The Latest on the special counsel's Russia investigation (all times local):
3:40 p.m.
Six House Democratic committee heads are calling on Attorney General William Barr to make special counsel Robert Mueller's full report public, including any "evidence of misconduct" by President Donald Trump.
In a letter to Barr Friday, the committee chairmen say "the public is entitled to know what the special counsel has found."
Mueller is required to send a report to Barr and Barr is required to report to Congress. It's unknown how thorough Mueller's report will be, and how much Barr will decide to release.
The Democrats are warning against withholding information on Trump because of a Justice Department opinion that the president can't be indicted. They say withholding evidence of wrongdoing because the president can't be charged "is to convert department policy into the means for a cover-up."
3:30 p.m.
A report from special counsel Robert Mueller about the Russia investigation is not expected to be delivered to the Justice Department next week.
That's according to a senior Justice Department official who spoke Friday to The Associated Press. The official couldn't discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Mueller is examining Russian election interference and possible coordination with associates of President Donald Trump.
It was not immediately clear when the report might come, though Mueller is believed to be wrapping up.
Under Justice Department guidelines, Mueller will deliver his report to Attorney General Bill Barr. Barr will then prepare a report for Congress.
The two-year probe has shadowed Trump's presidency. At least six Trump aides or advisers have been charged in the investigation.
11:20 a.m.
The White House says President Donald Trump will let his new attorney general decide whether to release the findings of the special counsel's Russia investigation to the public.
White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said Trump was "following the proper process" by putting the decision to William Barr. But she stressed that the White House was not concerned about the findings.
Sanders said Trump was president because he was the "better candidate," adding that "he didn't need to, nor did he collude with the Russians."
Barr has said he wants to release as much information as he can. But he has also made clear that he ultimately will decide what the public sees, and that any report will be in his words, not those of special counsel Robert Mueller.
Mueller is showing signs of concluding his investigation.
TOKYO (AP) — The American envoy to the United Nations called Friday for countries armed with atomic weapons to pursue nuclear disarmament as she visited the atomic bomb museum in Nagasaki, Japan.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who became the first U.S. cabinet member to visit Nagasaki, stressed the importance of dialogue and diplomacy amid a growing nuclear threat in the region.
“We must continue to work together to create an environment for nuclear disarmament. We must continue to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons in every corner of the world,” she said after a tour of the atomic bomb museum.
“For those of us who already have those weapons, we must pursue arms control. We can and must work to ensure that Nagasaki is the last place to ever experience the horror of nuclear weapons,” she added, standing in front of colorful hanging origami cranes, a symbol of peace.
The United States dropped the world’s first atomic bomb on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, destroying the city and killing 140,000 people. A second attack three days later on Nagasaki killed 70,000 more people. Japan surrendered on Aug. 15, ending World War II and its nearly half-century of aggression in Asia.
Nagasaki Gov. Kengo Oishi said in a statement that he believed Thomas-Greenfield's visit and her first-person experience at the museum “will be a strong message in promoting momentum of nuclear disarmament for the international society at a time the world faces a severe environment surrounding atomic weapons.”
Oishi said he conveyed to the ambassador the increasingly important role of Nagasaki and Hiroshima in emphasizing the need of nuclear disarmament.
Thomas-Greenfield's visit to Japan comes on the heels of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's official visit to the United States last week and is aimed at deepening Washington's trilateral ties with Tokyo and Seoul. During her visit to South Korea earlier this week, she held talks with South Korean officials, met with defectors from North Korea and visited the demilitarized zone.
The ambassador said the United States is looking into setting up a new mechanism for monitoring North Korea's nuclear weapons program. Russia and China have thwarted U.S.-led efforts to step up U.N. sanctions on North Korea over its ballistic missile testing since 2022, underscoring a deepening divide between permanent Security Council members over Russia’s war on Ukraine.
She said it would be “optimal” to launch the new system next month, though it is uncertain if that is possible.
The U.N. Security Council established a committee to monitor sanctions, and the mandate for its panel of experts to investigate violations had been renewed for 14 years until last month, when Russia vetoed another renewal.
In its most recent report, the panel of experts said it is investigating 58 suspected North Korean cyberattacks between 2017 and 2023 valued at approximately $3 billion, with the money reportedly being used to help fund its weapons development.
The United States, Japan and South Korea have been deepening security ties amid growing tension in the region from North Korea and China.
U.S. Ambassador to United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, left, and Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, right, shake hands during a meeting Friday, April 19, 2024, at prime minister's office in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool)
U.S. Ambassador to United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, left, and Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, right, shake hands during a meeting Friday, April 19, 2024, at prime minister's office in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool)
U.S. Ambassador to United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, right, speaks to Rahm Emanuel, U.S. Ambassador to Japan, second right, as they wait for a meeting with Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida Friday, April 19, 2024, at prime minister's office in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool)
U.S. Ambassador to United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, left, and Rahm Emanuel, U.S. Ambassador to Japan, right, walk to meet Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida Friday, April 19, 2024, at prime minister's office in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool)
U.S. Ambassador to United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, left, and Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, right, talk prior to a meeting Friday, April 19, 2024, at prime minister's office in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool)
U.S. Ambassador to United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, left, and Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, right, prepare to talk during a meeting Friday, April 19, 2024, at prime minister's office in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool)
