Monday morning news: June 18, 2018

House threatens DOJ, FBI over documents release » House Speaker Paul Ryan is threatening the Justice Department and FBI with “constitutional action” this week if they fail to comply with subpoenas for documents in the Russian probe.

Ryan and the chairmen of the House Intelligence, Oversight and Judiciary committees met with top DOJ and FBI officials Friday night over their refusal to turn over documents. Oversight Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy says Ryan laid down the law. 

GOWDY: Paul made it very clear, there’s going to be action on the floor of the House this week if the FBI and DOJ do not comply with our subpoena requests. 

Specifically, the House committees want to know how the FBI obtained FISA court warrants to listen in on members of the Trump campaign and to use an informant who mined for information. 

Devin Nunes, chairman of the Intel Committee, said contempt of Congress charges are possible: 

NUNES: My confidence level is extremely low that DOJ and FBI are going to comply. However it was good that the Speaker of the House was there along with the other two committee chairmen to make sure that the FBI and DOJ know that they’ve been put on notice.

The FBI and Justice Department have cited national security concerns for not releasing the documents.

FBI agents received perks from media » Last week’s Justice Department IG report uncovered another revelation about ethical lapses that led to leaks at the FBI. The inspector general found that “a large number” of FBI agents had improper media relationships.  

The report stated: “Although FBI policy strictly limits the employees who are authorized to speak to the media, we found that this policy appeared to be widely ignored.” The report said the infractions involved employees at “all levels of the organization and with no official reason to be in contact with the media.”

Agents also took numerous perks from media outlets. They accepted tickets to sporting events, “went on golfing outings with media representatives, [and] were treated to drinks and meals after work by reporters.”

Trump administration continues to defend zero-tolerance border policy » Demonstrators marked Father’s Day with protests at the U.S.-Mexico border. Protesters spoke out against the Trump administration’s policy of separating parents from children if they cross the border illegally.

AUDIO: What do we want? Justice! When do we want it? Now! 

A number of activist organizations showed up there, including the ACLU.

Border officials have separated an estimated 2,000 children from their parents since the Trump administration announced its “zero tolerance” policy. Critics say the policy forces children to suffer for their parents’ decisions.

But White House adviser Kellyanne Conway says no one wants to separate families but U.S. laws and borders must be respected. And she added that children who are turned over the Department of Health and Human Services are well cared for.

CONWAY: They have the necessary medications, obviously food and shelter. They have exercise. They have education during the day. 

Some Democrats on Capitol Hill say they’ll propose legislation tomorrow to change the policy. And Fox News reports that President Trump will also head to Capitol Hill tomorrow to try and rally GOP lawmakers around one of a pair of Republican immigration bills.

Pope: selective abortions like Nazi-era eugenics » 

Aborting unborn babies who may be malformed or suffer other disabilities is a lot like Nazi-era eugenics. That was the message from Pope Francis over the weekend, as he spoke to an Italian family association.

Francis denounced prenatal tests that can lead to parents choosing to end the life of an unborn child with abnormalities. The pope said—his words—“Last century, the whole world was scandalized by what the Nazis did to purify the race. Today, we do the same thing but with white gloves.”

Francis called on families to accept children—quote—”as God gives them to us.”

Box office: “Incredibles 2” opening shatters records » 

AUDIO: Incredibles 2 trailer

At the box office, “Incredibles 2” enjoyed an incredible opening, shattering records over the weekend.  

AUDIO: We need to change people’s perceptions about superheroes, and Elastigirl is our best play. Better than me? Bye sweetie. I’ll watch the kids, no problem. 

The sequel to the Disney-Pixar blockbuster hauled in $180 million. That’s the best opening weekend ever for an animated film and overall, one of the top 10 openings in Hollywood history.

The action caper movie Ocean’s 8 finished in second place with another $20 million, followed by “Tag a Solo: A Star Wars Story.”

You can find WORLD’s reviews of current films—along with ratings and content information—at WNG.org/movies.

I’m Kent Covington. Straight ahead: Canada’s Supreme Court rules against free association and religious liberty for a small Christian university. Plus, something that’s ahead but not immediately straight ahead. This is The World and Everything in It.

(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, R-Wis., takes questions from reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, June 13, 2018. 

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