements.

   Finances are also a major issue the next mayor will have to tackle. The city 
has seen increasing debt and budget shortfalls --- and must double the city's 
contribution to four city employee pension funds over the next five years, to 
$1 billion.

   Politicians who have run for mayor with reform as their platform have failed 
in the past because many voters still believe the city needs someone who, with 
a whisper here and a handshake there, can get streets fixed, a library built or 
a development approved, notes political consultant Delmarie Cobb.

   "Each of the candidates has baggage, some more than others," she said. "It's 
going to require us as voters to look at the candidates and ... where they 
stood on the issues. The voters have to ...  determine when did this (belief in 
reform) happen."


(KA)

WH: Trump Would Veto Congress Vote     02/17 10:09

   A top adviser to President Donald Trump indicated Sunday that Trump is 
prepared to issue the first veto of his term if Congress votes to disapprove of 
his declaration of a national emergency along the U.S.-Mexico border.

   WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- A top adviser to President Donald Trump 
indicated Sunday that Trump is prepared to issue the first veto of his term if 
Congress votes to disapprove of his declaration of a national emergency along 
the U.S.-Mexico border.

   White House senior adviser Stephen Miller told "Fox News Sunday" that "the 
president is going to protect his national emergency declaration." Asked if 
that meant Trump was ready to veto, Miller added, "He's going to protect his 
national emergency declaration, guaranteed."

   Trump declared the emergency Friday in an effort to go around Congress to 
fund his border wall. It would allow him to move federal dollars earmarked for 
military construction to the border --- but is already facing legal and 
political challenges.

   California Attorney General Xavier Becerra told ABC's "This Week" that his 
state would sue "imminently" to block the order, after the American Civil 
Liberties Union and the nonprofit watchdog group Public Citizen announced 
Friday they were taking legal action.

   Democrats are planning to introduce a resolution disapproving of the 
declaration once Congress returns to session and it is likely to pass Congress. 
Several Republican senators are already indicating they would vote against 
Trump --- though there do not yet appear to be enough votes to override a veto 
by the president.

   The White House's Miller insisted that Congress granted the president wide 
berth under the National Emergencies Act to take action. But Trump's 
declaration goes beyond previous emergencies in shifting money after Congress 
blocked his funding request for the wall, which will likely factor in legal 
challenges.

   Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., told CBS's "Face the Nation" that he believes 
Congress needs to act to "defend" its powers of the purse.

   "I do think that we should not set the terrible precedent of letting a 
president declare a national emergency simply as a way of getting around the 
congressional appropriations process," he said.

   Trump ally Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, told ABC that he believes there are 
enough GOP votes to prevent the supermajorities required to override a veto.

   "I think there are plenty of votes in the House to make sure that there's no 
override of the president's veto," he said. "So it's going to be settled in 
court, we'll have to wait and see."


(KA)

IL Shooting Raises Gun Check Questions 02/17 10:11

   AURORA, Ill. (AP) -- An initial background check five years ago failed to 
flag an out-of-state felony conviction that would have prevented a man from 
buying the gun he used to kill five co-workers and wound six other people, 
including five responding police officers, at a suburban Chicago manufacturing 
plant, authorities say.

   Gary Martin, who was killed in a shootout with officers Friday, ending his 
deadly rampage at the Henry Pratt Co. in Aurora, was issued a firearm owner's 
identification card in January 2014 after a background check failed to show a 
1995 aggravated assault conviction in Mississippi, Aurora police Chief Kristen 
Ziman said Saturday.

   He bought the Smith and Wesson handgun he used in Friday's attack two months 
later, on March 11, 2014, she said. Five days after that, he applied for a 
concealed carry permit, which included a more rigorous background check that 
used digital fingerprinting and that did flag his Mississippi felony 
conviction, which led the Illinois State Police to revoke his permit.

   "Absolutely, he was not supposed to be in possession of a firearm," Ziman 
said.

   Martin was able to keep his gun despite losing his permit, raising questions 
about what, if anything, the state did to get him to relinquish it.

   Authorities said Saturday that Martin pulled out the gun and began shooting 
right after hearing he was being fired from his job of 15 years at the 
industrial valve manufacturer.

   Martin killed the other three people in the room with him and two others 
just outside, Ziman said. Among those killed was a college student starting a 
human resources internship at the plant that day. Martin also wounded a sixth 
worker --- who is expected to survive --- before police began arriving, drawing 
his attention toward them.

   After wounding five officers and with law enforcement from throughout the 
region pouring in to help, Martin ran off and hid in the back of the building, 
where officers found him about an hour later and killed him during an exchange 
of gunfire, police said. All of the wounded officers are expected to live.

   "He was probably waiting for us to get to him there," police Lt. Rick 
Robertson said. "It was just a very short gunfight and it was over, so he was 
basically in the back waiting for us and fired upon us and our officers fired."

   Martin, 45, was no stranger to police in Aurora, where he had been arrested 
six times over the years for what Ziman described as "traffic and domestic 
battery-related issues" and for violating an order of protection.

   Scott Hall, president and CEO of Mueller Water Products Inc., which owns 
Henry Pratt, said at a news conference Saturday that Martin was being fired 
"for a culmination of various workplace rules violations," though he didn't 
elaborate.

   He said a company background check of Martin when he joined Henry Pratt 15 
years ago did not turn up the 1995 felony conviction in Mississippi.

   A vigil was planned for Sunday in Aurora, which is about 40 miles (65 
kilometers) west of Chicago and is Illinois' second-largest city, with about 
200,000 people.

   Police identified the slain workers as human resources manager Clayton Parks 
of Elgin; plant manager Josh Pinkard of Oswego; mold operator Russell Beyer of 
Yorkville; stock room attendant and fork lift operator Vicente Juarez of 
Oswego; and Trevor Wehner, the new intern and a Northern Illinois University 
student who lived in DeKalb and grew up in Sheridan.

   It was Wehner's first day on the job, his uncle Jay Wehner told The 
Associated Press. Trevor Wehner, 21, was on the dean's list at NIU's business 
college and was on track to graduate in May with a degree in human resource 
management.

   "He always, always was happy. I have no bad words for him. He was a 
wonderful person. You can't say anything but nice things about him," Jay Wehner 
said of his nephew.


(KA)

US Planes Land Near Venezuela With Aid 02/17 10:12

   CUCUTA, Colombia (AP) -- The U.S. military airlifted tons of humanitarian 
aid to a Colombian town on the Venezuelan border Saturday as part of an effort 
meant to undermine socialist President Nicolas Maduro and back his rival for 
the leadership of the South American nation.

   Three scheduled Air Force C-17 cargo planes that took off from Homestead Air 
Reserve Base in Florida had landed in Cucuta. That border city, swollen by a 
flood of migrants from Venezuela, is a collection point for aid that's supposed 
to be distributed by supporters of Juan Guaido, the congressional leader who is 
recognized by the U.S. and many other nations as Venezuela's legitimate 
president. He has called for the aid.

   "This wasn't the first, and it won't be the last," said USAID Administrator 
Mark Green, standing on the tarmac in Cucuta at a ceremony to receive the aid. 
"More is on the way."

   Commercial planes had been used for earlier shipments of aid, which is aimed 
at dramatizing the economic crisis --- including hyperinflation and shortages 
of food and medicine --- gripping Venezuela. Critics say last year's 
re-election was fraudulent, making Maduro's second term illegal.

   "We are saving lives with these airplanes," said Lestor Toledo, an exiled 
politician who is coordinating the international aid effort for Guaido.

   Maduro has been using the military, which remains loyal, to help him block 
the aid from entering Venezuela, describing it as "crumbs" from a U.S. 
government whose restrictions have  stripped his administration of control over 
many of its most valuable assets.

   "They hang us, steal our money and then say 'here, grab these crumbs' and 
make a global show out of it," Maduro told The Associated Press on Thursday. 
"With dignity we say 'No to the global show.' Whoever wants to help Venezuela 
is welcome, but we have enough capacity to pay for everything that we need."

   His vice president has alleged, without evidence, that the aid packages are 
contaminated. Green on Saturday called the allegations "absurd."

   Saturday's 180-ton shipment includes high-energy food products or hygiene 
kids of soap, toothpaste and other goods for more than 25,000 people.

   Guaido spoke to a crowd of supporters gathered in eastern Caracas on 
Saturday and vowed to form caravans of activists to reach the border and bring 
in aid on Jan. 23. He also called for people to gather in cities across the 
country to receive the aid --- and called for the armed forces to allow it into 
the country.

   In the crowd was Anibrez Peroza, a 40-year-old nurse, who said she was ready 
if necessary to go to Cucuta in a caravan to bring in the aid.

   "We have to do something to save so many people who are suffering and dying 
for lack of medicine," she said. Peroza wept as she described a dehydrated 
child dying in her arms for lack of a catheter to rehydrate him.

   The U.S. and widespread European recognition of Guaido complicates Maduro's 
efforts to find funds to keep his government, and its own food programs, 
running.

   The U.S. has placed Venezuela's U.S. assets, including oil company Citgo, 
under Guaido's control and bans financial transactions by Maduro-controlled 
entities. Scores of Venezuelan officials also face personal financial sanctions 
in the United States.


(KA)

Shanahan:Border Wall Amount Not Decided02/17 10:15

   WASHINGTON (AP) -- The acting secretary of defense said Saturday he has not 
yet determined how much money he will redirect to President Donald Trump's 
border wall project.

   Pat Shanahan, who has been leading the Pentagon since Jim Mattis stepped 
down Dec. 31, made the comment in an interview with reporters flying with him 
from Germany to Washington.

   Shanahan said he has a great deal of discretion in deciding how to use the 
authorities granted to him by Trump's declaration Friday of a national 
emergency.

   The former Boeing executive said he would be working out details starting 
Sunday, emphasizing that his mission is to support the border security needs of 
the Department of Homeland Security.

   The White House said before Trump's announcement that the border project, 
which is opposed by Democrats, would receive $3.6 billion that Congress 
originally provided for military construction projects and $2.5 billion from 
the Pentagon's 2019 drug interdiction program.

   Shanahan, however, indicated that he has the discretion to provide less, 
although he said the $3.6 billion figure is likely to prove correct. He 
stressed that he has not yet made any decisions.

   "You can trust the numbers," he said, referring to the $3.6 billion and $2.5 
billion, "in terms of the potential." Ultimately, the amounts will be 
determined by linking the available funds to specific border security projects, 
he said, adding that those connections are not yet complete.

   The law allowing a repurposing of military construction funds during a 
national emergency says the secretary of defense is authorized "to determine 
whether border barriers are necessary to support the use of the armed forces" 
in an emergency.

   Asked whether this means he can decide whether a wall is militarily 
necessary, he said, "For us the determination will be made in coordination with 
the Department of Homeland Security." He said later, "There have been no 
determinations by me."

   He also said the staff that supports the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the 
Pentagon has been working out a "mission analysis" of border security needs, 
including a recommendation on where barriers should be prioritized. This work 
began some time ago in anticipation of a possible Trump emergency declaration.

   "I will go in and review that analysis now that an emergency has been 
declared," he said, adding later: "Very deliberately, we have not made any 
decisions. We have identified the steps we would take to make those decisions. 
... We don't want to fumble through this process" or take false steps.

   A defense official said later that Shanahan is scheduled to be briefed in 
coming days by the military service secretaries and his internal staff on 
funding sources and likely project priorities. The official spoke to reporters 
on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

   Shanahan said he was aware of the political hazards of diverting military 
construction money from high-priority areas like military housing, suggesting 
he would attempt to avoid that.

   Rep. Mac Thornberry of Texas, the top Republican on the House Armed Services 
Committee, said before Trump's announcement that while he favors spending more 
on border security, he opposes diverting "significant" sums from the Pentagon 
budget.

   "Doing so would have detrimental consequences for our troops as military 
infrastructure was one of the accounts most deprived during the Obama-era 
defense cuts," Thornberry said on Thursday. "And it would undercut one of the 
most significant accomplishments of the last two years - beginning to repair 
and rebuild our military. I hope that the president will pursue other options."

   Shanahan was returning to Washington after a week of travel in Europe and 
the Middle East. It was his first trip abroad as the acting secretary of 
defense. He visited Afghanistan and Iraq, then attended a NATO defense 
ministers meeting in Brussels before winding up his trip by meeting Friday and 
Saturday with numerous officials during the annual Munich Security Conference.

   He said he was pleased with his reception by the NATO allies, who have been 
harshly criticized by Trump for not spending enough on defense.

   "I felt very welcomed," he said, "and it was a very inclusive environment. I 
was expecting something else." Asked what he had expected, he said, "I was 
expecting them to be a bit more stand-offish" --- an apparent reference to the 
shock some allies felt when Mattis resigned in protest of Trump's approach to 
world affairs, including his denigration of allies.


(KA)

Dems Focus on Early-Voting States      02/17 10:16

   Democratic presidential candidates are courting voters in states with 
influential early roles in the 2020 primary as the busy pace of campaigning 
over the holiday weekend shows that the contest to challenge President Donald 
Trump is fully underway.

   (AP) -- Democratic presidential candidates are courting voters in states 
with influential early roles in the 2020 primary as the busy pace of 
campaigning over the holiday weekend shows that the contest to challenge 
President Donald Trump is fully underway.

   The brisk pace of the candidates' stops Sunday in New Hampshire, Iowa and 
Nevada points to the up-for-grabs state of the race in its early stages. And 
Congress' Presidents Day recess gives the senators already running some extra 
time to promote their agendas.

   Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey is continuing his swing through New 
Hampshire. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota is set to visit Iowa. And Sen. 
Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts plans to be in Nevada, the first Western 
state to vote in the primary.

   Booker told voters on Saturday there are a "lot of pathways" to achieving 
universal health coverage and that just lowering Medicare eligibility to age 55 
would be "a step in the right direction." A backer of "Medicare for all", 
Booker said the idea's proponents are "going to have to find ways to advance 
the ball given the Congress that we have" as they work to win support.

   Klobuchar, after appearances in Minnesota and Wisconsin, is taking her case 
for Midwestern neighborly appeal to the state that opens voting with its 
caucuses.

   Warren heads to the West after campaigning in the South on Saturday. She met 
with an estimated 800 voters in Greenville, South Carolina, before heading to 
Georgia for an early appearance that signals Democratic hopes to make inroads 
in the South.

   Sen. Kamala Harris of California is due in New Hampshire on Monday following 
a two-day stop in South Carolina. At a town hall in West Columbia on Saturday, 
Harris said she believes this moment is a time "that we need fighters on stage 
who know how to fight --- I do --- and who have a proven desire to lead."

   Three high-profile potential candidates --- former Vice President Joe Biden, 
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke --- remain on 
the sidelines for now.


(CZ)