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WASHINGTON (AP) — Key advisers to President Donald Trump are conceding that his focus on inauguration crowds and false assertions about illegal balloting have been a distraction from the executive actions he's been taking in the opening days of his presidency. White House spokesman Sean Spicer has twice stepped into the fray himself, including on Tuesday, when he said Trump believes 3 million to 5 million people living in the U.S. illegally cast ballots. Spicer provided no evidence, but said the president believes it to be true. All 50 states and the District of Columbia have finalized their election results with no reports of that kind of widespread fraud.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is vowing to "send in the Feds" if Chicago can't reduce its homicide figures. In a tweet Tuesday night, Trump says the city is experiencing "horrible carnage," with surge in shootings since New Year's Day. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel (rahm ih-MAN'-yoo-uhl) acknowledged his own frustration with Chicago's crime rate Monday, but also criticized Trump for worrying about the size of the crowd at his inauguration.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Mayo Clinic says Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton's fall during his State of the State address was not related to his prostate cancer diagnosis. A Mayo Clinic spokesman says doctors believe Dayton's fainting spell was "situational," related to standing for a long time during his speech and possibly dehydration. A biopsy last week confirmed the cancer diagnosis, and the 69-year-old Democrat is scheduled to meet with Mayo Clinic doctors next week to discuss treatment options.
BERLIN (AP) — An anti-corruption watchdog group is warning that people who turn to populist politicians promising to upset the status quo and end corruption may only be feeding the problem. Transparency International has released its Corruption Perceptions Index for 2016. The report says that populist or autocratic leaders usually install more corrupt systems in the countries they pledged to reform.
TOKYO (AP) — Japan is reporting a trade surplus for 2016, its first in six years. Exports fell 7.4 percent from 2015, but imports dropped even more, 16 percent. Lower oil prices helped pull imports lower. Japan still has trade surplus with the U.S., though it fell nearly 5 percent last year. Japan's trade balance slipped into deficits after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
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