Tuesday morning news: June 11, 2019

House panel to get underlying materials from Russia probe » Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee will get some of documents they’ve demanded from the Justice Department.

That according to committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler on Monday.

NADLER: I am pleased that we have reached an agreement to review some of the evidence underlying the Mueller report, including firsthand accounts of misconduct and other critical evidence and that this material will be made available without delay to members of the committee on both sides of the aisle.

Nadler said the Justice Department will begin complying with a congressional subpoena and that members will be able to see some of Mueller’s “most important files.”

With that agreement in place, Nadler said the panel will hold off on a planned vote to hold Attorney General William Barr in criminal contempt.

In a hearing Monday, the Judiciary Committee heard from former Nixon White House counsel John Dean. Dean told lawmakers that the Watergate report was a roadmap for congressional investigators 45 years ago, and now…

DEAN: Special counsel Mueller has provided this committee with a roadmap. 

Ranking Member Doug Collins called Dean’s appearance a Democratic stunt to correlate the Trump White House to the Nixon administration.

COLLINS: This committee is now hearing from the 70s and they want their star witness back.

Republicans say Democrats are turning inquiries into mock impeachment hearings.

Iran warns that U.S. “cannot expect to stay safe” » A top Iranian official is warning the U.S. that it—quote—“cannot expect to stay safe” after launching what he called an economic war against Tehran. WORLD Radio’s Kristen Flavin reports.

KRISTEN FLAVIN, REPORTER: Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif lashed out Monday at the U.S. for reimposing sanctions against his country.

Zarif said—quote—“The only solution for reducing tensions in this region is stopping that economic war.” And he added “Whoever starts a war with us will not be the one who finishes it.”

His threat came during a visit by Germany’s top diplomat seeking to defuse tensions. For his part, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas insisted his country and other European powers want to find a way to salvage the 2015 nuclear deal.

Iran has imposed a July 7 deadline for Europe to do that. Otherwise, Iranian officials say the country will resume enriching uranium closer to weapons-grade levels.

Reporting for WORLD Radio, I’m Kristen Flavin.

At least 95 dead after raid on village in Mali » At least 95 people are dead after militants raided a village in central Mali on Monday. The government said it’s the latest massacre in a growing ethnic conflict.

No group immediately claimed responsibility. But the government has linked the growing violence to extremist fighters tied to ISIS and al-Qaeda.

Mali has long battled Islamic extremism in its far north. Extremists have infiltrated communities much farther south in recent years.

LGBT activist sues Christian Colorado baker » An LGBT activist has filed a lawsuit against a Colorado baker who has already defended his religious liberty before the nation’s highest court. WORLD Radio’s Paul Butler has more.

PAUL BUTLER, REPORTER: Jack Pillips won a U.S. Supreme Court judgement last summer protecting him from state discrimination for his religious beliefs.

That case centered on a cake request for a same-sex wedding. The new case deals with a cake celebrating a gender transition.

Phillips declined to bake that cake for activist Autumn Scardina because of his Biblical beliefs about the unchanging nature of biological sex. So Scardina filed a discrimination complaint in 2017 with the Colorado Civil Rights Commission.

Phillips countersued the commission for continuing to show hostility toward his beliefs. In March, the commission relented and Phillips dropped his lawsuit.

Now, Scardina is suing Phillips for discrimination in state court.

Alliance Defending Freedom’s Jim Campbell, who represents the baker said, “This latest attack by Autumn Scardina looks like yet another desperate attempt to harass cake artist Jack Phillips.”

Reporting for WORLD Radio, I’m Paul Butler.

David Ortiz stable after shooting in Domincan Republic » Former Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz in stable condition today at a hospital in his native Dominican Republic.

That after an unknown gunman on Sunday approached Ortiz from behind at a bar in Santo Domingo and shot him at close range. The bullet damaged his liver as it ripped through his abdomen.

Ortiz is in intensive care and will be flown to Boston once his condition improves.

Police can’t say for sure that Ortiz was the intended target. And they have not yet identified or arrested the gunman.

A crowd captured and beat the man who allegedly drove the motorcycle that transported the suspect. Police are waiting for him to recover enough from his injuries to answer questions.

(AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi) Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, right, and his German counterpart Heiko Maas shake hands for the media prior to their meeting, in Tehran, Iran, Monday, June 10, 2019. 

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