Arizona Daily Sun from Flagstaff, Arizona • A5

ArizonA DAily Sun Friday, June 29, 2018 A5 1 MATTHEW DALY Associated Press WASHINGTON The House on Thursday approved a $675 bil- lion spending bill for the Defense Department that includes a 2.6 percent raise for the military. The 359-49 vote sends the bill to the Senate, where the Sen- ate Appropriations Committee approved a similar measure this week. The House bill provides $146 billion for equipment and up- grades, including $22.7 billion for 12 Navy ships, two Virginia-class submarines and three fast-mov- ing littoral combat ships. The rel- atively small ships are intended to operate in congested areas near the shore against small boats and mines. The bill also includes $9.4 bil- lion for 93 F-35 aircraft and more than $4 billion for Black Hawk, Apache and other helicopters.

Rep. Kay Granger, R-Texas, said the bill provides the military with needed resources respond to and deter threats from countries like Russia, China, Iran and North Korea, and also counter violent extremists throughout the The bill includes an amendment by Arizona Democratic Rep. Ru- ben Gallego to bar the Pentagon from buying goods or services from Chinese telecommunica- tions giants ZTE and Huawei. ZTE is accused of violating trade laws by selling sensitive technologies to North Korea and Iran. Huawei has ties to the Chinese govern- ment and is considered a security risk.

majorities of Demo- crats and Republicans in Con- gress know that China has led a dedicated and long-term cam- paign to steal American secrets, techniques and Gal- lego said in a statement. He called his amendment small step in a larger fight to build a comprehen- sive strategy to defeat and deter Chinese attacks on our national and economic President Donald Trump met with Republican lawmakers last week after the Senate moved to block a White House plan to al- low ZTE to buy component parts from the U.S. Scrutiny over the ZTE agree- ment comes as the Trump ad- ministration has been engaged in a sweeping trade dispute with China. Trump has ordered tariffs on $50 billion in Chinese goods in response to forced trans- fer of U.S. technology and intel- lectual property theft.

House backs $675B spending bill for Pentagon JONATHAN LEMIRE AND CATHERINE LUCEY Associated Press WASHINGTON President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin firmed up plans Thursday to meet in Helsinki next month for a closely watching sit-down that will play out just days after what is likely to be a tense meeting between Trump and some of the United closest allies. Trump and Putin will meet July 16 against the backdrop of an on- going special counsel probe into possible ties between the pres- campaign and Russian officials. The investigation into Russian election meddling has raised tensions between Moscow and Washington at a time when Trump has repeatedly said he wants to build a strong personal relationship with Putin. looking forward to it. If we could all get along, it would be great.

The world has to start get- ting Trump said during a visit to Wisconsin on Thurs- day. The day before, he said they would discuss Syria, Ukraine and other The summit location and date were announced in synchro- nized statements from Moscow and Washington, with the White House saying the two presidents will relations between the United States and Russia and a range of national security relationship with Putin has long been the source of intrigue, both at home and in world capitals. He has repeatedly praised his authoritarian peer while straining ties with many of the United closest allies. The timing of meet- ing with Putin will likely do little to ease concerns across Europe. It come at the end of weeklong trip to Europe, which begins in Belgium at NATO, an intergovernmental military alli- ance between 29 North American and European countries that has countering possible Russian ag- gression at its heart.

At a NATO summit last year, Trump scolded leaders for the cost of the gleam- ing new Brussels headquarters and for not paying enough to support defense. From Brussels, Trump will make his first visit to the United Kingdom since taking office. He will meet with Prime Minister Theresa May but not receive the lavish state welcome he has en- joyed at stops in other foreign capitals. Instead, he is expected to be greeted with significant pro- tests. Earlier this month, Trump called for Russia to be reinstated in the Group of Seven industri- alized democracies, which ex- pelled Moscow four years earlier as punishment for annex- ation of Crimea and its support for pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine.

The idea of reinstating Russia was roundly rejected by most fellow G-7 nations. Trump also rattled his G-7 al- lies with blistering rhetoric about their trading relationships with the United States and a series of scathing remarks about Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Trump has met with Putin twice before, on the sidelines of international summits in Ger- many and Vietnam last year. But the president was drawn to the pageantry of a formal summit, particularly after seeing round- the-clock news coverage gener- ated by his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore earlier this month. Trump-Putin meeting set DIGEST Farm bill sets up food stamps clash WASHINGTON The Sen- ate on Thursday passed a bill that makes modest modifica- tions to existing farm programs while largely avoiding changes to food stamps, setting up a showdown with the House.

The bill passed 86-11. The legislation renews farm programs such as crop insur- ance and land conservation. Farm programs are set to expire Sept. 30 unless Congress acts. GOP aides said the farm bill is expected to go to conference, where Senate and House lead- ership will try to reconcile their differences.

On the food stamp front, the two sides are likely to clash. The House bill tightens work requirements for recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Currently, able-bodied adults ages 18-49 without children are required to work 20 hours a week to maintain their benefits. The bill raises the top age of recipients subject to work requirements from 49 to 59 and requires par- ents with children older than 6 to work or participate in job training. Trafficking report highlights children WASHINGTON Children removed from their families and placed in institutional care are at greater risk of being traf- ficked, the U.S.

warned Thurs- day in an annual report. The State Department report, which ranks governments in their efforts to combat slav- ery and the flesh trade, left the Trump administration open to accusations of hypocrisy as the toler- immigration policy sep- arated more than 2,000 migrant children from their parents on the southern border. The Trafficking in Persons re- port was unveiled in a ceremony at the State Department by Sec- retary of State Mike Pompeo and presidential adviser Ivanka Trump. BRIEFLY RALLY: President Donald Trump highlighted his economic pol- icies Thursday at the ground- breaking for a massive $10 bil- lion Foxconn factory complex that may bring thousands of jobs to Wisconsin, a state he barely carried in the 2016 pres- idential election. At the same time, Trump kept up his run- ning feud with Harley-David- son, which is based in the state.

MYSTERY ILLNESS: The State Department confirmed Thurs- day that another U.S. diplomat has been affected by mysterious health incidents in Cuba, bring- ing the total of Americans suf- fering from such ailments to 26. Initial speculation centered on a sonic attack owing to strange sounds heard by those affected, but an interim FBI report in Jan- uary found no evidence. BREXIT: Britain and the Euro- pean Union agreed Thursday that the faltering Brexit talks need to speed up, but traded blame at a Brussels summit for the failure to make progress in negotiating the U.K.’s departure from the bloc. ASIA: Carrying a clear message of reassurance to South Korea, U.S.

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis stated flatly Thursday that the U.S. will maintain its current number of troops on the Korean Peninsula, even as nuclear negotiations continue with North Korea. E. COLI: Tainted irrigation wa- ter appears to be the source of a national food poisoning out- break linked to romaine lettuce, health officials said Thursday. About 200 people were sick- ened in the E.

coli outbreak and five people died. The outbreak, which started in the spring, is now over. MIGRANTS: European Union leaders got a breakthrough deal on how to deal with mi- gration after all-night talks to overcome Italian demands for more help. EU Council Pres- ident Donald Tusk said in a tweet early today that the 28 EU have on a migration compromise which was at the heart of their two- day summit. Associated Press DIPLOMACY US, Russian sit-down just days after NATO gathering ALAN FRAM AND MATTHEW DALY Associated Press WASHINGTON Capitol Po- lice arrested nearly 600 people Thursday after hundreds of loudly chanting women demonstrated inside a Senate office building against President Donald treatment of migrant families.

Among them were a Washington state congresswoman, the law- maker said on Twitter. The protests came as demon- strations occurred around the country over the Trump adminis- policy of separating im- migrant families. They offered a glimpse of what might happen on Saturday when rallies are planned coast to coast. Amid unrelenting daily im- ages of distraught immigrant children separated from parents and herded into fenced enclo- sures, women sat on the floor of the Senate Hart Office 90-foot-high atrium. Seated around Alexander black metallic and sculpture, they shouted slogans and cheered for a handful of fist-pumping lawmakers all Democrats who waded into the crowd.

do we want? Free fam- and is what democ- racy looks were among their cries. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, said she was arrested during the protest. The sit-in of protesting women was organized by two liberal groups, March and the Center for Popular Democracy. The Capitol Police said about 575 people were charged with unlawfully demonstrating inside the office building.

The police said they were being released after they were processed. Meanwhile, a federal judge in Chicago on Thursday ordered the U.S. government to release a 9-year-old Brazilian boy who was separated from his mother at the U.S.-Mexico border, saying their continued separation harms them Judge Manish Shah mulled his decision for just a few hours before finding that Lidia Karine Souza can have custody of her son, Diogo, who has spent four weeks at a government-con- tracted shelter in Chicago. Shah ordered that the child be released Thursday. attorneys said she would pick up her son Thurs- day afternoon.

And first lady Melania Trump made a second visit to a border state Thursday, meeting face to face with people directly affected by her hard-line immi- gration policies. This time, she chose less controversial apparel than her last trip, which was over- shadowed by a jacket. here to support you and give my help, whatever I on of children and the Mrs. Trump said as she sat down with officials at a U.S. Border Patrol facility in Tucson, Arizona, the first stop of her trip.

She later traveled to Phoenix, where she visited a complex that is housing dozens of migrant chil- dren separated from their parents. MARY CLARE JALONICK AND ERIC TUCKER Associated Press WASHINGTON Republicans accused top federal law enforce- ment officials Thursday of with- holding important documents from them and demanded details about surveillance tactics during the Russia investigation in a con- tentious congressional hearing that capped days of mounting partisan complaints. Underscoring their frustration, Republicans briefly put the hear- ing on hold so they could approve a resolution on the House floor demanding that the Justice De- partment turn over thousands of documents by next week. The House Judiciary Commit- tee hearing marked Deputy At- torney General Rod first appearance before Congress since an internal DOJ report crit- icizing the handling of the Hillary Clinton email investiga- tion revealed new disparaging text messages among FBI offi- cials about Donald Trump during the 2016 election. FBI Director Christopher Wray also appeared before Congress on Thursday.

Republicans on the panel seized on the watchdog report to allege bias by the FBI and to discredit an investigation into potential ties between Russia and the Trump campaign that is now led by special counsel Rob- ert Mueller. They suggested that the Justice Department had con- spired against Trump by refusing to produce documents they be- lieve would show improper FBI conduct. country is being hurt by it. We are being Rep. Trey Gowdy, a South Carolina Republican, said of in- vestigation.

Rosenstein strongly defended himself and the department during the hourslong hear- ing, saying he was doing his best to balance congressional oversight with the need to pre- serve the integrity of ongoing investigations. J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE, ASSOCIATED PRESS Hundreds of activists protest the Trump approach to illegal border crossings and separation of children from immigrant parents Thursday in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington. Capitol Police arrest hundreds at protest Republicans grill FBI, DOJ chiefs on probe Congress members say officials withheld Russia information IMMIGRATION Lawmaker among those detained; judge orders boy released.