Mitt Romney won't back Justin Amash in call for Trump impeachment

President attacks first Republican to call for impeachmentNo holds Barred: Trump pushes for imperial presidency President-elect Donald Trump and Mitt Romney dine in New York in November 2016. Photograph: Drew Angerer/Getty Images As Donald Trump opened fire on Justin Amash, the Michigan representative who became the first Republican in Congress to call for his impeachment, Mitt Romney declined to join the fight. The former presidential nominee and Republican senator from Utah accused Donald Trump of lacking humility, honesty and integrity – but stopped short of calling for his impeachment and removal from power. Romney was scathing about the picture of the president that emerges from the Mueller report into Russian interference in the 2016 election, the redacted version of which he said he had spent two days reading in full. He said on Sunday its findings were “troubling, unfortunate and distressing”. But he said he did not think it was time for Congress to call for impeachment. “I don’t think there is the full element which you need to prove the obstruction of justice case,” he told CNN’s State of the Union. I don’t think there is the full element which you need to prove the obstruction of justice case Mitt Romney Mueller did not find that Trump or his aides conspired with Russia but he did lay out 11 instances of possible obstruction of justice by Trump or his campaign and indicated Congress should decide how to proceed. Controversially, attorney general William Barr said in his own summary of the then unseen Mueller report that Trump had not obstructed justice. Romney’s sharp but qualified criticism of Trump came a day after Amash became the first Republican to break ranks and call for impeachment. In a stream of tweets, Amash said the Mueller report showed “President Trump engaged in specific actions and a pattern of behavior that meet the threshold for impeachment”. Amash and Romney are significant figures within their party, as they stand virtually alone in having the temerity to challenge Trump in public. But the fact that Romney would not join Amash on impeachment is an indication of the impenetrable wall of opposition the party is likely to erect should Democrats initiate proceedings. Just why became clear later on Sunday, when Trump aimed his Twitter account at Amash. Saying he was “never a fan”, he called Amash “a total lightweight who opposes me and some of our great Republican ideas and policies just for the sake of getting his name out there through controversy”. Trump also accused Amash of not having read the Mueller report – the congressman made much of saying he had in fact read all 448 pages – and, while repeating familiar complaints about Mueller, wrote: “Justin is a loser who sadly plays right into our opponents [sic] hands!” In fact, Amash’s sole call for impeachment on the Republican side may not do much to move the political dial. Democrats are edging closer to launching proceedings, but not for the reasons the congressman outlined. Adam Schiff, the Democratic chair of the House intelligence committee, told CBS’s Face the Nation there were no signs of the Republican-controlled Senate moving towards impeachment. Nonetheless, Democrats were becoming more minded to take it on, he said, as a tool to increase pressure on the Trump administration to hand over key documents, including the unredacted Mueller report, that it is refusing to submit to congressional oversight. “What may be pushing towards impeachment has less to do with Justin Amash and more to do with the administration engaging in a maximum obsctructionism campaign against Congress,” Schiff said. Adam Schiff, centre, seen at a Senate hearing this week. Photograph: J Scott Applewhite/AP Romney, who ran unsuccessfully against Barack Obama in 2012, said impeachment was not just a legal matter. It must also, he said, “consider the practicality of politics, and the American people are just not there”. He added: “The Senate is not there either.” Democratic leadership has also considered public opinion, and what impeachment might do to motivate Trump’s base, when weighing up whether to make the move. Despite his reluctance to go all the way into impeachment, Romney has showed himself willing to take on Trump. In April he issued a statement saying: “I am sickened at the extent and pervasiveness of dishonesty and misdirection by individuals in the highest office of the land, including the president.” He told CNN the Mueller report distressed him. “The number of times there were items of dishonesty, misleading the American public and media – those are not things you would want to see from the highest office in the land.” He said that in terms of three crucial features of a president – humility, honesty and integrity – Trump has “distanced himself from some of the best qualities of the human character”. Such was his disgust with Trump as a presidential candidate in 2016, Romney wrote in his wife Ann on to the presidential election ballot, thereby voting for her instead. He told CNN he had not yet decided if he would do the same next year.

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  Trump blasts Republican lawmaker Amash over impeachment remarks

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  Michigan GOP congressman says Trump conduct is 'impeachable'

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Voters in Switzerland approve stronger gun control laws by nearly two-thirds despite resistance

Switzerland's public broadcaster said more than 63% of voters nationwide agreed to align with European Union firearms rules adopted two years ago.

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  The Latest: Swiss voters back tighter gun laws

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  Swiss voters approve tighter gun control, avoid EU clash

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View Photos of the First Hot Wheels Toy Based on a Fan's Custom Car

A flame-throwing, 600-hp ground-bound jet from Jersey is cool enough-then they up and made a toy version.From Car and Driver

Republican congressman apologises for referring to ‘consensual rape’ in debate over Missouri abortion bill

A Republican Missouri legislator apologised on Friday for saying that some sexual assaults are "consensual rapes" during a debate over a new, restrictive antiabortion bill."I'm not trying to make excuses," said representative Barry Hovis, who represents the city of Jackson in southeastern Missouri. "Sometimes you make a mistake and you own up to it."The lawmaker, who was elected in 2018, made the remark while speaking on the State House floor, arguing that the measure's eight-week window for abortions "gives [rape survivors] ample time" for the procedure.Critics say many women do not know they are pregnant until after eight weeks, and the bill provides no exceptions for rape or incest.The 30-year veteran of the Cape Girardeau Police Department then touched on his experience handling rape cases."Let's just say someone goes out and they're raped or they're sexually assaulted one night after a college party – because most of my rapes were not the gentleman jumping out of the bushes that nobody had ever met," Mr Hovis said."That was one or two times out of a hundred. Most of them were date rapes or consensual rapes, which were all terrible."Representative Raychel Proudie, a Democrat, quickly rebuked him."There is no such thing, no such thing as consensual rape," she said to applause from the chamber.Mr Hovis later told The Washington Post that he misspoke and said he believes "there was no such thing as consensual rape."He added that, in all his years in law enforcement, he took the testimony of rape victims seriously."When a rape is reported, and I'll speak for myself, you always take the word of the victim," he said.Missouri's GOP-controlled House passed the antiabortion bill on Friday, which prohibits abortions after eight weeks of pregnancy.The bill comes as lawmakers in multiple states have passed restrictive abortion laws that advocates on both sides say are aimed at getting the Supreme Court to consider overturning Roe v Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision that legalised abortion nationwide.Mr Hovis' remarks recalled a controversial comment made in 2012 by Todd Akin, a former Missouri congressman, that "legitimate rape" rarely causes pregnancy.After losing a 2012 race for US Senate, Mr Akin tried to clarify his words, saying he should have said "legitimate case of rape."The Washington Post

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  Corporations, events face boycott threats over U.S. abortion laws

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Here Is Russia's Plan to Build a Fleet of Su-57 Stealth Fighters

The Su-57 is coming—76 of them over the next decade, to be exact.Russian President Vladimir Putin announced at a Kremlin meeting that the Russian Defense Ministry plans to procure 76 Su-57 fifth-generation fighters by 2028, himself acknowledging that these new quantities dwarf previous Russian defense ministry estimates: "The 2028 arms program stipulated the purchase of 16 such jets… In the nearest future we will sign a package contract to supply 76 such jets equipped with modern weapons of destruction and provided with the necessary land infrastructure."The announcement defies the western defense analysis consensus, which concluded that the Su-57 will not enter production until the late 2020’s. Even then, it was alleged that Russia lacks the industrial output to churn out Su-57 fighters in militarily meaningful numbers.If the Kremlin’s new forecast proves to be accurate, what accounts for this drastic output increase?

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  How the U.S. Air Force Would Beat Russia's Su-57 Stealth Fighter in a War

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Death row inmate dies 1 day after fellow inmate's execution

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee death row inmate died in prison on Friday, less than three months before his scheduled execution and less than a day after a fellow inmate was executed .

NYC's Bill De Blasio Trades Criticism at Home for Curiosity in Iowa

(Bloomberg) -- New York Mayor Bill de Blasio stepped away from the criticism in his hometown to engage curiosity in Iowa, making his first stop as a presidential candidate in the middle of farm country to demonstrate his interest in agricultural issues and take shots at President Donald Trump.

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  Trump tells New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio to do his job with the little time he has left

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Amash becomes first Republican lawmaker to call for Trump impeachment

Republican lawmaker Justin Amash said Saturday that he believed Donald Trump has engaged in "impeachable conduct," becoming the first politician of his party to call for removing the president from his party. The Michigan representative also accused Attorney General William Barr of "deliberately" misleading the public over the actual content and tenor of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russian interference aimed at tipping the election to Trump.

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  Mitt Romney Says GOP Rep's Call for Impeachment Is 'Courageous' Even as He Disagrees

  Time
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  Michigan GOP congressman says Trump conduct is 'impeachable'

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Modi’s jobs deficit: J&J’s largest India plant idle three years after completion

It was to eventually employ at least 1,500 people and help bring development to a rural area near Hyderabad in southern India. Two sources familiar with J&J's operations in India and one state government official told Reuters production at the plant, at Penjerla in Telangana state, never began because of a slowing in the growth in demand for the products. One of them said that demand didn’t rise as expected because of two shock policy moves by Prime Minister Narendra Modi: a late 2016 ban on then circulating high-value currency notes, and the nationwide introduction of a goods and services tax (GST) in 2017.

Vineyard Vines arrives at Target on Saturday. How to shop the limited-edition collaboration

Set your alarm clock if you're interested in shopping Target's latest designer collaboration, Vineyard Vines. The new collection goes on sale May 18.

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Democratic Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards prepares to sign restrictive abortion bill

"My inclination is to sign it," Gov. John Bel Edwards said when discussing a "heartbeat bill" currently under consideration in the state Legislature.

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  President Donald Trump opposes highly restrictive Alabama abortion ban

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Glock 31 Gun: All You Need To Know About this Powerful Pistol

In the early 1990s, a handful of calibers emerged to challenge the nine-millimeter as the dominant semi-automatic handgun round. One of these, the .357 Sig, is the caliber of choice for the Glock 31 pistol. The Glock 31 is the company’s offering for those into high velocity or long distance handgun shooting. The G31 also comes with a large magazine capacity, making it an excellent self-defense or duty sidearm.The now infamous 1986 FBI Miami shootout was a watershed moment in the history of law enforcement. Eight FBI agents armed with pistols and shotguns engaged two bank robbers armed with superior weapons. Over the course of the gun battle, which saw the federal agents pinned down by suppressive fire from a Ruger Mini-14 semi-automatic rifle, two agents were killed and another five wounded. The two bank robbers were hit multiple times by incoming fire but were both able to continue shooting, contributing to the very high law enforcement casualty rate.In the aftermath of the shootout, the FBI and other government agencies began the search for a new, more powerful handgun round. Nine-millimeter and .38 Special proved ineffective at stopping the robbers, while .357 Magnum was a revolver cartridge that limited the user’s carrying capacity to six rounds at a time. Law enforcement wanted a powerful round that could be carried in large quantities.

Former House Democratic Caucus Chair Joe Crowley on Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's impact on the 2020 race

Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez takes veiled swipe at former Vice President Joe Biden over climate change.

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OPEC+ Has More Work to Do Because Inventories Are Rising, Minister Says

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AP sources: Former CIA chief Brennan to brief Dems on Iran

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Nearly 180 former Ohio State University students claim sexual abuse by doctor

Dr. Richard Strauss was accused of abusing at least 177 male students when he worked as a physician for the university's athletic department and the student health center from 1978 to 1998, the report said, detailing the findings of a year-long independent investigation. Staff members knew of the abuse as early as 1979, but complaints were never elevated to administrators and senior officials of the athletics or student health departments until 1996. At that time, the school suspended and ultimately removed Strauss after a "very limited investigation" into a student's claim that the doctor fondled him during an exam, the report said.

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  'Shocking': Ohio State doc abused 177, officials were aware

  The Associated Press
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  Chicago born and trained doctor created "cesspool of deviancy" at Ohio State University

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Poor boy Modi becomes India's nationalist powerhouse

Stern, sharp and shrewd, Narendra Modi fought his way off the streets to become one of India's most popular and polarising prime ministers. There is no middle ground between admirers and adversaries of the man -- now running for a second term -- who helped his father run a railway station tea stall before launching his career in nationalist politics. The 68-year-old makes much of his humble roots while unashamedly portraying himself as the tough guy protecting India's national security and Hindu values, pressing its claims to be the world's rising power.

How Architect I.M. Pei Achieved Greatness By Forever Testing and Challenging Himself

Famed architect I.M. Pei designed some of the greatest buildings across the globe in his more than half century career.

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Target is selling a giant unicorn float that will hold up to 6 people

Ever wanted to lay out on the water at the beach in a giant unicorn float withfive of your friends? Sure you have! And this summer, it's happening

What Are the Best Inexpensive Small SUVs?

This member question submitted to Ask Our Experts touches on a common need. We like that it is focused on the goal, rather than strictly how to achieve it. In this case, it would be wise to resis...

Let Me Tell You About the Worst Submarine of All Time

For the Worst Submarine of All Time, I go further and nominate an entire silent service: the undersea arm of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN).There are many candidates for this dubious honor. After all, submarining has been around for well over a century now. Many ships render honorable but unexceptional service. Standouts emerge, generally in times of strife, as do “floating coffins” and plain old hard-luck ships.And there are some that subtract value from the nation’s effort to reach its strategic and political aims. This is the unpardonable sin.The idea of ships that could submerge has been around since antiquity. Combat submersibles date to the Turtle, a hand-propelled contraption built to smite Royal Navy ships from beneath during the War of American Independence. But subs really became a going concern during the fin de siècle age, when propulsion technologies such as batteries, electric motors, and internal-combustion engines came to maturity around the same time.Combining these technologies yielded the diesel-electric propulsion plant, a hybrid affair that enabled subs to run silent, run deep on quiet electric motors when submerged and run on diesels and recharge batteries while cruising the surface. At the direction of First Sea Lord Jacky Fisher, the Royal Navy ordered five rudimentary boats designed by John Phillip Holland in 1900, and the age of modern undersea warfare was on.