Trump, lawyers lay out expansive presidential powers view

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump claimed Monday he has an “absolute right” to pardon himself, part of an extraordinarily expansive vision of executive authority that is mostly untested in court and could portend a drawn-out fight with the prosecutors now investigating him.

No need of a pardon anyway, Trump tweeted, because “I have done nothing wrong.” In fact, his lawyers assert in a memo to special counsel Robert Mueller, it’s impossible for him to have done anything wrong in the area of obstructing justice, an issue Mueller has been investigating. That’s because, as the country’s chief law enforcement officer, Trump himself has ultimate control of the Justice Department and executive branch.

Beyond that, his lawyers have repeatedly insisted that it’s beyond dispute that a sitting president cannot be criminally prosecuted.

Trump also tweeted Monday that the Justice Department’s “appointment of the Special Counsel is totally UNCONSTITUTIONAL.”

Mueller’s investigation moves forward nonetheless, and as it does courts may have to confront questions with minimal if any historical precedent. Those include whether a president can be forced to answer questions from prosecutors, whether it’s possible for a commander in chief to criminally interfere in investigations and whether a president’s broad pardon power can be deployed for corrupt purposes.

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Memo shows lawyers’ inconsistencies on Trump Tower meeting

WASHINGTON (AP) — For months, President Donald Trump’s legal team, the White House press secretary and others in Trump’s orbit said he did not dictate or help draft a June 2017 statement trying to explain the June 2016 Trump Tower meeting between his eldest son and a Russian lawyer.

Turns out, that wasn’t true.

In a January letter to special counsel Robert Mueller, Trump’s lawyers said the president “dictated a short but accurate response” to the first report that his son, Donald Trump Jr., and others had met with the Russian lawyer during the 2016 presidential election.

The New York Times revealed the existence of the letter on Saturday.

The Trump Tower meeting — and the White House’s initial response to the first reports of the meeting — has been a key moment in Mueller’s investigation into whether anyone on the campaign colluded with Russia and whether Trump obstructed justice. The lawyers’ statement is buried near the end of the 20-page memo, which asserts that Trump cannot be forced to testify and argues that he could not have legally committed obstruction of justice.

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10 Things to Know for Tuesday

Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about Tuesday:

1. TRUMP: ‘ABSOLUTE RIGHT’ TO PARDON MYSELF

The president’s declaration is part of an extraordinarily expansive vision of executive authority that is mostly untested in court and could portend a drawn-out fight with the prosecutors now investigating him.

2. IN GUATEMALA, GRIM WORK GOES ON

Rescuers pull survivors and bodies from the charred aftermath of the powerful eruption of the country’s Volcano of Fire, as the death toll rises to more than 60.

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Mueller’s team accuses Paul Manafort of witness tampering

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort made several attempts to tamper with witnesses in his ongoing criminal cases, prosecutors said Monday as they asked a federal judge to consider jailing him while he awaits trial.

In a court filing , prosecutors working for special counsel Robert Mueller wrote that Manafort and one of his associates “repeatedly” contacted two witnesses in an effort to influence their testimony. The contacts occurred earlier this year, shortly after a grand jury returned a new indictment against Manafort and while he was confined to his home.

The filing marks the second time that Mueller’s team has accused Manafort of violating a judge’s order in the case. Late last year, federal agents discovered that Manafort was attempting to ghostwrite an opinion piece in Ukraine even though he was under a gag order in the case.

In the latest court documents, prosecutors say that while he was under house arrest, Manafort and his associate attempted to get two witnesses to lie about the nature of lobbying and public relations work they carried out at Manafort’s direction on behalf of Ukraine.

The court documents do not name Manafort’s associate, but they refer to him as “Person A” and note the pseudonym is consistent with previous filings in the case. In earlier filings, Person A has referred to Konstantin Kilimnik, a longtime Manafort associate who prosecutors have said has ties to Russian intelligence.

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Guatemala volcano death toll up to 69, expected to rise

EL RODEO, Guatemala (AP) — Rescuers pulled survivors and bodies from the charred aftermath of the powerful eruption of Guatemala’s Volcano of Fire, as the death toll rose to 69 on Monday and was expected to go higher from a disaster that caught residents of remote mountain hamlets off guard, with little or no time to flee to safety.

Using shovels and backhoes, emergency workers dug through the debris and mud, perilous labour on smouldering terrain still hot enough to melt shoe soles a day after the volcano exploded in a hail of ash, smoke and molten rock.

Bodies were so thickly coated with ash that they looked like statues, and rescuers were forced to use sledgehammers to break through the roofs of houses buried in debris up to their rooflines to try to see if anyone was trapped inside.

Fanuel Garcia, director of the National Institute of Forensic Sciences, said 69 bodies had been recovered and 17 of those had been identified.

“It is very difficult for us to identify them because some of the dead lost their features or their fingerprints” from the red-hot flows, Garcia said. “We are going to have to resort to other methods … and if possible take DNA samples to identify them.”

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Suspect in 6 slayings targeted people connected to divorce

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — A hunch from a retired detective helped lead police to a man suspected of shooting six people to death in the Phoenix area, some of whom were connected to his divorce, authorities said Monday after the assailant killed himself with officers closing in.

A round-the-clock investigation that began late last week led police Monday to an extended-stay hotel in suburban Scottsdale where 56-year-old Dwight Lamon Jones was staying. As officers approached, they heard gunfire and found his body.

Jones’ victims included a well-known forensic psychiatrist who testified against him in court in 2010, two paralegals who worked for the law office that represented the suspect’s wife, a marriage-and-divorce counsellor who was apparently targeted in a case of mistaken identity and another man and woman who have not been identified, authorities said.

“This is not a success story, but it’s a story that has closure,” Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone said.

The slayings began Thursday with the fatal shooting of Dr. Steven Pitt, who, according to court records, had evaluated Jones and testified in 2010 that he had anxiety and mood disorders and symptoms of a paranoid personality.

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Baker in spotlight after court win in gay wedding cake case

LAKEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Jack Phillips seems like an unlikely U.S. Supreme Court plaintiff.

The laconic 62-year-old has quietly run his Masterpiece Cakeshop from a strip mall in suburban Denver for a quarter of a century.

That changed, however, when a gay couple asked him to make their wedding cake in 2012 and Phillips said no, citing his religious beliefs.

Now, after winning a partial victory Monday from the high court, Phillips has become a beacon for conservatives who feared a shift toward gay rights could make them an oppressed minority.

“I’m profoundly thankful that the court saw the injustice that the government inflicted on me,” Phillips said in a statement issued through his lawyers. “This is a great day for our family, our shop, and for people of all faiths who should not fear government hostility or unjust punishment. Today’s decision makes clear that tolerance is a two-way street.”

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After 24 days out of sight, Melania Trump finally reappears

WASHINGTON (AP) — Finally, Melania Trump has reappeared.

After more than three weeks out of the public eye, the first lady strolled into a White House event Monday for military families and swept away the wild speculation that she was incapacitated or had otherwise vanished.

The White House did not allow journalists to cover the Gold Star event out of respect for the families, which meant Mrs. Trump was seen in person only by the 40 or so families and administration officials who attended. Others had to keep an eye on social media.

Video posted on Twitter showed the first lady, who wore a black sleeveless dress and her trademark stilettos, strolling into the East Room accompanied by President Donald Trump. He showed her to a front-row seat across the aisle from Vice-President Mike Pence before heading to the microphone.

“She looked beautiful,” said retired Sgt. 1st Class Diana Pike. Pike’s son, Chief Petty Officer Christian Pike, of Peoria, Arizona, died in 2013 from injuries suffered in Afghanistan. “She just looked so beautiful.”

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Starbucks’ Schultz mulling ‘philanthropy to public service’

NEW YORK (AP) — Starbucks Corp.’s Howard Schultz is stepping down as executive chairman of the coffee company he helped transform into a global brand, and says public service may be in his future.

Schultz, 64, says he is considering many possibilities. He had endorsed Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton before the last presidential election and had sometimes deflected questions about whether he would run for office.

“I’ll be thinking about a range of options for myself, from philanthropy to public service, but I’m a long way from knowing what the future holds,” he said in a letter to employees.

Speculation has swirled for years that Schultz might run for president. While not addressing the question directly, he told The New York Times on Monday that “for some time now, I have been deeply concerned about our country — the growing division at home and our standing in the world.”

Schultz’s move comes after he ceded the day-to-day duties of CEO at Starbucks last year to focus on innovation and social-impact projects as executive chairman. As of June 26, Starbucks says Schultz will take the title of chairman emeritus. The Seattle-based chain says he is writing a book about Starbucks’ social-impact moves and its efforts to redefine the role of a public company.

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Trump calls off Eagles visit over anthem dispute

WASHINGTON (AP) — Digging deeper into a culture war that he’s repeatedly stoked, President Donald Trump on Monday called off a visit by the Philadelphia Eagles to the White House Tuesday, citing the dispute over whether NFL players must stand during the playing of the national anthem.

Trump said in a statement that some members of the Super Bowl championship team “disagree with their President because he insists that they proudly stand for the National Anthem, hand on heart, in honour of the great men and women of our military and the people of our country.”

He said the team wanted to send a smaller delegation, but “the 1,000 fans planning to attend the event deserve better.”

Instead, Trump said he would be hosting “a different type of ceremony,” featuring the United States Marine Band and the United States Army Chorus, that “will honour our great country, pay tribute to the heroes who fight to protect it, and loudly and proudly play the National Anthem.”

None of the Eagles took a knee during the anthem in 2017.