COLU @ CONCEPTS

BRIDGEWATER, N.J. (AP) — President Donald Trump crowned his weekend rage against the news media with a mock video that shows him pummeling a man in a business suit — his face obscured by the CNN logo — outside a wrestling ring. It was not immediately clear who produced the brief video, which appears to be a doctored version of Trump’s 2007 appearance on World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. The 28-second clip was posted on Trump’s official Twitter account Sunday morning, with the message: “#FraudNewsCNN #FNN.” Trump, who has branded the media as the “opposition party” and CNN as “fake news,” stayed on the attack later in the day, stating on Twitter that “the dishonest media will NEVER keep us from accomplishing our objectives on behalf of our GREAT AMERICAN PEOPLE!” Bruce Brown, executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, condemned the video as a “threat of physical violence against journalists.” He said Trump’s tweet was “beneath the office of the p...

BEIRUT (AP) — Beirut’s landmark Hamra Street is bustling again and hotel occupancy rates are on the rise as Lebanon’s tourism industry rebounds, thanks in no small part to the misfortunes of its Middle East neighbors, engulfed by wars, chaos and political upheaval. It was just four years ago when Lebanon seemed to be losing its grip on its internal security. The specter of war spilling over from neighboring Syria hung low over the capital and Lebanese proprietors looked longingly to the stability in Turkey and the Gulf region. But now, Lebanon’s tourism sector is on the rise as the Gulf and Turkey, to the surprise of many, are looking shaky. While neighboring Syria and Iraq burn, the Lebanese industry is looking — cautiously but optimistically — at the promise of a new beginning. “I know the region is going through very difficult times, but Lebanon has gotten lucky,” said Tourism Minister Avedis Guidanian. Since last year’s doldrums during the summer tourist season, Lebano...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — As many in the United States celebrate the Fourth of July holiday, some minorities have mixed feelings about the revelry of fireworks and parades in an atmosphere of tension on several fronts. How do you celebrate during what some people of color consider troubling times? Blacks, Latinos and immigrant rights advocates say the aftermath of the 2016 presidential election, recent non-convictions of police officers charged in the shootings of black men, and the stepped-up detentions of immigrants and refugees for deportation have them questioning equality and the promise of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness in the United States. Filmmaker Chris Phillips of Ferguson, Missouri, says he likely will attend a family barbecue just like every Fourth of July. But the 36-year-old black man says he can’t help but feel perplexed about honoring the birth of the nation after three officers were recently cleared in police shootings. ___ POLICE SHOOTINGS ...

URBANA, Ill. (AP) — A website that hosted an “Abduction 101” forum linked to a 28-year-old suspect in the kidnapping of a Chinese scholar at the University of Illinois bills itself as the most popular sexual fetish networking site on the internet — and it has faced pressure in recent months to be clearer about not tolerating behavior that could be regarded as criminal. Brendt Allen Christensen, who earned a master’s degree in physics from U of I this year, is charged in the June 9 abduction of 26-year-old Yingying Zhang, who investigators believe to be dead. The federal complaint says Christensen’s phone was used on April 19 to visit the FetLife.com forum, including to view threads titled “Perfect abduction fantasy” and “planning a kidnapping.” Christensen remains jailed and is due to make an initial appearance Monday in federal court in Urbana, not far from the University of Illinois campus where Zhang conducted research in agricultural sciences. Christensen, who is from neig...

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Gov. Chris Christie spent part of Sunday lounging with his family on a beach at a state park he ordered closed to the public amid a government shutdown that showed little sign of ending. The unpopular Republican governor, whose family was using the state residence at Island Beach State Park for the weekend, said later Sunday at a news conference in Trenton that he flew on a state helicopter to the residence. “That’s where my family is sleeping so that’s where I’ll sleep,” he said. “When I have a choice between sleeping with my family or sleeping alone, I generally like to sleep where my family is.” The governor was  sitting with his family on a beach chair in sandals and a T-shirt before flying to talk to reporters in Trenton, where he worked without result to end the shutdown. During the news conference, Christie was asked if he had gotten any sun that day, to which he said he didn’t, NJ.com reported. The governor’s spokesman agreed that Ch...

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is pressuring wavering senators to back a Republican bill to repeal and replace former President Barack Obama’s health care law but is holding open a repeal-only option if Republicans can’t reach agreement over the July 4 recess, Trump’s top legislative aide says. Marc Short, the White House’s legislative director, said Trump was making weekend calls and believed senators were “getting close” on passing a bill. But Short maintained that Trump continues to believe that repeal-only legislation should also be considered. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has dismissed the suggestion. McConnell says he intends to proceed with GOP legislation being negotiated during the week-long recess. He has previously said if Republicans don’t reach agreement, he will have to turn to Democrats, who want to fix Obama’s health care law without repealing it. “Our preference is to pass the bill the Senate has right now,” Short said. But he add...

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping warned President Donald Trump on Monday that “some negative factors” are hurting U.S.-China relations, as tensions flare anew over a slew of long-standing sore points. Xi’s comments in a phone call with Trump follow Beijing’s displeasure over U.S. arms sales to rival Taiwan, U.S. sanctions against a Chinese bank over its dealings with North Korea and, most recently, the sailing of a U.S. destroyer within the territorial seas limit of a Chinese-claimed island in the South China Sea. Beijing was also miffed after the State Department gave Beijing a dismal grade last week in a new human trafficking report. As reported by state media, Xi told Trump in their call that China expected Washington to continue managing relations on the basis of the “one China” principle that rules out formal contacts with Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory. “Xi Jinping emphasized that, since my meeting with the president at Mar-a-Lago, China-U...

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — A group of Arab nations early on Monday extended a deadline for Qatar to respond to their list of demands in a diplomatic crisis roiling the Gulf by 48 hours, saying Kuwait’s emir requested the delay as part of his efforts to mediate the dispute. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain cut off ties with 2022 FIFA World Cup host Qatar on June 5, restricting access to their airspace and ports and sealing Qatar’s only land border, which it shares with Saudi Arabia. They issued a 13-point list of demands to end the standoff June 22 and gave the natural gas-rich country 10 days to comply. The joint statement early Monday by the four Arab nations said they expected Qatar to respond to their demands later in the day. The new deadline would expire late Tuesday or early Wednesday. Foreign ministers of the four Arab nations will meet Wednesday in Cairo to discuss their next moves, Egypt said Monday. “The response of the four states will then be s...

MOSUL, Iraq (AP) — Two women suicide bombers, hiding among a group of fleeing civilians, targeted Iraqi troops in Mosul on Monday morning, killing one soldier and wounding several others, an Iraqi officer said. It was the latest counter-attack by the Islamic State group as Iraqi forces close in on the last pocket of militant-held territory in the Old City neighborhood — the scene of the last stand by IS militants. After days of fierce battles, the territory held by the militants in Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city, is rapidly shrinking, with IS now controlling just over 1 square kilometer in all, or about 0.40 square miles. Using women as suicide bombers was apparently the latest tactic by the militants, Sgt. Ali Abdullah Hussein told The Associated Press. “They appeared from the basement (of a building) and they blew themselves up,” Hussein said as he returned from the scene, his troops carrying the body of their slain comrade wrapped in a blanket. The attack happened ...

NEW YORK (AP) — Making bombastic boasts. Dropping signature catch phrases. Attaching insults to rivals’ names. Shouting down perceived enemies. If President Donald Trump’s recent attacks on television personalities, journalists and political rivals feel like something straight out of the pro wrestling circuit, it may not be a coincidence. Wrestling aficionados say the president, who has a long history with the game, has borrowed the time-tested tactics of the squared circle to cultivate the ultimate antihero character, a figure who wins at all costs, incites outrage and follows nobody’s rules but his own. “In our terminology, he’s playing it to the hilt,” said former World Wrestling Entertainment writer Dan Madigan. On Sunday, Trump’s apparent fondness for wrestling emerged in a tweeted mock video that shows him pummeling a man in a business suit — his face obscured by the CNN logo — outside a wrestling ring. It was not clear who produced the brief video, which appeared to...