Suddenly, White House and NRA open to (a little) gun control

WASHINGTON (AP) — The National Rifle Association joined the Trump administration and top congressional Republicans Thursday in a swift and surprising embrace of a restriction on Americans' guns, though a narrow one: to regulate the "bump stock" devices the Las Vegas shooter apparently used to horrifically lethal effect.

The devices, originally intended to help people with disabilities, fit over the stock and grip of a semi-automatic rifle and allow the weapon to fire continuously, some 400 to 800 rounds in a single minute. Bump stocks were found among the gunman's weapons and explain why victims in Las Vegas heard what sounded like automatic-weapons fire as the shooter rained bullets from a casino high-rise, slaughtering 58 people in a concert below and wounding hundreds more.

Thursday's sudden endorsements of controls came almost simultaneously from the NRA and the White House.

The NRA, which famously opposes virtually any hint of new restrictions, said in a statement: "The National Rifle Association is calling on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE) to immediately review whether these devices comply with federal law. The NRA believes that devices designed to allow semi-automatic rifles to function like fully automatic rifles should be subject to additional regulations."

Moments after, at the White House, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders praised the announcement.

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Las Vegas gunman may have scoped out other music festivals

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Investigators are looking into whether gunman Stephen Paddock scoped out bigger music festivals in Las Vegas and Chicago — and perhaps Boston's Fenway Park — before setting up his perch in a casino hotel and raining deadly fire on country music fans.

Paddock booked rooms overlooking the Lollapalooza festival in Chicago in August and the Life Is Beautiful show near the Vegas Strip in late September, according to authorities reconstructing his movements before he undertook the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.

It was not clear if he contemplated massacres at those sites.

Investigators looking into Paddock also came across mention of Fenway Park, Boston police Lt. Detective Mike McCarthy said, though he provided no further details.

The details came to light as investigators struggled to figure out why the high-stakes gambler opened fire on a crowd of 22,000 Sunday night from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel casino in Las Vegas. He killed 58 people and injured nearly 500 before taking his own life.

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10 Things to Know for Friday

Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about Friday:

1. WHO'S TAKING SURPRISING STANCE ON GUN CONTROL

The NRA voices support for the regulation of "bump stocks," the devices the Las Vegas shooter apparently used to effectively automate his weapons.

2. GUNMAN'S OTHER POSSIBLE TARGETS

Investigators are looking into whether Stephen Paddock scoped out bigger music festivals in Las Vegas and Chicago before setting up a perch in a casino hotel and raining deadly fire on country music fans.

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Tens of thousands have yet to submit DACA renewals

WASHINGTON (AP) — Tens of thousands of young people eligible for renewed protection from deportation had yet to submit their applications hours before a Trump administration deadline Thursday night. The administration was finalizing details of an immigration wish list that could jeopardize a long-term fix.

Under a phase-out plan announced by the president last month, more than 150,000 young people covered by the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program whose permits were set to expire before March 5 were given the chance to submit renewals — provided they arrive by Oct. 5.

Trump gave Congress six months to come up with a legislative replacement for the program. It shielded from deportation hundreds of thousands of young people, many of whom were brought into the U.S. illegally as children, and allowed them to work legally in the country.

While final numbers wouldn't be available until next week, DHS spokesman David Lapan said that about 118,000 of the roughly 154,000 people eligible for renewals had submitted their applications by mid-day Thursday. That left 36,000 — or about 23 per cent of those eligible — outstanding. Facilities processing applications were prepared to accept courier deliveries until midnight, he said.

The deadline approached as the Trump administration finalized the details of a set of immigration principles that could upend efforts to come up with a permanent fix for DACA recipients, often known as "Dreamers."

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AP source: Mueller team questions ex-spy on Trump dossier

WASHINGTON (AP) — Special counsel Robert Mueller's team of investigators has recently spoken with a former British spy who compiled a dossier of allegations about President Donald Trump's ties to Russia, according to a person familiar with the investigation.

The meeting with Christopher Steele took place in Europe in recent weeks, according to the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.

The dossier, which contends that Russia amassed compromising personal and financial allegations about Trump, was turned over to the FBI last year. It was developed by Steele, a former British spy who was assigned to look into Trump's Russia ties by a private American firm.

The document of allegations, which circulated in Washington last fall before the presidential election, received public attention in January when it was revealed that then-FBI Director James Comey had privately briefed Trump on a summary on the document's findings.

Trump has called the allegations in the dossier "phoney stuff" even as the FBI has been investigating and working to corroborate the document's claims. The conversation with Mueller's team, which is investigating potential co-ordination between the Trump campaign and Russia, suggests that investigators continue to take the document seriously.

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US Customs vows to block imports made by North Korea workers

U.S. Customs and Border Protection says it is ready to block U.S. imports of seafood — as well as any other goods — produced by North Korean labourers who work in China.

An Associated Press investigation tracked salmon, squid and cod processed by North Korean labourers working abroad to American stores, including Walmart and ALDI. The North Korean workers found in Chinese factories aren't allowed to leave, and receive only a fraction of their pay — most goes straight to the North Korean state. This means that American consumers buying seafood labeled "Caught in the USA, Processed in China" may inadvertently be subsidizing the government of Kim Jong Un as it builds nuclear weapons, and also supporting forced labour.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement Thursday it is reviewing the allegations and if warranted, would "pursue all enforcement actions and prohibit goods from importation as appropriate." The companies that responded also vowed to investigate ties with suppliers.

GOP Congressman Chris Smith from New Jersey, who has repeatedly called for tougher enforcement, said the Labor Department has already identified trafficking in 12 sectors of goods exported by China.

"CBP should be stopping every shipment from those sectors_and now trafficking-tainted salmon too," he said.

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Harvey Weinstein to take leave amid sexual harassment report

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Harvey Weinstein, the larger-than-life Hollywood executive and Oscar-winner, is taking a leave of absence from his own company after an explosive expose revealing decades of sexual harassment against women, from employees to actress Ashley Judd, was published in The New York Times Thursday.

The article includes first person accounts of Weinstein's alleged conduct, including from Judd, who recounts an incident from two decades ago in which she said she was asked to meet Weinstein in his hotel room. Weinstein greeted her wearing a bathrobe and asked if he could give her a massage or if she would watch him shower, the paper reported.

"Women have been talking about Harvey amongst ourselves for a long time, and it's simply beyond time to have the conversation publicly," Judd told the Times. Her publicist Annett Wolf said in response to a request for comment, "The New York Times article speaks for itself."

Two unnamed company officials tell the Times that at least eight women have received settlements from Weinstein over the years, including actress Rose McGowan, who allegedly had an incident with him in 1997 when she was 23.

Other stories include similar accounts of Weinstein coercing young women into giving him massages, while naked, or watching him shower, and promising career advancement in return. These incidents were all said to have happened in hotel rooms.

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AP-NORC Poll: Most dislike NFL protests _ and Trump comments

WASHINGTON (AP) — Most Americans think refusing to stand for the national anthem is disrespectful to the country, the military and the American flag. But most also disapprove of President Donald Trump's calling for NFL players to be fired for refusing to stand.

The NFL protests began last season with quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who knelt during the national anthem to bring more attention to the killings of black men by police officers. The protests spread this season, as the former San Francisco 49er was unable to sign on with another team, Seattle Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett said he was racially profiled by Las Vegas police and then Trump sounded off.

According to a poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, 52 per cent of Americans disapprove of professional athletes who have protested by refusing to stand during the national anthem, compared to 31 per cent who approve. At the same time, 55 per cent of Americans disapprove of Trump's call for firing players who refuse to stand, while 31 per cent approve.

In the poll, African-Americans were far more likely to approve of the players' protests.

"I don't see kneeling while the anthem is being played as being disrespectful," said Mary Taylor, 64, a retired law librarian from Olympia, Washington. "Somebody has to stand up. Right now, it's black football players."

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AP FACT CHECK: Trump strikes false notes on Puerto Rico

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump struck false notes in addressing Puerto Rico's crisis in recent days, exaggerating both the ferocity of a truly ferocious hurricane and the pace of recovery. He also seemed to raise false hope that the territory's staggering debt would go away.

A look at his remarks during and after his visit to the hurricane-ravaged island:

TRUMP: "This has been the toughest one. This has been a Category 5, which — few people have ever even heard of a Category 5 hitting land. But it hit land and, boy, did it hit land." — remarks Tuesday in Puerto Rico.

THE FACTS: As terrible as it was, Maria actually made landfall on Puerto Rico as a Category 4 hurricane, not 5. Winds were at 155 mph (249 kph), not 157 (253), the minimum for Category 5. It's a distinction no doubt lost on Puerto Ricans — the storm was even stronger than Harvey and Irma upon landfall, said National Hurricane Center spokesman Dennis Feltgen. But, "operationally it was a Category 4 hurricane."

Trump has repeatedly misstated the record. A week earlier, he said: "It actually touched down as a Category 5. People have never seen anything like that, and it was dead centre." And: "The second one hit Puerto Rico as a Category 5. I don't believe anybody's ever seen that happen before, hit land with that kind of velocity."

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QB Newton on sexist remarks: My comments were unacceptable

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Cam Newton apologized Thursday night in a Twitter video post for sexist comments made to a female reporter.

"After careful thought, I understand that my word choice was extremely degrading and disrespectful to women," the Carolina Panthers quarterback said at the start of the nearly two-minute video. "To be honest, that was not my intentions. And if you are a person who took offence to what I said, I sincerely apologize to you."

On Wednesday when Charlotte Observer reporter Jourdan Rodrigue asked the 2015 NFL MVP about wide receiver Devin Funchess' route running, Newton laughed and said, "It's funny to hear a female talk about routes. It's funny."

In the video, Newton said he's a man who strives to be a positive role model in the community and who tries to use his platform to inspire others. He said he takes ownership to everything that comes with that.

"What I did was extremely unacceptable," Newton said. "I'm a father to two beautiful daughters and I try to instil in them that they can be anything that they want to be. The fact that during this process I have already lost sponsors and countless fans I realize that the joke is really on me. I have really learned a valuable lesson from this."

News from © The Associated Press, 2017