NEWS SUMMARY AT THIS HOUR

Father and son Oregon ranchers Dwight and Steven Hammond left a federal prison in Long Beach, California free men at around 130pm Pacific Time Tuesday, six and half hours after a Presidential Pardon was announced.

The White House announced a full pardon for the Hammonds, who were serving five year mandatory terrorism sentences for lighting a backfire to protect their land.

President Trump's pardon of the ranchers was welcomed by Ammon Bundy, leader of the Oregon Standoff protest in early 2016, centered at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.   Bundy released a statement saying in part;  "I hope they find peace and recover from all that's been done to them".

The President's Supreme Court nominee, US Appeals Court Judge Brett Kavanaugh, went to Capitol Hill Tuesday afternoon for courtesy calls on Senators who will consider and vote on his nomination.   He was accompanied by Vice President Mike Pence.

Kavanaugh was praised by Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and while politically active Democrats are lining up to oppose him, one Democrat who went to law school with Kavanaugh and has known him for many years says he listens to people who aren't conservatives.

Former Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler was interviewed by WBAL in Baltimore and said:

"I don't see him...as being the far, the Scalia, Thomas, Alito far, far right.  I think he'll probably be the swing vote on many, many issues going forward."

President Trump says the UK is in "turmoil" and "it is up to the people" whether Theresa May stays as Prime Minister.  The President said that he gets along well with Mrs. May but its up to the people of the UK, not him, to make the final call.

Two ministers resigned from her Conservative Party government early this week along with a number of junior ministers.

They left because of Prime Minister May's endorsement of a Brexit plan that is considered a sellout to those who oppose the UK's withdrawal from the European Union.    May's new cabinet is dominated by those who support remaining in the EU, even as May insists she is working on a plan to leave.

The President spoke about the situation in the UK as he left Washington for a trip that will take him to the United Kingdom Thursday after participating in the NATO summit in Brussels. 

President Trump wants the NATO countries to follow a guideline that they spend 2 percent of their Gross Domestic Product on national defense.   Many countries fall short of that with Canada's defense spending for example, standing at 1.23 percent.

The European Union's Donald Tusk, President of the European Council and a former Polish leader, took a verbal shot at President Trump saying:  "Dear America, appreciate your allies, after all you don't have that many."

The Israeli "Ynetnews" website reports that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is saying Russia broke an agreement on a disengagement zone in southwestern Syria when it participated in the Syrian government's offensive against ISIS and jihadist opposition forces.  Pompeo made his comments in an Arabic language interview with Sky News.  Russia considers the disengagement zone to have ended in April.

The military operation is now approaching the Golan Heights and tomorrow Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin with Syria expected to be part of the agenda.   

The United States has identified the next set of Chinese products that will be subject to tariffs in September.

Tariffs are planned on some 200 billion dollars worth of goods including agricultural products, minerals and handbags.

Last week the first round of tariffs began with levies imposed on 34 billion dollars worth of Chinese goods.   China retaliated with tariffs on US goods.

A public opinion poll taken last weekend into Monday in Germany shows the coalition parties of Chancellor Angela Merkel at a record low of 29 percent support.    That's how low the support for her Christian Democrats-Christian Social Union has fallen.   Meanwhile the other party in her government the Social Democrats have slipped to 17 percent with the second most popular party in Germany for the next election now being the nationalist-anti mass immigration Alternative for Germany Party at 17.5 percent.

Merkel's government went through turmoil in recent weeks over accepting migrants at its southern border and is now trying to work out a plan to turn migrants back south when they try to enter Germany.    But any plan must be agreed to by Germany's southern neighbors Austria and Italy.

Hurricane Chris continues to churn some 200 or so miles off the North Carolina coast with winds of 85 miles per hour.   The storm is moving to the northeast away from the east coast an is expected to pick up speed into tomorrow.    Some rough surf with water numerous water rescues were reported on Atlantic coast beaches Tuesday along with some changes in course for airliners moving up and down the eastern seaboard causing slight delays.