OHio
Mickelson cooperating in insider-trading probe
DUBLIN, Ohio – Hall of Fame golfer Phil Mickelson said he is cooperating in an insider trading investigation involving him, activist investor Carl Icahn and Las Vegas gambler Billy Walters. The five-time major champion maintains he has done nothing wrong.
Mickelson’s manager confirmed Saturday that the investigation was the same outlined in reports in several newspapers, including The Wall Street Journal.
The newspapers’ report that federal investigators are looking into the trading patterns of Mickelson and Walters involving two stocks. The reports say the FBI and Securities and Exchange Commissioner are analyzing trades Mickelson and Walters made involving Clorox about the time Icahn was attempting to take over the company.
The newspapers cited unidentified people who had been briefed on the investigation.
Illinois
Illinois shelving $100M gift to possible Obama library
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A plan to offer $100 million in tax dollars to lure Barack Obama’s presidential library to Illinois is on the shelf, as lawmakers wrapped up their spring session without advancing the idea.
Democrats in the president’s home state pushed the proposal to compete against rival bids from Hawaii and New York. But it faced opposition from Republicans wary of an expensive and precedent-setting gift – with no immediately identified funding source – for a mostly private endeavor when the state faces serious financial difficulties.
Not all Democrats were on board either. Both the Democratic-controlled House and Senate adjourned without calling for any final votes on the measure.
Sponsors of the measure vowed to continue their advocacy, but the initiative now must wait despite a June 16 deadline for host proposals to Obama’s library commission.
Singapore
Hagel spars with China over territorial disputes
SINGAPORE – China’s aggressive moves to claim jurisdiction over land and sky in the Asia-Pacific risk undermining peace and security in the region and beyond, U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Saturday. Beijing scoffed at the “groundless” charges.
He told an international security conference that the United States “will not look the other way” when China and others try to restrict navigation or ignore international rules and standards.
China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea are destabilizing the region, he said.
A Chinese general took issue with Hagel’s comments, saying that “although I do think that those criticisms are groundless, I do appreciate your candor.”
Israel
Unity government to form for Palestinian state
RAMALLAH, West Bank – The formation of a Palestinian unity government backed by rival factions Hamas and Fatah will be announced Monday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Saturday, adding that Israel already warned him it would shun the new alliance.
The Islamic militant group Hamas, which seized the Gaza Strip from Abbas in 2007, is considered a terror group by Israel and the West.
Associated Press
