Trump says he would ‘certainly meet’ with Iran’s Rouhani
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Monday he’d “certainly meet” with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, and without preconditions, if the Iranian leader were willing.
Speaking during a joint news conference with Italy’s premier, Trump said he would meet with the Iranians “anytime they want to.”
“I’ll meet with anybody,” he said. “There’s nothing wrong with meeting.”
The overture comes as Trump and the Iranians have escalated their rhetoric after Trump’s withdrawal in May from the landmark nuclear accord. The United States also vowed to boost sanctions until Iran changes its regional policies, including its support for regional militant groups.
It’s unclear whether Rouhani has any interest in meeting with Trump. Rouhani’s chief of staff claimed earlier this month in Iran’s state-owned newspaper that Rouhani rejected eight requests from Trump for one-on-one talks last year.
Counting starts after Zimbabweans vote in pivotal election
HARARE, Zimbabwe — With hope and pride, millions of Zimbabweans voted peacefully Monday in an election that many think is their best chance to escape the toxic politics and dead-end economics of the era of Robert Mugabe, who wasn’t on the ballot for the first time in the nation’s nearly four-decade history.
But opposition activists used to the violence, intimidation and vote-tampering that marred elections under Mugabe called for vigilance against the same kind of skullduggery this time around. Western monitors noted some problems at polling stations, but said it wasn’t yet clear whether they reflected a deliberate effort to manipulate the elections.
More than 5.5 million people were registered to vote in an election featuring a record more than 20 presidential candidates and nearly 130 political parties vying for parliamentary seats. If no presidential candidate wins more than 50 percent of the vote, a runoff will be scheduled for Sept. 8.
CBS keeps Moonves in place during sexual misconduct inquiry
NEW YORK — CBS will keep CEO Les Moonves in place during an investigation of sexual misconduct charges against him, the company said Monday. It will hire an outside counsel to conduct the probe.
On Friday, a New Yorker article quoted six women who accused Moonves of sexual misconduct during a span of three decades. The alleged behavior included forced kissing, unwanted sexual advances and career retaliation against women who rebuffed him. CBS issued a statement even before the article was published, saying it took the allegations seriously and would begin an investigation.
Moonves joined CBS in 1995 as president of CBS Entertainment and quickly climbed the ranks, becoming CEO of CBS Television in 1998 and CEO of the newly created CBS Corp. in 2006 after it split from Viacom. He revived the company, which operates the CBS network, Showtime and other entities, with hit shows like “NCIS” and “The Big Bang Theory.”
FEMA director of personnel resigns amid sexual misconduct claims
WASHINGTON — The recently resigned director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s personnel office is accused of improper sexual relationships and creating a “toxic” environment.
That’s according to a summary of an internal investigation by the agency. Preliminary results were completed Friday.
FEMA officials say Corey Coleman resigned June 18 amid the probe. Coleman is not named in the summary, but officials at the agency confirmed the report refers to him.
FEMA’s administrator, Brock Long, is referring the investigation to the Homeland Security Department’s internal watchdog. He says such behavior is not tolerated. A call to Coleman’s home was not returned.
States suing Trump administration, company over 3-D guns
Eight states are filing suit against the Trump administration because of its decision to allow a Texas company to publish downloadable blueprints for a 3D-printed gun, contending the hard-to-trace plastic weapons are a boon to terrorists and criminals and threaten public safety.
The suit asks a judge to block the federal government’s late-June settlement with Defense Distributed, which allowed the company to make the plans available online. Officials say 1,000 people already downloaded blueprints for AR-15 rifles.
Joining the suit were Democratic attorneys general in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Maryland, New York and the District of Columbia. Separately, attorneys general in 21 states urged Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Monday to withdraw from the settlement with Defense Distributed, saying it “creates an imminent risk to public safety.”
AP-NORC/MTV Poll: Young people looking for younger leaders
WASHINGTON — Young people are looking for a change this election season — a generational change.
A poll by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and MTV found most Americans ages 15-34 think voting in the midterm elections gives their generation some say about how the government is operated, and 79 percent of this group say leaders from their generation would do a better job.
The poll found young people eager to vote for someone who shared their political views on issues such as health care and immigration policy. They expressed far less excitement about voting for a candidate described as a lifelong politician.
The current Congress is among the oldest in U.S. history. At the beginning of the 115th Congress in January 2017, the average age of House members was nearly 58. The average age of senators was nearly 62, among the oldest, according to the Congressional Research Service.
