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WASHINGTON (AP) — A senior Trump administration official says the White House will not participate in the House Judiciary Committee's next impeachment hearing. The decision came Friday in a letter from White House counsel Pat Cipollone. The letter to Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler did not expressly state the White House's refusal to participate. But a senior administration official says that was the point it was intended to communicate. Nadler says the House is disappointed by Trump's decision, but it "will not prevent us from carrying out our solemn constitutional duty.”
PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) — The FBI says it's not ready to release the identity of the Saudi aviation student who killed three people at the Naval Air Station Pensacola in Florida. An official also said during a news conference Friday night that it would not comment on the shooter's possible motivations. She says there are reports circulating, but the FBI “deals only in facts." The student opened fire in a classroom Friday morning, killing three people before a sheriff's deputy fatally shot him. A national security expert is warning against jumping to conclusions. He says just because the shooter was a Saudi national doesn't mean it was a terrorist attack.
WASHINGTON (AP) — November’s robust hiring gains are squelching fears of a recession. New numbers show U.S. employers added 266,000 jobs last month, the most since January. Monthly hiring also has picked up since earlier this year: It averaged 205,000 for the past three months, up from a recent low of 135,000 in July. Friday’s report is good news for President Donald Trump, who seized on the strong jobs report as he tries to focus voters' attention on the state of the economy rather than the impeachment inquiry.
HONOLULU (AP) — A former military judge says it would have been easy to take weapons away from a sailor who killed two people at Pearl Harbor if he was facing punishment for a serious offense. A different military official says 22-year-old Gabriel Romero of Texas faced non-judicial punishment for minor misconduct. Retired Army Col. Gregory Gross says that could have been something as simple as being late for work. He says taking Romero off watch duty on a submarine and removing his service weapons would be easy for an offense like assault. Military officials said Friday that they hadn't found a motive yet. Romero also killed himself Wednesday in an attack in a packed area that lasted about 23 seconds.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Democratic-controlled House has approved a bill to restore key sections of the Voting Rights Act that once required officials in 15 states to receive federal approval before making changes to the voting process. The bill essentially reverses a 2013 U.S. Supreme Court decision that tossed out a "pre-clearance" provision that determined which jurisdictions needed federal oversight of elections. The bill was approved, 228—187, and now goes to the Republican-controlled Senate, where it is unlikely to move forward. The White House opposes the bill, calling it an example of federal overreach.
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