Alabama Sen. Luther Strange on Tuesday looked to support from President Donald Trump to help carry him to the victory — or at least a runoff — in the Alabama Senate Republican primary, while his GOP rivals continued to batter him as the candidate of the so-called Washington establishment.

 

Alabama voters go to the polls Tuesday to select party nominees in the closely watched Senate race for the seat that belonged to Attorney General Jeff Sessions. The race will test both the reach of Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell after a super political action committee tied to McConnell spent millions of dollars in advertising to try to clear the way for Strange.

 

Trump weighed in with a Monday night recording urging Alabama Republicans to support Strange as the GOP incumbent was forced into what could be a tight race with a slate of firebrand challengers including former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore, who has a strong following among evangelical voters, and U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks, a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus.

 

“The final pitch is: Listen to President Trump. The key is someone who will support him in Washington. He’s endorsed me, and secondly to please get out and vote because turnout will be so critical in this election tomorrow,” Strange said Monday in between phone calls at his campaign headquarters.

 

Strange said he believes the “momentum is on our side with the President’s tweet and robocalls,” but cautioned that the off-year special election has an air of unpredictability.

 

Brooks on Monday continued to hammer at Strange’s support from McConnell and said voters should send a message that “our Alabama Senate seat cannot be bought by special interests in Washington D.C.”

 

“Alabama has a chance to send a message, a huge message — not only to Washington D.C. — but the United States of America. We can send a message that we are tired of this do-nothing Senate,” Brooks said.

 

Brooks said it is he, and not Strange, that is more supportive of Trump’s agenda, including changing Senate filibuster rules.

 

Brooks told The Associated Press by telephone Monday that it would send “chills down the spine” of McConnell for the race to end up in a runoff between himself and Moore.

 

Moore is considered a strong contender in the race because of the fame he has gained as an icon of the culture wars. Moore was twice removed from his duties as chief justice over stances he took for the public display of the Ten Commandments and against gay marriage.

 

“This is a very, very critical election. It’s a critical time in our country. Whether we move forward or we stay stagnant and do nothing, whether we put the hand to the plow and do something for our country to make it a better place,” Moore said.

 

The crowded GOP field increases the odds that the race will end up in a September runoff between Tuesday’s top two finishers. A runoff is required unless a candidate captures over 50 percent of the vote in the first round of balloting. Other Republicans in the race include Sen. Trip Pittman and Christian Coalition leader Randy Brinson.

 

The rollicking primary began with Strange’s appointment in February by then-Gov. Robert Bentley, who later resigned in the cloud of a scandal. While Strange has said he did Bentley no favors, his challengers have taken repeated swipes at him for seeking an appointment from the governor when Strange, as attorney general, was in charge of an investigation.

 

The Democratic side is also crowded, but has escaped most of the drama of the bitter GOP race. Doug Jones, a former U.S. attorney under the Clinton administration, is perhaps the best-known Democrat and is backed by some national party figures such as former Vice President Joe Biden.

 

Other candidates include Michael Hansen, the head of an environmental organization who has urged Democrats to fully embrace progressive stances. Robert Kennedy, Jr., a Navy veteran who is unrelated to the famed Massachusetts political dynasty, has urged Democrats to build bridges with Republicans and independents.

 

While Alabama has not elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate in more than 20 years, some Democrats hope a December special election — particularly if Republicans end up with a polarizing nominee — could give them at least a chance in the matchup between the winning Republican and Democrat.

 

“I think the Washington crowd is watching this race because it’s kind of a bellwether,” Moore said.
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U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis issued a warning to North Korea, saying that any attempt to launch missiles at U.S. soil “could escalate into war very quickly.”

“If they do that, it’s game on,” Mattis told Pentagon reporters during an impromptu briefing late Monday. “You don’t shoot at people in this world unless you want to bear the consequence.”

Kim to watch US

KCNA, North Korea’s official news agency, said Tuesday that the country’s leader, Kim Jong Un, had received a report from his army on its plans to strike the area around Guam, a U.S. territory in the western Pacific Ocean. Kim said he would watch the actions of the United States for a while longer before making a decision, according to the report.

The North’s leader ordered the army to be fire-ready should he make a decision for action, the report said.

Talking tough, pushing diplomacy

Mattis sought to allay fears following previous North Korean threats to launch missiles in the direction of Guam.

“We know within moments where it’s going,” he said of any potential launch.

The top U.S. defense chief said that if officials determined a missile was likely to hit Guam, “We’ll take it out.”

Mattis has not shied away from similarly tough talk in the past but has consistently emphasized Washington would prefer diplomatic solutions to resolve differences with Pyongyang.

“The U.S. has no interest in regime change or accelerated reunification of Korea,” he wrote in a Wall Street Journal op-ed with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, published Monday. “We do not seek an excuse to garrison U.S. troops north of the Demilitarized Zone.”
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The posters advertising this past Saturday’s protest in Charlottesville, Virginia promised to “Unite the Right.” The slogan acknowledges that white nationalist groups who oppose the removal of the statue of Civil War General Robert E. Lee from a park in the college town have different agendas and priorities.

Here is a look at some of the terms used to describe those present at the deadly rally, why they were there, and what they advocate.

‘Unite the Right’

White supremacist

A person who believes the white race is inherently superior to other races.  The Southern Poverty Law Center, a nonprofit civil rights advocacy organization, says white supremacy is a historically-based system of exploitation and oppression of continents, nations and peoples of color by white people and nations of the European continent to maintain and defend a system of wealth, power and privilege.

Alt-right

Currently embraced by some white nationalists and white supremacists among others, the term describes ideologies emphasizing restricting immigration, strict law and order, limited government and the superiority of Western culture. Those described as alt-right do not necessarily agree with the basic democratic ideal that all members of society deserve equal rights.

 

KKK or the Knights Party

The Ku Klux Klan has a long history of violence and is considered by some groups to be the oldest of American hate groups. Historically black Americans have been the Klan’s primary target, but the group has also attacked Jews, immigrants, gays and lesbians and, until recently, Catholics.

The third wave of KKK groups was founded by David Duke in 1975, the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan with the idea to put a different “kinder, gentler” face on the Klan. The group still believes that non-whites must conduct themselves according to Christian principles. They also sought to recognize that race mixing is wrong. “It will be a privilege to live under the authority of a compassionate white Christian government,” according to its website. The Knights Party, as they call themselves, say “in the years to come,” they will be recognized by the American people as the white rights movement.

Neo-Nazis or American Nazi Party

This group wants the union of all Aryans in North America. On their website, it says the Aryan population should be free in America and there must be “an all-White National Socialist America; an America in which our children and our grandchildren will play and go to school with other white children; an America in which they will date and marry other young people of our own race; an America in which all their offspring will be beautiful, healthy white babies.” The American Nazi Party states there ought to be a United States where all aspects our society, whether cultural, social, business or political, should be “free of alien, Jewish influence; an America in which White people are the sole masters of our own destiny.”

Neo-Confederate

This term describes people who maintain the American Civil War never ended. They see themselves as members of a new Confederate Army still intent on separating the southern states from the union.

Traditional Workers Party

The Traditionalist Worker Party members believe in localism and secessionism. The group calls the United States “far too large, diverse, and infested with lobbyists and oligarchs for realistic solutions to come from a centralized, top-down approach to solving political problems.” The group wants transfer of power and resources from “the corrupt and unaccountable federal government” to “community and regional leaders who stand for traditional values, strong families, and revived cultures.”

Groups opposing the ‘Unite the Right’ demonstration

Black Lives Matter

The Black Lives Matter (BLM) guiding principle, according to its website, is based on working towards the “validity of black life.” The group was founded in 2012 after the shooting death of African American teen Trayvon Martin. The movement says it “goes beyond the narrow nationalism” and its fight for equality is not “prevalent within black communities.”

BLM says it affirms the lives of “black queer and trans folks, disabled folks, black-undocumented folks, folks with records, women and all black lives along the gender spectrum.”

Antifa

Antifa groups lack organization and are considered not widespread throughout the country. The Economist reported lack of coordination among groups, along with the endorsement of violence, does not make Antifa appealing to a larger audience.

These groups are usually against everything that portrays or defends homophobia, racism, sexism, and sometimes capitalism. “But a defining characteristic of Antifa is that they aim to oppose fascism by any means necessary,” The Economist reports, including the use of violence, which can end up in violent confrontations with right-wing extremists and law enforcement officers.
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An unarmed Iranian drone shadowed a U.S. aircraft carrier at night and came close enough to F-18 fighter jets to put the lives of American pilots at risk, the Navy said Tuesday, reporting the second such tense encounter within a week.

The Iranian Sadegh drone flew without any warning lights during the encounter Sunday night with the USS Nimitz, said Lt. Ian McConnaughey, a spokesman for the Bahrain-based 5th Fleet.

The drone did not respond to repeated calls over the radio and came within 1,000 feet (300 meters) of U.S. fighters, he said.

‘Dangerous situation’

That “created a dangerous situation with the potential for collision and is not in keeping with international maritime customs and laws,” McConnaughey said in a statement.

 

The drone was unarmed, the lieutenant said, though that model can carry missiles.

Iran’s military and state-run media did not immediately report the incident, which came after a similar encounter Aug. 8, in which the Navy said an Iranian drone came within 100 feet (30 meters) of an F-18 preparing to land on the Nimitz. Iranian vessels and U.S. warships have also had tense encounters in recent months.

U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to renegotiate the nuclear deal struck by his predecessor amid new sanctions targeting Iran over its ballistic missile tests.

14 encounters during 2017

So far this year, the Navy has recorded 14 instances of what it describes as “unsafe and/or unprofessional” interactions with Iranians forces. It recorded 35 in 2016 and 23 in 2015.

The incidents at sea almost always involved Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, a paramilitary force that reports only to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Some analysts believe the incidents are meant in part to squeeze moderate President Hassan Rouhani’s administration after the 2015 nuclear deal.

Of the incidents at sea last year, the worst involved Iranian forces capturing and holding overnight 10 U.S. sailors who strayed into the Islamic Republic’s territorial waters.

 

Iranian forces in turn accuse the U.S. Navy of unprofessional behavior, especially in the Strait of Hormuz, the mouth of the Persian Gulf, through which a third of all oil traded by sea passes.

 
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A Chinese state newspaper warned Monday that President Donald Trump “could trigger a trade war” if he goes ahead with plans to launch an investigation into whether China is stealing U.S. technology.

In a commentary by a researcher at a Commerce Ministry think tank, the China Daily said Trump’s possible decision to launch an investigation, which an official says he will announce Monday, could “intensify tensions,” especially over intellectual property.

The official told reporters Saturday the president would order his trade office to look into whether to launch an investigation under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 of possible Chinese theft of U.S. technology and intellectual property.

The Chinese government has yet to comment on the announcement.

A decision to use the Trade Act to rebalance trade with China “could trigger a trade war,” said the commentary under the name of researcher Mei Xinyu of the ministry’s International Trade and Economic Cooperation Institute.

“And the inquiry the U.S. administration has ordered into China’s trade policies, if carried out, could intensify tensions, especially on intellectual property rights.”

The commentary gave no indication of how Beijing might respond but Chinese law gives regulators broad discretion over what foreign companies can do in China.

If an investigation begins, Washington could seek remedies either through the World Trade Organization or outside of it.

Previous U.S. actions directed at China under the 1974 law had little effect, said the China Daily. It noted China has grown to become the biggest exporter and has the world’s largest foreign exchange reserves.

“The use of Section 301 by the U.S. will not have much impact on China’s progress toward stronger economic development and a better future,” said the newspaper.
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