President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, secretly worked for a Russian billionaire to advance the interests of Russian President Vladimir Putin a decade ago and proposed an ambitious political strategy to undermine anti-Russian opposition across former Soviet republics, The Associated Press has learned. The work appears to contradict assertions by the Trump administration and Manafort himself that he never worked for Russian interests.   Manafort proposed in a confidential strategy plan as early as June 2005 that he would influence politics, business dealings and news coverage inside the United States, Europe and the former Soviet republics to benefit the Putin government, even as U.S.-Russia relations under Republican President George W. Bush grew worse. Manafort pitched the plans to Russian aluminum magnate Oleg Deripaska, a close Putin ally with whom Manafort eventually signed a $10 million annual contract beginning in 2006, according to interviews with several people familiar with …

Lawmakers questioning Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch at his Senate confirmation are asking about something called “Chevron deference.” For the record, it is not about letting someone ahead of you in line at the gas station. But it is a legal concept Gorsuch has addressed as a judge on the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver since 2006. What you should know about Chevron deference, and why it is such a big deal: CHEVRON AND GORSUCH The basic idea is that Congress writes laws that often aren’t crystal clear. It leaves the details to federal agencies when it comes to things such as environmental regulations, workplace standards, consumer protections and even immigration law. The Supreme Court’s 1984 ruling in Chevron v. NRDC says that in those situations, often murky, courts should rely on the experts at the Environmental Protection Agency and other agencies to fill in the gaps. …

U.S. Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch faces at least one more day of direct questioning by a Senate panel Wednesday before members vote on whether to recommend his nomination to the full Senate. Gorsuch told the Senate Judiciary Committee during a confirmation hearing Tuesday that no Trump administration official ever pressured him to promise how he would vote on thorny hot-button issues that could come before the court in coming years. “I don’t believe in litmus tests for judges,” Gorsuch, a federal appellate judge, said. “No one in that [nomination] process asked me for any commitments, any kind of promises about how I’d rule in any kind of case. “I have no difficulty ruling for or against any party,” the nominee added. Gorsuch’s comment, at the start of the second day of confirmation hearings, preceded intensive questioning by lawmakers, especially Democrats, about controversial campaign promises made by Trump. Controversial issues …

Afghanistan wants the United States to send more forces to help meet shortfalls in the battle against the Taliban and the Islamic State group, the nation’s top diplomat said Tuesday. Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani welcomed a recent call by U.S. Gen. John Nicholson, the top American commander in Afghanistan, for a few thousand more troops from the U.S. or other coalition partners to help break the stalemate in the war-torn country. The Trump administration has not yet said if it will send more forces in response to Nicholson’s comments. About 8,400 U.S. troops are currently deployed in Afghanistan, performing counterterrorism operations against insurgents and training the Afghan army. The war is in its 16th year. Citing a deadly attack this month on a military hospital in Kabul, Rabbani said Afghanistan needs U.S. help in addressing “military shortfalls,” through increased training, ground and air capabilities, and reconnaissance and intelligence support. The …

The developer of the Dakota Access pipeline has reported “recent coordinated physical attacks” on the much-protested line, just as it’s almost ready to carry oil. Texas-based Energy Transfer Partners didn’t give details, but experts say Dakota Access and the rest of the nearly 3 million miles of pipeline that deliver natural gas and petroleum in the U.S. are vulnerable to acts of sabotage. It’s a threat that ETP takes seriously enough that it has asked a court to shield details such as spill response plans and features of the four-state pipeline that the company fears could be used against it by activists or terrorists. Here is a look at some pipeline security issues: RECENT ATTACKS Authorities in South Dakota and Iowa confirmed Tuesday that someone apparently used a torch to burn a hole through empty sections of the pipeline at above-ground shut-off valve sites. Mahaska County Sheriff Russell Van Renterghem …

Oil prices dipped on Wednesday as rising crude stocks in the United States underscored an ongoing global fuel supply overhang despite an OPEC-led effort to cut output. Prices for front-month Brent crude futures, the international benchmark for oil, were at $50.79 per barrel at 0451 GMT, down 17 cents, or 0.3 percent, from their last close. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were down 18 cents, or 0.4 percent, at $48.08 a barrel. “Crude oil prices fell as concerns over rising U.S. inventories resurfaced,” ANZ bank said on Wednesday. U.S. crude oil inventories climbed by 4.5 million barrels in the week to March 17 to 533.6 million barrels, the American Petroleum Institute (API) said late on Tuesday. “The American Petroleum Institutes’ crude inventories stuck the knife into crude overnight, coming in at a 4.5 million barrel increase against an expected increase of 2.8 million barrels,” said Jeffrey Halley, senior …

An altered Facebook headline on a newspaper story involving a statue of Robert E. Lee has blown up into a major sore point in the Virginia GOP primary for governor — another instance of politicians or their allies changing headlines to suit their own purposes on that platform. Virginia’s governor’s race is being watched nationally as a possible early referendum on President Donald Trump. A group aligned with gubernatorial hopeful Corey Stewart, a firebrand conservative Trump backer, has weaponized a fake headline to attack rival Ed Gillespie, the GOP establishment’s pick for governor. At issue: Gillespie’s level of support for Virginia’s Confederate monuments. Stewart pledged no Confederate monuments would be removed if elected, staunchly supportive of Southern history. After Stewart protested before Charlottesville’s Lee statue in February, the Washington Post wrote a story called “Protesters mob provocative Va. governor candidate as he defends Confederate statue.” Conservative Response Team A conservative …

Chuck Barris, whose game show empire included The Dating Game, The Newlywed Game and that infamous factory of cheese, The Gong Show, died at 87. Barris died of natural causes Tuesday afternoon at his home in Palisades, New York, according to publicist Paul Shefrin, who announced the death on behalf of Barris’ family. Barris made game show history right off the bat, in 1966, with The Dating Game, hosted by Jim Lange. The gimmick: a young female questions three males, hidden from her view, to determine which would be the best date. Sometimes the process was switched, with a male questioning three females. But in all cases the questions were designed by the show’s writers to elicit sexy answers. Future celebrities Celebrities and future celebrities who appeared as contestants included Michael Jackson, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Steve Martin and a pre-Charlie’s Angels Farrah Fawcett, introduced as “an accomplished artist and sculptress” with …

Kurdish commanders in northern Syria said this week Russia is building a military base there, and will help train its fighters. Moscow disputed the claims, but analysts say it is a sign of the Kurds’ growing role in the region. Across the border, Iraq faces a potential watershed moment as the battle for Mosul nears its end, with speculation growing that Kurds in the autonomous north could make a renewed push for independence. Despite the claims by Kurdish YPG fighters, Moscow denied it has plans to open any new bases. But Russia remains the game-changer, analyst Zeynep Kaya, of LSE Middle East Center, said. “They can talk to the Kurds, they can talk to Assad, they can broker deals,” Kaya said. US support The United States is also backing Kurdish YPG forces battling Islamic State further east. The Kurds’ ability to secure support from Washington and Moscow leaves Turkey looking …

Kurdish commanders in northern Syria said this week Russia is building a military base there, and will help train its fighters. Moscow disputed the claims, but analysts say it is a sign of the Kurds’ growing role in the region. Across the border, Iraq faces a potential watershed moment as the battle for Mosul nears its end, with speculation growing that Kurds in the autonomous north could make a renewed push for independence. Henry Ridgwell reports. …

If much of the United States was transfixed by the Congressional testimony of two of America’s top intelligence officials on allegations of Russian meddling in the U.S. elections, the Kremlin claimed it had better things to do. “We have many concerns in the Kremlin and following that [debate] isn’t one of them,” said Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov. “New information we’re not hearing and doubtfully will hear,” said Peskov, who went on to compare the hearings to a “broken record” being played ad nauseam. “It’s an internal American issue … our relationship to all this hysteria is well known.” During testimony before the House Intelligence Committee Monday, FBI Director James Comey confirmed his agency is investigating Russian attempts to interfere in the U.S. election, including whether President Donald Trump’s campaign aides criminally colluded with Russian interests to help Trump win. Nyet, Nyet, and Nyet Again The Kremlin has been nothing if …

Hundreds of relatives of those killed on Sept. 11 have sued Saudi Arabia, joining many others who have tried to hold the kingdom responsible for the attacks. Like other recent actions, the lawsuit filed Monday capitalizes on last year’s decision by Congress to let victims sue Saudi Arabia. It seeks unspecified damages. Earlier attempts to hold Saudi Arabia responsible over the past 15 years have failed. Fifteen of the 19 attackers who hijacked planes to carry out the attacks in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania were Saudis. The 9/11 Commission report found “no evidence that the Saudi government as an institution or senior Saudi officials individually funded” the attacks. But the commission also said there’s a “likelihood” that Saudi-government-sponsored charities did. Lawyers for Saudi Arabia did not immediately comment. …

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly says his department will not detain undocumented immigrants at “sensitive locations” such as churches. His comments last week came as congregations across the United States have mounted a grassroots movement to oppose the Trump administration’s immigration policies and to offer sanctuary to illegal immigrants threatened with immediate deportation. VOA’s Bill Rodgers visited one church at the heart of Washington’s immigrant community. …