PoliticsUSA TODAYFrom Russia to hush money: Court records offer new details on inquiries of ex-Trump lawyer Michael Cohen
WASHINGTON – Federal authorities began investigating President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, in mid-2017 and suggested their inquiry into crimes he said were ordered by the president remains incomplete, according to court documents unsealed Tuesday. In hundreds of pages of search warrant applications, the Justice Department said it began examining Cohen's emails in July 2017 as part of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election. In 2018, agents obtained a raft of court orders authorizing them to search Cohen's hotel room, office and electronics for evidence of tax and bank fraud, as well as information about what prosecutors said were illegal payments during Trump's campaign to silence two women who claimed to have had sex with him.
WorldAFPSyria force makes gains in last IS redoubt
Kurdish-led fighters advanced in the Islamic State group's last bastion in eastern Syria, confining holdout jihadists to a tiny pocket on the edge of Baghouz village, the force said Tuesday. The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces said those IS fighters who had not yet surrendered had been forced out of their main encampment and cornered into a very small area on the banks of the Euphrates River. "SDF is in control of the Daesh encampment area in Baghouz," spokesman Mustefa Bali said on Twitter in English, using the Arabic acronym for the jihadist group.
- LifestyleUSA TODAY
Poll: Americans say even the legal breaks for college admission rig the system
While allegations that rich parents cheated their children's way into elite universities capture headlines, a new USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll finds overwhelming public opposition to the legal breaks for college admission available to athletes, alumni families and minorities. "If you're a millionaire, you can get your kids to the front of the class," says Robert Lynch, 62, of Selden, New York, who participated in the poll. Five of his 12 children attended college, relying on scholarships and student loans.
- NewsThe Independent
US State Department under fire for secrecy surrounding 'faith-based media' press conference
The US State Department has raised concerns among the American press after conducting a conference call exclusively with “faith based media” outlets. Secretary of state Mike Pompeo reportedly participated in the Monday afternoon press call. Reporters from networks across the country are typically provided the opportunity to listen to these State Department calls and ask questions about news developments and upcoming announcements.
- WorldBloomberg
What Happens Next in Brexit? Two Cliff-Edges and a Summit
Follow @Brexit, sign up to our Brexit Bulletin, and tell us your Brexit story. Prime Minister Theresa May is still fighting to get her Brexit deal through Parliament with just days to go until the U.K. is meant to leave the European Union. If she gets through one cliff-edge on March 29 as expected, another looms three months later.
- LifestyleKGO – San Francisco
Bay Area woman accused in college admissions scandal appears in court, USC could expel students involved
A Bay Area woman accused of taking part in the college admissions scandal made her first court appearance in Boston. USC says it is reviewing students who could be involved.
NewsReutersPence arrives in Nebraska as U.S. Midwest reels from historic floods
The floodwaters have inundated a large swath of farm states Iowa and Nebraska along the Missouri River, North America's longest river, prompting half of Iowa's 99 counties to declare states of emergency."Touched down in Omaha, Nebraska to survey flood damage & thank volunteers & emergency personnel," Pence said on Twitter, in a post that included photos of him meeting with the governors of both states and lawmakers. "The hearts of the American people are with those who have been impacted across the Midwest!" Pence said in the tweet. Nebraska, Iowa and Wisconsin have all declared states of emergency in the floods, which stem from a powerful winter hurricane known as a "bomb cyclone" that slammed into the U.S. Farm Belt last week, killing untold numbers of livestock, destroying grains and soybeans in storage, and cutting off access to farms because of road and rail damage.
- WorldTime
ISIS Spokesman Makes Rare Statement Calling for Retaliation After New Zealand Mosque Shootings
The spokesman for the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) made his first statement in almost six months Monday, in which he dismissed claims that ISIS has been defeated and called for revenge for last week's deadly mosque shootings in New Zealand. “The scenes of the massacres in the two mosques should wake up those who were fooled, and should incite the supporters of the caliphate to avenge their religion,” he said, according to the New York Times. At least 50 people died when a 28-year-old Australian man opened fire during prayers at two Christchurch mosques last Friday.
- BusinessPopular Mechanics
Lion Air Pilots Were Checking the 737 Max 8's Handbook Right Before the Plane Crashed
Moments before Lion Air Flight 610 plunged into the Java Sea killing all 189 people onboard last October, pilots of the plane searched through a handbook looking for guidance on how to rescue the aircraft from its downward trajectory, Reuters reports. Three sources familiar with the investigation of the Boeing 737 Max 8's flight data recorders gave a visceral play-by-play of what ensued inside the cockpit, when a faulty sensor on the plane's fuselage triggered an automated anti-stall system that sent the plane into a nosedive. Boeing's 737 Max 8 aircraft have been grounded by aviation authorities across the world after two catastrophic crashes in five months.
- PoliticsNational Review
Trump Dismisses Democratic Push to Pack Supreme Court
“I wouldn't entertain that,” the president said Tuesday at a press conference at the White House. With two conservative justices recently appointed to the high court, the proposal to add seats has picked up steam among Democratic presidential candidates, including Senators Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, and Kirsten Gillibrand as well as former Texas Representative Beto O'Rourke. “We are on the verge of a crisis of confidence in the Supreme Court,” Harris said.
- WorldUSA TODAY
'We assume a terror motive': 3 killed on tram in Dutch city of Utrecht; suspect arrested
Three people died and five were hurt in a brazen shooting on a tram in a bustling residential neighborhood in the Dutch city of Utrecht on Monday, an assault authorities said was likely terrorism. Following a sweeping manhunt across the historic city of nearly 350,000 people, Gokmen Tanis, 37, was arrested by authorities. Justice Minister Ferd Grapperhaus said Tanis was known to justice authorities and had a criminal record, but would not elaborate. Later, authorities downgraded the alert to a 4.
BusinessAFPDanish telecom group shuns China's Huawei for 5G rollout
Denmark's biggest telecom group TDC has chosen Swedish firm Ericsson over existing provider Huawei to roll out its ultra-fast 5G mobile network across the country, as a debate rages over security concerns surrounding the Chinese giant. The US and several other Western nations have shut Huawei out of tenders for the development of fifth-generation, or 5G, networks, because of the company's close ties to the Chinese government. "TDC has chosen Ericsson to build and deploy its 5G network," TDC CEO Allison Kirkby said in a statement released on Monday night.
PoliticsAssociated PressBeto O'Rourke making 1st trip to early-voting South Carolina
Democrat Beto O'Rourke is making the first visit of his presidential campaign to South Carolina, where he'll be able to test his message in front of a largely black electorate. O'Rourke's campaign tells The Associated Press that the Texan's two-day trip to the state begins Friday with meet-and-greet gatherings with voters in Rock Hill and Charleston and on college campuses in Orangeburg and Columbia. On Saturday, he'll participate in a town hall hosted by state Sen. Marlon Kimpson.
- BusinessCar and Driver
See Spy Photos of the Jeep Wrangler Plug-In Hybrid
The plug-in hybrid Jeep Wrangler could function as an alternative power source in addition to offering improved fuel efficiency. From Car and Driver
CelebrityReutersCalifornia university says students tied to admissions scam could face expulsion
The University of Southern California said it may expel students tied to a brazen U.S. college-admissions scam after reviewing their records, which could lead the college to throw out "Full House" actress Lori Loughlin's two daughters. The school said on Monday night it has already "placed holds on the accounts of students who may be associated with the alleged admissions scheme," preventing them from registering for classes or acquiring transcripts. quot;Following the review, we will take the proper action related to their status, up to revoking admission or expulsion," the college said in a tweet on Monday night.
NewsUSA TODAYNebraska underwater: 74 cities, 65 counties declare emergencies as flooding envelops state
Seventy-four cities, 65 counties and four tribal areas in Nebraska declared states of emergency Tuesday as swaths of the Midwest battled rivers swollen by days of heavy rains and spring snowmelt. Three deaths have been blamed on the flooding in Nebraska. As of Tuesday afternoon, more than 7 million people in 14 states live where a flood warning was still in effect, the National Weather Service said.
BusinessAFPGlyphosate under fire from San Francisco to Sri Lanka
Glyphosate, the world's most widely used herbicide and the active ingredient in Monsanto's weedkiller Roundup, is the subject of fierce controversy across the globe and is classified by the World Health Organization as "probably" being carcinogenic. After the second US cancer victim in a year won a surprise court victory against Monsanto over the weedkiller on Tuesday, here is the state of play regarding lawsuits and restrictions on the use of glyphosate around the world: - United States - A California court on Tuesday found that Roundup was a "substantial factor" in Edwin Hardeman, 70, getting non-Hodgkin's lymphoma after spraying the weedkiller on his garden for decades.
- BusinessCNBC
FAA says reviewing 737 Max software fix is 'an agency priority'
Boeing has also developed flight crew training related to this software. The FAA's ongoing review of this software installation and training is an agency priority, as will be the roll-out of any software, training, or other measures to operators of the 737 Max." Boeing is hoping to have the new software finalized by March 25, according to a person familiar with the matter, but it will not issue the updated software to airlines until it's been approved by the FAA.
- PoliticsThe Independent
Trump-Russia investigation to turn focus on whether president is under foreign influence
The House Intelligence Committee will shift its focus into probing whether Donald Trump or any of his associates are under the influence of foreign powers, the chairman of the committee has revealed. Adam Schiff, a California Democrat who leads the House investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, said in a new interview that he is worried about whether Special Counsel Robert Mueller's office has thoroughly probed the president's financial ties to Russia. “From what we can see either publicly or otherwise, it's very much an open question whether this is something the special counsel has looked at,” Mr Schiff told NBC News in a report published on Wednesday.
- CelebrityUSA TODAY Opinion
Give them a break: Lori Loughlin, Felicity Huffman deserve less anger in admission scandal
The latest enemies of the republic to be served-up to the roaring masses are actors Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman. According to reports, the manhunt for Huffman ended last week when FBI agents, with guns drawn, caught the Academy Award-nominee at her home. Huffman was led away in shackles. Loughlin, the cleverer of the two, evaded immediate capture because she was not at home.
- WorldThe Telegraph
Danish MP told her baby not welcome in parliament
A Danish MP said on Tuesday she was ordered to remove her infant daughter from parliament's chamber, sparking surprise in a country often hailed as a pioneer in women's rights. "You are not welcome with your baby in the parliament's chamber," speaker Pia Kjaersgaard, an outspoken former leader of the far-right Danish People's Party, allegedly told MP Mette Abildgaard. "I didn't ask for permission to bring her since I had previously seen another colleague bring a child into the chamber without any problems," Ms Abildgaard, whose Conservative party is part of the ruling centre-right coalition, wrote on Facebook.
WorldReutersU.S.-backed forces capture Syria suspects tied to American deaths: sources
The bombing killed Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jonathan Farmer, Navy Chief Cryptologic Technician Shannon Kent and Scott Wirtz from the Defense Intelligence Agency. It also killed Ghadir Taher, a naturalized U.S. citizen working as a civilian interpreter for a U.S. contractor. "The investigation is ongoing as are efforts to bring all of those terrorists responsible to justice." The attack was the worst single incident involving U.S. personnel in Syria since they deployed on the ground there in 2015 and took place at a cafe in the town of Manbij, which was controlled by a militia allied to U.S.-backed Kurdish forces.
BusinessAssociated PressThe Latest: CEO says Boeing working to ensure 737s are safe
Boeing's CEO says the aircraft manufacturer is taking actions to ensure the safety of its 737 Max jets in the wake of two crashes that killed 346 people. In an open letter addressed to airlines, passengers and the aviation community, Dennis Muilenburg says Boeing will soon release a software update and offer related pilot training for the 737 Max to "address concerns" that arose in the aftermath of October's Lion Air flight that plunged into the Java Sea, killing 189. Muilenburg says Boeing representatives are supporting the investigation into the cause of last week's crash of an Ethiopian Airlines Max 8 that killed 157.
LifestyleUSA TODAYI got into 39 colleges without cheating: What applying to schools looks like in 2019
Jordan Nixon has received 39 college acceptance letters so far, all without celebrity parents or $500,000 bribes. It just took years of planning, a private college adviser, 50-plus applications and the unwavering support of family. As the nation's largest-ever college admissions scandal surfaces this week, with celebrity parents and rich CEOs accused of cheating to get their children into prestigious schools, the Nixons are navigating college admissions like the rest of us.
- BusinessCar and Driver
See Photos of the 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLC300 Coupe
2020 Mercedes-Benz GLC300 Coupe Gallery From Car and Driver
