Protesters face off as U.S. abortion debate heats up

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Protesters face off as U.S. abortion debate heats up

WASHINGTON/MARIETTA, Ga. (Reuters) - Anti-abortion protesters rallied at scores of Planned Parenthood clinics on Saturday to urge Congress and President Donald Trump to strip the health services provider of federal funding, while supporters of the organization staged counter-demonstrations around the United States. With anti-abortion groups expecting protests at up to 225 clinics, Planned Parenthood supporters organized 150 protests of their own at parks, government buildings and other sites, including clinics. At some of those clinics, the counter-demonstrators outnumbered those demanding an end to federal funding for Planned Parenthood.

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'No-brainer' or no-no? Congress split on probing Trump tax returns

By David Morgan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Congressional Democrats on Friday said the U.S. Congress should obtain President Donald Trump's tax records to examine possible conflicts of interest, although Republicans showed little interest in taking action. "This is a no-brainer, for crying out loud," said Democratic Representative Bill Pascrell, a House Ways and Means Committee Democrat who asked the panel this month to request Trump's federal tax returns from the U.S. Treasury. The Ways and Means Committee is one of three panels with the authority to subpoena tax returns.

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Skepticism over Trump's 'wall' cost simmers among Democrats, border Republican

By Richard Cowan and Julia Edwards Ainsley WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican Congressman Will Hurd - whose district spans 800 miles (1,290 km) of the Texas-Mexico border - on Friday criticized plans under consideration by the Trump administration to build walls and fences costing an estimated $21.6 billion to deter illegal immigration. Reuters on Thursday revealed details of an internal report by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that estimated the cost of covering the entire border. "Building a wall is the most expensive and least effective way to secure the border," Hurd, whose district includes El Paso, said in an email.

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