Friday morning news: March 29, 2019

President Trump calls for investigation of Russia probe origins » President Trump is calling for a full investigation of the people who set the Russia probe in motion.

TRUMP: How did it start? You had dirty cops. You had people that are bad FBI folks. I know so many, they’re incredible people, but at the top they were not clean to put it mildly. 

In a 45-minute interview on Fox News, Trump vowed to “get to the bottom” of it.

The president said he plans to declassify and publish the full Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrants that the FBI used to get permission to begin monitoring his campaign.

But Democratic House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff this week rejected the conclusion of the special counsel’s report, saying “Undoubtedly there is collusion.”

SCHIFF: It is not clear whether or to what extent the Mueller report, which is focused on prosecutorial decisions, will even discuss counterintelligence findings. 

Schiff said Democrats will continue to investigate counterintelligence issues. But they will focus on whether the president or his aides have been compromised by a hostile foreign government.

CBP chief: southwest border at breaking point » The top border security official in the U.S. warned this week that the southern border is at a “breaking point.”

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan spoke to reporters while standing in front of a steel barrier on the border in El Paso, Texas. He said “CBP is facing an unprecedented humanitarian and border security crisis all along our Southwest border.”

MCALEENAN: On Monday we saw the highest total of apprehensions or encounters in over a decade with 4,000 migrants either apprehended or encountered at ports of entry in a single day. Yesterday we broke the record again with 4,117.  

McAleenan said most of the apprehensions and encounters involved migrants from Central America seeking asylum in the U.S.

Border officials detained more than 75,000 imigrants in February. That was the highest number in 12 years. More than 7,000 were unaccompanied children.

McAleenan said holding facilities are simply overrun, and many migrants arrive with chickenpox, the flu, and other illnesses.

US government charges Facebook with housing discrimination » The federal government charged Facebook with high-tech housing discrimination Thursday.

Facebook’s ad platform allows companies to advertise with surgical precision to certain groups of people. And Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson says the system is fostering discrimination by landlords and real estate brokers who advertise on Facebook.

CARSON: Advertisers have the ability to say I only want to advertise to women. I only want to advertise to non-Christians. You know, this kind of information most people don’t know has been gathered on them, and we want to make sure it is not used in an inappropriate way. 

The civil charges could cost the social network millions of dollars in penalties. But more than that, they strike at the core of Facebook’s business model. And it raises questions about whether tighter regulations could follow.

Facebook expressed surprise over the charges, saying it’s been working with HUD to address its concerns. And the company said it’s taken steps to prevent discrimination in housing and in other areas like credit and employment.

Facebook bans white nationalism » Also on Thursday, Facebook announced that it is extending its ban on hate speech to prohibit the promotion of white nationalism and white separatism.

The company has long banned white supremacists. But up until now, it didn’t apply the ban to expressions of white nationalism because it linked those expressions with broader concepts of nationalism and separatism.

But after long standing pressure from civil rights groups, Facebook now says white nationalism is connected to white supremacy and organized hate groups.

As part of the change, people who search for terms associated with white supremacy on Facebook will be directed to a group called Life After Hate. That’s a group of former extremists who work to help people escape that ideology.

Joni Eareckson Tada hospitalized » Christian author and ministry leader, Joni Eareckson Tada has been hospitalized for complications from cancer radiation treatments. WORLD Radio’s Sarah Schweinsberg reports.

SARAH SCHWEINSBURG, REPORTER: Tada’s ministry, Joni and Friends, said in a statement that her cancer treatments have caused significant pain and difficulty breathing.

The ministry asked for prayers for Tada and her family, saying—quote … “As they express confidence that God is in control, the support of prayerful concern would be deeply appreciated.” James 5:16 says, “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”

Tada is 69 year old. She became a quadriplegic 51 years ago in a diving accident. Since then, she’s become an international advocate for people with disabilities. She was WORLD’s Daniel of the Year in 2017.

Reporting for WORLD Radio, I’m Sarah Schweinsberg.

Major League Baseball season underway for all 30 teams » Baseball season is underway! Thursday was opening day for most of Major League Baseball’s 30 teams.  

In Milwaukee, Brewers outfielder Lorenzo Cain has already added a play to the highlight real. With the ball game on the line Thursday, he leaped against the center field wall and grabbed a would-be homerun that was heading for the St. Louis Cardinals bullpen.

AUDIO: Fly ball hit back into deep right-center field – Lorenzo Cain – got it at the wall! Lorenzo Cain to end the game! 

The reigning World Series champion Boston Red Sox opened the season in Seattle. The defending National League champion Dodgers opened at home, hosting the Diamondbacks.

(AP Photo/Paul Sancya) President Donald Trump speaks during a rally in Grand Rapids, Mich., Thursday, March 28, 2019. 

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