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AP News in Brief at 11:04 p.m. EST

Last Updated Dec 17, 2017 at 9:20 pm MDT

Trump: I’m not considering firing special counsel Mueller

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Sunday that he is not considering firing special counsel Robert Mueller even as his administration was again forced to grapple with the growing Russia probe that has shadowed the White House for much of his initial year in office.

Trump returned to the White House from Camp David and was asked if he was considering triggering the process to dismiss Mueller, who is investigating whether the president’s Republican campaign co-ordinated with Russian officials during last year’s election.

The president answered: “No, I’m not.”

But he did add to the growing conservative criticism of Mueller’s move to gain access to thousands of emails sent and received by Trump officials before the start of his administration, yielding attacks from transition lawyers and renewing chatter that Trump may act to end the investigation.

“It’s not looking good. It’s quite sad to see that. My people were very upset about it,” Trump said. “I can’t imagine there’s anything on them, frankly. Because, as we said, there’s no collusion. There’s no collusion whatsoever.”

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McCain treated for viral infection, returns home to Arizona

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Sen. John McCain has returned home to Arizona after being hospitalized for a viral infection while battling brain cancer and will miss a crucial Senate vote on the GOP tax package, his office said Sunday.

The 81-year-old senator will undergo physical therapy and rehabilitation at the Mayo Clinic in the state after spending several days at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland. In a brief statement, the office provided an assessment from Dr. Mark Gilbert, chief of neuro-oncology at the National Institutes of Health’s National Cancer Institute.

“Senator McCain has responded well to treatment he received at Walter Reed Medical Center for a viral infection and continues to improve,” Gilbert said. “An evaluation of his underlying cancer shows he is responding positively to ongoing treatment.”

McCain expressed appreciation for his care and the outpouring of support and, according to his office, “looks forward to returning to Washington in January.”

Now in his sixth Senate term, McCain underwent surgery in mid-July to remove a 2-inch (51-millimeter) blood clot in his brain after being diagnosed with glioblastoma.

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10 Things to Know for Monday

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

1. WHAT TRUMP SAYS ABOUT ROBERT MUELLER’S FUTURE

The president says he is not planning to fire special counsel Robert Mueller even as his administration grapples with the growing Russia probe.

2. ‘WE ARE STUCK HERE’

An electrical fire triggers a power outage, bringing the world’s busiest airport to a standstill, grounding scores of flights in Atlanta.

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Sudden power outage creates ‘nightmare’ at Atlanta airport

ATLANTA (AP) — A sudden power outage brought the world’s busiest airport to a standstill Sunday, grounding more than 1,000 flights in Atlanta just days before the start of the Christmas travel rush. Hours after the blackout began, authorities announced that electricity would be restored at the Hartfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport by midnight.

Passengers at the airport were left in the dark when the lights went out at around 1 p.m. The outage halted all outgoing flights, and arriving planes were held on the ground at their point of departure. International flights were being diverted, officials said.

Mayor Kasim Reed tweeted Sunday night that all passengers had been safely deplaned.

The City of Atlanta said on its Twitter page that it would provide shuttle service to the Georgia Convention Center for travellers in need of a place to stay and Chick-fil-A would be provided.

Delta passenger Emilia Duca, 32, was on her way to Wisconsin from Bogota, Colombia, when she got stuck in Atlanta. She said police made passengers who were in the baggage-claim area move to a higher floor. She said restaurants and shops were closed. Vending machines weren’t working.

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APNewsBreak: US soldier fought to end after ambush in Niger

WASHINGTON (AP) — Army Sgt. La David T. Johnson died in a hail of gunfire, hit as many as 18 times as he took cover in thick brush, fighting to the end after fleeing militants who had just killed three comrades in an October ambush in Niger, The Associated Press has learned.

A military investigation has concluded that Johnson wasn’t captured alive or killed at close range, dispelling a swirl of rumours about how he died.

The report has determined that Johnson, 25, of Miami Gardens, Florida, was killed by enemy rifle and machine-gun fire from members of an Islamic State offshoot, according to U.S. officials familiar with the findings. The Oct. 4 ambush took place about 120 miles (200 kilometres) north of Niamey, the African nation’s capital. Johnson’s body was recovered two days later.

U.S. officials familiar with the findings spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity to describe details of an investigation that has not been finalized or publicly released.

A 12-member Army special forces unit was accompanying 30 Nigerien forces when they were attacked in a densely wooded area by as many as 50 militants travelling by vehicle and carrying small arms and rocket-propelled grenade launchers.

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Flames threaten coastal communities as firefighters mourn

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Thousands of firefighters tried Sunday to shield coastal communities from one of the biggest wildfires in California history while a funeral procession rolled past burn-scarred hillsides in honour of one of their colleagues who was killed battling the flames.

Crews cleared brush and dug containment lines above hillside neighbourhoods in Santa Barbara County, taking advantage of slightly calmer winds a day after gusts fanned a flare-up that prompted more evacuations.

“Everything’s holding really well,” fire information officer Lisa Cox said. “Thousands of homes have been saved.”

While gusts had eased somewhat, even lower intensity winds were still dangerous, she warned. The fire northwest of Los Angeles was 45 per cent contained.

Television news footage showed at least one structure burned on property in the wealthy enclave of Montecito, and authorities said damage assessments could take days.

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Putin thanks Trump for CIA tip he says stopped bomb plot

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin telephoned U.S. President Donald Trump Sunday to thank him for a CIA tip that helped thwart a series of bombings in St. Petersburg, the Kremlin and the White House said.

During the call, the two leaders’ second in three days, Putin expressed gratitude for the CIA information. The Kremlin said it led Russia’s top domestic security agency to a group of suspects that planned to bomb St. Petersburg’s Kazan Cathedral and other crowded sites this weekend.

“The information received from the CIA proved sufficient to find and detain the criminal suspects,” the Kremlin said.

The White House said in its readout of the conversation that “based on the information the United States provided, Russian authorities were able to capture the terrorists just prior to an attack that could have killed large numbers of people.”

The White House added that Putin extended his thanks and congratulations to CIA Director Mike Pompeo and the entire agency. Trump then called Pompeo “to congratulate him, his very talented people, and the entire intelligence community on a job well done!”

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GOP betting that its fix for US economy will defy warnings

WASHINGTON (AP) — The tax overhaul of 2017 amounts to a high-stakes gamble by Republicans in Congress: That slashing taxes for corporations and wealthy individuals will accelerate growth and assure greater prosperity for Americans for years to come.

The risks are considerable.

A wide range of economists and nonpartisan analysts have warned that the bill will likely escalate federal debt, intensify pressure to cut spending on social programs and further widen America’s troubling income inequality.

Congress is expected to vote this week on the bill, the most far-reaching rewrite of the U.S. tax code since 1986. It would shrink corporate taxes, prod companies to return trillions in profits they’ve kept overseas, cut taxes on wealthy estates and drop tax rates — but only temporarily — for individuals.

It puts its faith in the prospect that lower taxes will make corporate America turn more generous and spend more expansively.

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AP FACT CHECK: Trump and the mirage of overseas profits

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump speaks often of a pile of money sitting overseas that will come rushing back into the U.S. once his tax plan is in place. That’s something of a mirage.

Here’s what he told reporters Saturday in the roar of Marine One waiting to take him to Camp David, Maryland:

TRUMP, asked about the $20 trillion U.S. debt and his tax overhaul’s effect on it: “Well this is going to bring money in. As an example, $4 trillion will come flowing back into the country. That’s money that’s been stuck overseas for years and years.”

THE FACTS: First, his comment should not be read to mean that the debt is going to shrink by $4 trillion because of money returning from abroad. That’s not possible.

Second, $4 trillion is a generous estimate of the money that might return. He’s referring to profits that U.S. companies have been parking overseas to avoid the higher U.S. corporate tax. The lowering of that rate is bound to result in some of those profits coming back to the U.S. That could be in the ballpark of $2.5 trillion, perhaps more. But low taxes on those profits mean repatriation won’t bring much relief to a debt forecast to swell from his tax cuts.

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Packers hoping return of Rodgers boosts playoff chances

The Packers likely need to win their last three games to reach the playoffs, and they hope the return of Aaron Rodgers will help against the Panthers.

Green Bay (7-6) is at Carolina (9-4) in one of the biggest games of the NFL’s Week 15. The Panthers are tied atop the NFC South with the Saints (9-4), who host the Jets.

Philadelphia (11-2), with Nick Foles replacing the injured Carson Wentz, has clinched the NFC East and can secure home-field with a win against the Giants and a Minnesota loss.

The Vikings (10-3) can lock up the NFC North by beating the Bengals.

Jacksonville (9-4) will earn a playoff spot with a win over the Texans, while the Bills (7-6) host Miami.