The U.S. military carried out airstrikes in Iraq and Syria on Sunday — days after a U.S. defense contractor was killed at a military compound in a rocket attack.

Military jet fighters conducted “precision defensive strikes” on five sites of Kataeb Hezbollah, an Iran-backed Iraqi militia, Jonathan Hoffman, a spokesperson for the Pentagon told Fox News. Two defense officials added that Air Force F-15 jet fighters carried out the strikes.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien traveled Sunday to Mar-a-Lago in Florida to meet with President Trump and discuss the strikes, a senior administration official told Fox News.

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U.S. officials have blamed the militia for a rocket barrage Friday that killed a U.S. defense contractor, wounded four U.S. troops and two members of the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) near Kirkuk, in northern Iraq.

Military forces said the attackers fired more than 30 rockets in Friday’s assault — the 11th rocket attack on U.S. and Iraqi forces since late October, according to a U.S. defense official.

Five locations — including three Kataeb Hezbollah areas in Iraq and two in Syria — were targeted, Hoffman said in a statement.

He said the U.S. strikes will weaken the group’s ability to carry out future attacks on Americans and their Iraqi government allies.

Earlier this month, Pompeo blamed Iran for two separate rocket attacks on the Baghdad International Airport, on Dec. 9 and 11, where U.S. and Iraqi forces are located on the other side of the commercial airport.

Pompeo said if any Americans were harmed in the future, it would “be answered with a decisive U.S. response.”

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., responded: “Today’s strikes against Iranian-backed groups in Iraq and Syria are a justified response to the killing of an American and the wounding of several American service members and Iraqis. Tehran must stop attacking Americans or else face even graver consequences.”

Fox News’ Rich Edson, Mike Emanuel and Lucas Tomlinson contributed to this report.

Nicole Darrah covers breaking and trending news for FoxNews.com. Follow her on Twitter at @nicoledarrah.

Author: Nicole Darrah

Source: Fox News: US conducts airstrikes in Iraq, Syria after contractor killed, American troops injured in rocket attack

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Kroger on Tuesday requested customers refrain from openly carrying firearms in its stores — hours after Walmart asked the same of its shoppers amid recent mass shootings across the U.S. and some public pressure from mostly left-leaning groups to restrict gun sales.

“Kroger is respectfully asking that customers no longer openly carry firearms into our stores, other than authorized law enforcement officers,” Jessica Adelman, group vice president of corporate affairs, said in a statement.

Adelman added the Ohio-based supermarket chain is also joining Walmart in “encouraging our elected leaders to pass laws that will strengthen background checks and remove weapons from those who have been found to pose a risk for violence.”

Earlier Tuesday, Walmart asked that customers no longer openly carry firearms into its stores or Sam’s Clubs in states where “open carry” was permitted unless law enforcement authorized it. However, CEO Doug McMillon noted that the store wouldn’t change its policy and approach regarding concealed-carry permits.

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The massive chain store also announced it was ending handgun sales in Alaska and plans to discontinue the sale of short-barrel rifle and handgun ammunition in stores nationwide.

McMillion said Walmart will gear its focus toward long-barrel deer rifles and shotguns, supplying much of the ammunition they require and providing hunting and sporting accessories and apparel.

“We have a long heritage as a company of serving responsible hunters and sportsmen and women, and we’re going to continue doing so,” the CEO said.

The National Rifle Association said it’s “shameful to see Walmart succumb to the pressure of the anti-gun elites.” The NRA has not commented on Kroger’s decision.

“Lines at Walmart will soon be replaced by lines at other retailers who are more supportive of America’s fundamental freedoms,” the group said. “The truth is Walmart’s actions today will not make us any safer. Rather than place the blame on the criminal, Walmart has chosen to victimize law-abiding Americans.”

Both Kroger and Walmart’s announcements come days after a mass shooting left seven people dead in Odessa, Texas. Last month, 32 people were killed in two other mass shootings in Dayton, Ohio, and in El Paso, Texas — which happened in a Walmart store.

Fox News’ Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.

Nicole Darrah covers breaking and trending news for FoxNews.com. Follow her on Twitter at @nicoledarrah.

Author: Nicole Darrah

Source: Fox News: Kroger joins Walmart in asking customers to ‘no longer openly carry firearms’ in stores

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With wide grins and a historic handshake, President Trump became the first sitting U.S. leader to set foot in North Korea when he took 20 steps into the Hermit Kingdom on Sunday.

Trump shook hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as he crossed the low stone curb separating the North and the South at around 3:45 p.m. local time. The event in the Demilitarized Zone — which also included a roughly 50-minute meeting behind closed doors — marked a return to face-to-face contact between the two leaders after talks broke down during a summit in Vietnam in February.

Speaking to reporters afterward, Trump said that the two leaders had agreed to revive talks on the pariah nation’s nuclear program.

The president said, “speed is not the object” in trying to reach a deal but noted he believes both sides want to get the job done.

“We’re looking to get it right,” Trump said.

The meeting between Trump and Kim was the first face-to-face meeting between the two since their failed summit in Hanoi in February. Prior to that, they met in Singapore last June.

Talks between the U.S. and North Korea had mostly broken down since the Hanoi summit, which ended without a deal. North Korea has hesitated at Trump’s insistence that it give up its nuclear ambitions before it sees relief from crushing international sanctions.

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The U.S. has said the North must submit to “complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization” before sanctions are lifted.

Despite their nearly hour-long chat, Trump said that sanctions on North Korea are still in place, although seemingly left open the possibility of scaling them back as part of renewed negotiations.

“At some point during the negotiation, things can happen,” the president told reporters, adding that he suggested Kim could visit Washington, D.C., during their discussions.

Trump says he told Kim that, “at the right time, you’re going to come over” and that that could be “any time he wants to do it.” He added that he “would certainly extend the invite” and that, “at some point” it will happen.

Hours earlier, Trump became the first sitting U.S. president to step foot inside North Korea. He described it as “a great day for the world.”

Inside the “Freedom House” on the South Korean side of the zone, Trump and Kim were joined by the president’s daughter and son-in-law, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner.

It was Trump’s first visit to the DMZ, which every president since Ronald Reagan — except for President George H.W. Bush — has toured during their time in office, according to the Associated Press. But the elder Bush, who died last year, visited the DMZ while serving as vice president under Reagan.

Later Sunday, the president addressed U.S. troops at Osan Air Force Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea.

Fox News’ Dom Calicchio and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

Nicole Darrah covers breaking and trending news for FoxNews.com. Follow her on Twitter at @nicoledarrah.

Author: Nicole Darrah

Source: Fox News: Trump meets Kim in DMZ, becomes first sitting US president to step into Hermit Kingdom

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The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals late Tuesday granted the Trump administration’s request to send asylum seekers back to Mexico to wait out court proceedings temporarily.

The court order reversed a decision by a San Francisco judge that would have blocked the policy — giving President Trump a temporary victory on immigration.

The case must still be considered on its merits at a lower court in San Francisco and could end up at the Supreme Court.

U.S. District Judge Richard Seeborg ruled April 8 that the policy should be halted while a lawsuit, filed on behalf of 11 asylum applicants and several other organizations, proceeds.

The American Civil Liberties Union, which brought the suit along with the Southern Poverty Law Center, and Center for Gender & Refugee Studies, said that despite the ruling, “there is good reason to believe that ultimately this policy will be put to a halt.”

“Asylum seekers are being put at serious risk of harm every day that the forced return policy continues,” Omar Jadwat, director of the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project, said in a statement. “Notably, two of the three judges that heard this request found that there are serious legal problems with what the government is doing.”

The lawsuit on behalf of 11 asylum seekers from Central America and legal advocacy groups says the Trump administration is violating U.S. law by failing to adequately evaluate the dangers that migrants face in Mexico.

It also accuses Homeland Security and immigration officials of depriving migrants of their right to apply for asylum by making it difficult or impossible for them to do so.

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The Trump administration says the policy responds to a crisis at the southern border that has overwhelmed the ability of immigration officials to detain migrants. Growing numbers of families are fleeing poverty and gang violence in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

Last year, the Justice Department eliminated gang violence and domestic abuse as a possible justification for seeking asylum.

The so-called “Remain in Mexico” policy was one of the primary innovations of former Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, who left her role with the Trump administration last month.

Asylum law, conservatives point out, is intended to shield individuals from near-certain death or persecution on account of limited factors like religious or political affiliation — not poor living conditions and economic despair.

Most asylum applicants are ultimately rejected for having an insufficient or unfounded personalized fear of persecution, following a full hearing of their case before an asylum officer or an immigration judge.

Fox News’ Raymond Bogan, Gregg Re and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Nicole Darrah covers breaking and trending news for FoxNews.com. Follow her on Twitter at @nicoledarrah.

Author: Nicole Darrah

Source: Foxnews: Appeals court allows Trump administration to send back asylum seekers to Mexico to wait out court process

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Rod Rosenstein criticizes the Obama administration for their handling of the Russia investigation

Former Arkansas Republican Governor Mike Huckabee says Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein’s critical comments of the Russia election interference investigation is a soft way of saying there was a cover up.

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who frequently found himself in the political crosshairs due to his role in the special counsel’s Russia probe and whose departure has long been expected, submitted his resignation on Monday to President Trump, effective May 11.

Attorney General William Barr in a statement said Rosenstein served the Justice Department “with dedication and distinction.”

“His devotion to the Department and its professionals is unparalleled,” the statement read. “Over the course of his distinguished government career, he has navigated many challenging situations with strength, grace, and good humor.”

In his resignation letter, Rosenstein thanked Trump “for the opportunity to serve; for the courtesy and humor you often display in our personal conversations; and for the goals you set in your inaugural address: patriotism, unity, safety, education, and prosperity, because ‘a nation exists to serve its citizens.'”

Rosenstein, 54, previously served as deputy assistant attorney general and U.S. attorney. He had intended to leave his position last month but stayed on for the completion of the Mueller probe, which Rosenstein had overseen.

In February, Fox News reported that Barr had picked Jeffrey Rosen, who currently serves as Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation, to take over for Rosenstein.

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Rosenstein was part of a small group of department officials who reviewed the document and helped shape its public release. After Mueller didn’t reach a conclusion on whether Trump had obstructed the investigation, Barr and Rosenstein stepped in and determined the evidence wasn’t enough to support such an allegation.

In recent months, Rosenstein became a frequent target of Trump’s ire, after FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe described private discussions about secretly recording and potentially ousting the president in the days after he fired FBI Director James Comey.

Trump accused them of pursuing a “treasonous” plot against him. Rosenstein, though, denied pursuing a recording of the president and has pushed back on claims he broached the idea of invoking the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office. However, Rosenstein was largely spared the type of anger directed by Trump at Sessions, whose recusal infuriated the president and led to Sessions’ to his forced resignation last November.

As first reported by The New York Times last year, Rosenstein allegedly discussed wearing a “wire” to tape Trump and pursuing his removal from office in meetings and conversations with Justice Department and FBI officials. This would have been in the tumultuous days after Comey was fired as FBI director, with the president citing in part a memo penned by Rosenstein — reportedly catching him off guard.

Fox News has learned one key meeting took place on May 16, 2017 at Justice Department headquarters. Several people were in the room, including McCabe and former FBI counsel Lisa Page. Mueller was appointed as special counsel the next day.

Rosenstein’s conservative critics on the Capitol Hill seized on the reports, with North Carolina Rep. Mark Meadows, the chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, calling on him to appear before Congress to explain the comments. In July, Meadows and Jim Jordan of Ohio, another member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, introduced five articles of impeachment against Rosenstein.

Those impeachment articles accused Rosenstein of intentionally withholding documents and information from Congress, failure to comply with congressional subpoenas and abuse of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). That effort was referred to the House Judiciary Committee, where it has not been voted upon.

Before named by Trump to serve as the No. 2 to Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Rosenstein served as the U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland. Rosenstein took over the Russia probe after Sessions recused himself from the investigation. It was Rosenstein who later appointed Mueller to his post.

Fox News’ William Mears, Alex Pappas, Jake Gibson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Author: Nicole Darrah, John Roberts

Source: Foxnews: Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein submits resignation

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A bill that was recently filed in Florida’s House and Senate would allow people to get driver’s licenses regardless of their immigration status.

Proposed in the Florida Legislature last month, the bill would let illegal immigrants use identifying documents like an unexpired foreign passport or a foreign birth certificate to get a license to drive.

Democratic Rep. Anna Eskamani, who sponsored the House bill, said she believes this legislation “helps to build that trust” with those who are considered “marginalized” in the state, and said it would make roads safer, according to the News Service of Florida.

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“It doesn’t matter your immigration status. If you are on the roads, you should have access to a driver’s test and the ability to get car insurance,” Democratic Sen. Jose Javier Rodriguez said.

The Florida Immigrant Coalition stated in a news release that allowing people without proper immigration documentation the ability to obtain a driver’s license would “[cement] trust in law enforcement while protecting vulnerable communities.”

The group says that Florida drivers would experience lower insurance premiums and safer roads, and a potential increase of $4 million in state revenue “if 75 percent of Floridians currently denied licenses due to their immigration status were able to receive a driver’s license.”

Those seeking a license in Florida under current state law must prove they’re U.S. citizens or resident aliens, the news service reported.

Nicole Darrah covers breaking and trending news for FoxNews.com. Follow her on Twitter @nicoledarrah.

Author: Nicole Darrah

Source: Foxnews: Florida bill would allow illegal immigrants to get driver’s licenses

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