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TRUMP-UKRAINE-COOPER
Pentagon official testifies on Ukraine in impeachment probe
WASHINGTON (AP) — A senior Defense Department official who oversees Ukraine policy is answering questions behind closed doors as part of the House impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump.
Laura Cooper arrived Wednesday morning on Capitol Hill to appear before the House panels conducting the investigation.
Her testimony comes a day after a top U.S. diplomat testified that he was told Trump withheld military aid to Ukraine unless the country's president went public with a promise to investigate Democrats.
More than two dozen Republican House members held a news conference outside the secure room in the Capitol where the deposition with Cooper was taking place.
They decried the depositions behind closed doors and said Americans should be able to read the transcripts of any interviews being conducted as part of impeachment.
TRUMP-IMPEACHMENT-ZELENSKIY
Ukrainian leader felt Trump pressure before taking office
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — More than two months before the phone call that launched the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, Ukraine's newly elected leader told advisers he was worried about pressure from the U.S. president to investigate Democrat Joe Biden.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy gathered a small group together in Kyiv on May 7, where they discussed how to navigate Trump's insistence for a probe and to avoid becoming entangled in American elections.
The meeting was recounted to The Associated Press by three people familiar with the details who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the diplomatic sensitivity of an issue that has roiled U.S.-Ukrainian relations.
The meeting came before Zelenskiy was inaugurated but about two weeks after Trump called to offer his congratulations on the night of the Ukrainian leader's April 21 election.
TRUMP-SYRIA-THE LATEST
The Latest: Trump says Turkey calls cease-fire 'permanent'
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says Turkey has informed the U.S. it will make "permanent" a five-day cease-fire in Syria. In response, he says he's directing the lifting of economic sanctions on Turkey.
Claiming success at the U.S.-brokered effort, Trump said Wednesday, "this was an outcome created by us." The cease-fire required Kurdish forces formerly allied with the U.S. against the Islamic State group to move out of a roughly 20-mile (32-kilometer) zone on the Turkish border.
Trump says, "We've saved the lives of many, many Kurds."
Trump says nearly all U.S. troops will be leaving Syria but some will remain to safeguard oil fields in Syria. Russian forces have since begun joint patrols with Kurdish forces along the Turkish-Syrian border.
Trump says if Turkey breaches the cease-fire the sanctions could be reimposed.
REGION ON FIRE
Is boom, then slump, behind fiery Latin American protests?
Chile is one of the richest countries in the region. Haiti is the poorest. Ecuador has a centrist government. Bolivia's is socialist.
Yet from Port-au-Prince to Santiago, furious demonstrators have been marching to demand fundamental change in a wave of often-violent protests.
What's driving the protests thousands of miles apart? One important factor is that despite their differences, the countries hit by fiery protests this month saw often-dizzying commodity-driven growth in the first decade of this century, followed by a slump or stall as prices dropped for key exports.
Even Haiti saw billions in aid from oil-rich Venezuela flood in, then disappear.
That pattern of boom then slackening is dangerous for less-than-agile leaders. It expands the middle class that wants more from governments and is empowered to demand it.
BRITAIN-TRUCK-BODIES FOUND-THE LATEST
The Latest: Truck with 39 dead came to England from Belgium
LONDON (AP) — U.K. police are revising their theories about a truck found in southeast England with 39 bodies inside, saying it traveled from Belgium to England, not from Ireland as they thought earlier.
Essex police said Wednesday that their earlier statement that the truck went from Ireland to Wales was incorrect. They now say it went from Zeebrugge in Belgium to Purfleet in England via a ferry.
The 39 people were found dead early Wednesday at an industrial park in southeast England. Details about the victims have not been released except that one was a teenager.
The 25-year-old driver of the truck, who was from Northern Ireland, has been arrested on suspicion of murder.
GOOGLE-QUANTUM COMPUTING
Google touts quantum computing milestone
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Google says it has achieved a breakthrough in quantum computing research.
It says an experimental quantum processor has completed a calculation in just a few minutes that would take a traditional supercomputer thousands of years.
The results of its study appear in the scientific journal Nature. Google says it has achieved quantum supremacy, which means the quantum computer did something a conventional computer could never do.
But competitor IBM is disputing that Google achieved the benchmark, saying Google underestimated the conventional supercomputer.
Quantum computing is an advanced computing technology that is still at a relatively early stage of development.
CENSUS-CITIZENSHIP
Most states not giving driver's license data to Washington
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Efforts by the U.S. Census Bureau to collect state driver's license records as part of President Donald Trump's order to gather citizenship information have been a bust so far.
As of Wednesday, the vast majority of state motor vehicle agencies had not agreed to share their records with the bureau, according to an Associated Press survey of the 50 states.
At least 13 states have refused, 17 haven't decided how to respond, and 17 haven't yet received a request. Three states didn't respond to multiple AP queries.
The effort has alarmed civil rights groups that see it as part of a move by the Trump administration to reduce the political power of minorities.
WORLD SERIES-THE LATEST
The Latest: Verlander done 2 batters into seventh inning
HOUSTON (AP) — Justin Verlander is done two batters into the seventh inning, and the Houston Astros ace won't get his first World Series victory.
The right-hander departed Game 2 with the Astros down 3-2 to the Nationals, who are looking to take a 2-0 series lead.
Manager AJ Hinch made the pitching change after Kurt Suzuki opened the seventh with a tiebreaking homer and Verlander then walked No. 9 hitter Victor Robles.
Verlander entered the game 0-4 with a 5.67 ERA in his first five World Series starts, with Houston and Detroit.
TESLA RESULTS
Tesla's stock soars after company posts surprising 3Q profit
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Tesla posted a surprising profit of $143 million in its latest quarter, raising hopes the electric car pioneer may finally be turning the corner after posting mostly losses during its first decade as a publicly held company.
The positive results announced Wednesday came after Tesla lost $1.1 billion during the first half of the year. That had caused many investors to lose faith in the company even as it boosted sales of its vehicles.
Doubts about Tesla forced its stock to fall by 23% so far this year, while the bellwether Standard & Poor's 500 index has climbed 20% so far. But Tesla's shares recovered much of those losses after its third-quarter numbers came out, soaring by more than 18% to $301.05.
SEXUAL MISCONDUCT-HARVEY WEINSTEIN
Rose McGowan sues alleging intimidation by Weinstein, others
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Actress Rose McGowan has filed a federal lawsuit alleging that Harvey Weinstein and two of his former attorneys engaged in racketeering to silence her and shut down her career before she accused him of rape.
The suit filed in Los Angeles on Wednesday names as defendants Weinstein, attorneys David Boies and Lisa Bloom, and others.
McGowan's attorneys say in a statement that the defendants used unlawful tactics in "a sprawling smear campaign to defraud, malign, and marginalize McGowan."
Bloom's attorney says there is no basis for McGowan's claims. Emails seeking comment from the other defendants were not immediately returned.
McGowan was one of the earliest and one of the most prominent of dozens of women to accuse Weinstein of sexual misconduct.
The former movie mogul has denied all allegations of non-consensual sex.
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