Nation and World briefs for September 3

Obama seals legacy-defining Iran deal as Senate Dems gather 34 votes to stymie GOP resolution

WASHINGTON (AP) — Overcoming ferocious opposition, President Barack Obama secured a legacy-defining foreign policy victory Wednesday as Senate Democrats clinched the necessary votes to ensure the Iran nuclear agreement survives in Congress.

The decisive 34th commitment came from Maryland Democrat Barbara Mikulski, who is retiring next year after three decades in the Senate. In a statement she said “no deal is perfect, especially one negotiated with the Iranian regime.” But she called the pact “the best option available to block Iran from having a nuclear bomb.”

Supporters now have the votes in hand to uphold Obama’s veto, if one becomes necessary, of a resolution of disapproval Republicans are trying to pass this month. GOP lawmakers who control the House and Senate ardently oppose the agreement, which curbs Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for hundreds of billions of dollars in relief from international sanctions.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., grudgingly acknowledged that his side would not be able to block the deal after Obama, in his words, secured “the tepid, restricted and partisan support of one-third of one house of Congress.” McConnell spared the accord no criticism, saying it leaves Iran “with a threshold nuclear capability.”

Israel also has railed against the deal, arguing that its conditions would keep Iran perilously close to developing nuclear weapons while enriching a government that has funded anti-U.S. and anti-Israel militants throughout the Middle East. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who had personally lobbied U.S. lawmakers to block the pact, will continue fighting the agreement, an Israeli official said, while a spokesman for the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC said his group also would seek to build further opposition.

Tensions build at Budapest’s urban refugee camp as migrants face hostility, plot their escape

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Tempers flared among the thousands trapped in a makeshift refugee camp in the heart of Budapest on Wednesday as Hungary played hardball with its unwelcome visitors for a second day, blocking train ticket-clutching migrants from traveling deeper into Europe.

The migrants, who have swamped every nook and cranny of public space outside the city’s Keleti train station, threatened to walk the 105 miles (170 kilometers) to the Austrian border if police don’t let them board trains to their desired destinations in Austria and Germany.

“I will walk the whole way if I must,” declared 28-year-old Ahmed Shamoun, who deserted Syria’s army three months ago, leaving nine brothers and eight sisters behind in Damascus. “I could pay a taxi 500 euros ($550) to take me to Austria, but the police might stop me. I could wait here forever before Hungary lets me take the train.”

Hungary tantalizingly opened the way Monday, allowing more than 1,000 migrants to pack westbound trains — and inspiring a migrant surge to the capital — before it withdrew the option 24 hours later. The question of how to defuse the human gridlock in Hungary is set to dominate meetings in Brussels on Thursday between EU leaders and Hungary’s anti-immigrant prime minister, Viktor Orban.

Hungary, which for months had permitted most applicants to head west after short bureaucratic delays, now says it won’t let more groups deeper into the European Union and has cited EU backing for the move. Police blocking migrants from entering the capital’s main international train hub also stopped them from marching around the station, sparking scenes of anger but no violence.

Hunt widens for 3 suspects in Illinois officer’s death after house-to-house search fell flat

FOX LAKE, Ill. (AP) — Authorities broadened the hunt Wednesday for three suspects wanted in the fatal shooting of a popular Illinois police officer, even as they acknowledged that they had no indication the men were still in the area where the slaying happened.

After an intensive 14-hour “grid search” of homes, railroad tracks and marshland in the village of Fox Lake, the second-day manhunt turned to the painstaking detective work of chasing down tips, collecting and reviewing surveillance video and interviewing residents near the crime scene. Meanwhile, new search teams rippled out into subdivisions beyond the initial 2-square-mile perimeter established on Tuesday. At least 100 investigators were on the ground.

A major challenge for investigators was the lack of a description of the suspects beyond the vague one that came from the officer, who told dispatchers he was pursuing three suspicious men — two white, one black — moments before he was shot.

“That was the only description provided,” said Lake County Major Crimes Task Force Cmdr. George Filenko, the lead investigator on the case. “So of course we’re getting the public calling in every time they see that match of three individuals or even two individuals. We’ve closed out those leads completely as being unsubstantiated.”

Lt. Charles Joseph Gliniewicz, a 30-year police veteran, was shot Tuesday morning while pursuing three men he spotted on his way to work along a roadway with nothing around but open fields and abandoned-looking businesses, Filenko said. Gliniewicz told dispatchers the men ran into a swampy area, and he requested a second unit.

Judge refuses to drop charges against 6 officers in death of Freddie Gray, orders solo trials

BALTIMORE (AP) — A Baltimore judge on Wednesday refused to dismiss charges against six police officers in connection with the death of a black man from injuries he suffered while in custody. The judge also refused to remove the prosecutor in the case.

The death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray — who succumbed to injuries sustained after his arrest on April 12 — sparked rioting and unrest that shook Baltimore for days. Protests Wednesday outside the Baltimore courtroom where a pretrial hearing on the charges took place resulted in just one arrest.

Defense attorneys failed to persuade Circuit Judge Barry Williams that what they claimed was prosecutorial misconduct on the part of State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby was reason enough to drop the charges against the police officers — which range from second-degree assault to second-degree murder.

Williams ruled that while Mosby’s public comments regarding initial statements made by the officers to investigators were “troubling,” they were not likely to prejudice a jury.

Andrew Graham, an attorney representing Officer Caesar Goodson, unsuccessfully argued that Mosby’s comments after filing charges against the officers were “reckless and unprofessional,” and violated the rules of conduct. He likened Mosby’s comments on the case to a “pep rally calling for payback.”

Biden tests waters in Florida as all watch for hints about his presidential ambitions

MIAMI (AP) — Vice President Joe Biden came to Florida to lend a hand to Senate Democrats and the administration’s education agenda Wednesday on a trip watched for any hint that he’ll seek the presidency.

He may have dropped a hint at Miami Dade College, telling a crowd, “People who aren’t willing to risk failing never succeed.”

But the remark, at least on its surface, was about the courage it takes for students to go back to community college after being out for years.

Biden will also attend a fundraiser for Senate Democrats, mingling with the types of donors he’d need to challenge Hillary Rodham Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination. Altogether, he’s kicked off a series of events in the next week allowing him to defend President Barack Obama’s record.

At Miami Dade College, Biden said he and Obama had sought to address the economic disparities between the wealthy and poor and that the nation was on the verge of an “economic renaissance.” He spoke about the Obama administration’s plan to provide two years of free community college to students as a building block for future generations.

Foreign militants get ID cards from corrupt officials in Pakistan, giving freedom to operate

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Foreign Islamic militants have been able to secure Pakistani national identity cards for years in exchange for bribes as low as $100, giving them vastly greater freedom to operate, according to a report by Pakistan’s top intelligence agency obtained by The Associated Press.

The issue of foreign jihadis operating so easily in Pakistan has regional and even global implications. The country has long been a destination for aspiring global jihadis to receive training, some of whom are sent back abroad to conduct attacks. Foreign governments, particularly neighboring Afghanistan, have frequently accused elements of the Pakistani government of sheltering Islamic militant groups that frequent the porous and lawless tribal regions along the Afghan border.

According to the recent report by the Inter-Services Intelligence or ISI, thousands of foreigners have illegally obtained Pakistani national IDs. Most of them are Afghan refugees trying to have a more regular status, but they also include at least dozens of Islamic militants from China, the Maldives, Uzbekistan and the United States. Pakistani militants also often secured a second national ID card under a fake name, making it harder for local law enforcement to track and apprehend them, the report says.

“If the registration authority of any country is not corruption free, there are serious security concerns,” said Pakistani Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan at a press conference in Islamabad on Aug. 23. Khan said he had set up a permanent committee of officers to work on ending the practice, adding, “We have prioritized it.”

Among the most notorious beneficiaries of this system was Adnan Shukrijumah, a Saudi-born U.S. citizen and a top al-Qaida commander. Shukrijumah was killed in a Pakistani army raid in a tribal region along the Afghan border in December 2014. He was found in possession of a Pakistani national identity card under the name of Shahzaib Khan, according to the ISI report.

Judge clears way for 48-year-old’s gender reassignment, denies parents’ effort to block

DOYLESTOWN, Pa. (AP) — A judge on Wednesday cleared the way for a 48-year-old transgender woman to undergo gender-reassignment surgery, rejecting an effort by her parents to have the operation blocked.

Christine Kitzler’s parents said she was incompetent and needed to have a guardian appointed, but Judge C. Theodore Fritsch Jr. said they failed to provide clear and convincing evidence of that. He also rejected their request for an independent medical exam.

“I’m so happy,” Kitzler whispered after the ruling.

The surgery originally been scheduled for Tuesday but was halted when the parents went to court. Kitzler’s lawyers were trying to arrange to have it done Wednesday night.

“The procedure is barbaric and they want to do it tonight. Why the rush? They should be ashamed of themselves,” said her father, Klaus Kitzler.

Obstacle to moving 2016 Rio Olympic venues? The silent 1,400 athletes themselves

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Olympic organizers have agreed to test for viruses in Rio’s sewage-filled waters.

But even if they find high virus counts, organizers say they have no plans to move venues.

Why isn’t there more pressure to move? Olympic athletes have little clout, some sports don’t have alternate venues, and sport federations have deep financial ties to the International Olympic Committee.

Carlos Nuzman, head of the Rio organizing committee, promised Tuesday to introduce viral testing, saying the most important thing was “the health of athletes.”

Most athletes, however, have remained quiet, even after The Associated Press released a five-month independent study showing high levels of viruses at Olympic venues for sailing, rowing, canoeing, triathlon and open-water swimming. About 1,400 athletes will compete in the hazardous waters.