ECM WORLD WATCH: NATIONAL AND GLOBAL NEWS

February 21, 2019 (San Diego’s East County) --- East County Magazine's World Watch helps you be an informed citizen on important issues globally and nationally. As part of our commitment to reflect all voices and views, we include links to a  variety of news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views. Top world and U.S. headlines include:

U.S.

• Justice Dept. preparing for Mueller report as early as next week (10 News/ABC)
• A Coast Guard Lieutenant Compiled a Hit List of Democrats and Journalists, Prosecutors Say (Time)
• Trump’s declaration of national emergency faces political and legal challenges (Washington Post)
• Bernie Sanders raises $6 million after announcing presidential bid (New York Times)
• Mueller says Paul Manafort should spend 18-24 years in prison (Axios)
• Judge fixates on Manafort’s ties to suspected Russian intelligence operative (Axios)

WORLD

• Islamic State’s ‘caliphate’ on brink of defeat in Syria (Reuters)
• Allies decline request to stay in Syria after U.S. troops withdraw (Washington Post)
• Russia Says 'Invulnerable' Weapon Is Response to U.S. (Newsweek)
• Venezuelans fleeing crisis face desperate hike to 12,000 feet (New York Times)
• Facing an aggressive Beijing, Taiwan's president issues a warning to the world (CNN)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

U.S.

Justice Dept. preparing for Mueller report as early as next week (10 News/ABC)

Attorney General Bill Barr is preparing to announce as early as next week the completion of Robert Mueller's Russia investigation, with plans for Barr to submit to Congress soon after a summary of Mueller's confidential report, according to people familiar with the plans.

A Coast Guard Lieutenant Compiled a Hit List of Democrats and Journalists, Prosecutors Say (Time)

A Coast Guard lieutenant who was arrested last week is a “domestic terrorist” who drafted an email discussing biological attacks and had what appeared to be a hit list that included prominent Democrats and media figures, prosecutors said in court papers.

Trump’s declaration of national emergency faces political and legal challenges (Washington Post)

A day after President Trump declared a national emergency — in an attempt to circumvent Congress and redirect taxpayer money to fund 230 miles of barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border — the designation has been beset with political and legal challenges. Democrats painted the action as evidence of a rogue president who has finally gone too far, and they vowed to stop him. While some Republicans said they supported Trump, others expressed disapproval, fearing the move would set an undesired precedent or deprive other projects of necessary funds.

Bernie Sanders raises $6 million after announcing presidential bid (New York Times)

Just over 24 hours after announcing his presidential bid, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont has already raised $6 million from more than 225,000 donors, his campaign said Wednesday morning. That amount far surpasses what any of his rivals have disclosed raising after their own announcements this year.

Mueller says Paul Manafort should spend 18-24 years in prison (Axios)

Prosecutors for special counsel Robert Mueller said in a new court filing that President Trump's former campaign manager Paul Manafort should serve between 19.5 and 24.5 years in prison for the financial crimes for which he was convicted in a Virginia court last August…. He is also facing a separate case in D.C., where a judge recently ruled that he had violated his plea agreement with Mueller and could therefore lose out on any potential leniency he might be offered.

Judge fixates on Manafort’s ties to suspected Russian intelligence operative (Axios)

… Manafort… had the chance to cooperate with the special counsel in exchange for leniency. And yet he chose to throw that opportunity away and risk spending the rest of his life in prison by lying to investigators, including — among other details — about his interactions with Kilimnik….Kilimnik served as Manafort's liason to Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska and was in frequent communication with Manafort while he was working as Trump's unpaid campaign manager, according to the Washington Post. He served in the Soviet army and is believed to have been an officer in the GRU, the Russian intelligence agency indicted by Mueller for hacking and leading the interference effort in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Deputy Trump campaign manager Rick Gates, who is a cooperating witness, told the special counsel that Manafort shared 2016 campaign polling data with Kilimnik. Manafort subsequently lied to investigators about doing so — one of the false statements that caused him to breach his plea deal.

WORLD

Islamic State’s ‘caliphate’ on brink of defeat in Syria (Reuters)

U.S.-backed fighters in Syria are poised to capture Islamic State’s last, tiny enclave on the Euphrates, the battle commander said on Saturday, bringing its self-declared caliphate to the brink of total defeat.

Allies decline request to stay in Syria after U.S. troops withdraw (Washington Post)

European refusal to stay unless President Trump reverses at least part of his troop withdrawal order is one of several factors that U.S. military officials, lawmakers and senior administration officials have said should make Trump think again.

Russia Says 'Invulnerable' Weapon Is Response to U.S. (Newsweek)

Russian President Vladimir Putin said the development of the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle was "absolutely equivalent" to the Soviet Union's launch of the first satellite in space.

Venezuelans fleeing crisis face desperate hike to 12,000 feet (New York Times)

The walking began before dawn: before the clouds broke against the mountaintops, before the trucks took over the highway, even before anyone in the town woke up to check the vacant lot where scores of Venezuelan refugees had been huddling through the night.

Facing an aggressive Beijing, Taiwan's president issues a warning to the world (CNN)

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen has sent out a warning to Asia in the face of mounting aggression from Beijing. In an exclusive interview with CNN, Tsai said the military threat posed by China was growing "every day" in line with a more assertive foreign policy under its President Xi Jinping. "If it's Taiwan today, people should ask who's next? Any country in the region -- if it no longer wants to submit to the will of China, they would face similar military threats," said Tsai.