Mueller witness bragged about access to Clintons secured with illegal campaign cash, says Justice Department

An emissary for two wealthy Arab princes boasted to unnamed officials of a Middle Eastern government about his direct access to Hillary and Bill Clinton while funneling more than $3.5 million in illegal campaign contributions to the former secretary of state's 2016 presidential campaign and Democratic fundraising committees, according to a federal indictment announced by the Justice Department this week. Wonderful meeting with Big Lady. Can't wait to tell you all about it,” George Nader allegedly wrote to an official of one of the foreign governments he advises in the Middle East after attending a political fundraiser with Hillary Clinton on April 16, 2016.

Rep. Duncan Hunter: 'Shortly after the holidays I will resign from Congress'

WASHINGTON – California Rep. Duncan Hunter announced he would be resigning from Congress "shortly after the holidays" after pleading guilty in federal court earlier this week to misusing campaign funds. Hunter and his wife were indicted on 60 counts of campaign finance violations by federal prosecutors in August 2018. Prosecutors alleged he and Margaret Hunter skirted federal campaign finance laws from 2009 to 2016 by using more than $250,000 in campaign funds to pay for personal vacations, bills, and in Duncan Hunter's case, affairs with three lobbyists, a congressional aide, and one of his staffers.

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  House Ethics Committee Tells Duncan Hunter To Stop Voting In House Due To Guilty Plea

  HuffPost
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  California congressman Duncan Hunter to quit after holidays

  Associated Press

13 Mythical Creatures, Ranked

Did your favorite make the list? From Popular Mechanics

Bloomberg says his reporters must 'live with' limits on coverage

Democratic presidential hopeful Michael Bloomberg on Friday defended the policy implemented by his news agency to steer clear of investigating him, saying doing so would not be credible. Bloomberg told CBS News he "hired somebody outside" to run the Bloomberg News organization and establish policies for ethics. When asked about complaints from Bloomberg journalists that the policy to avoid investigating him or other Democratic candidates, he replied, that they "have to live with some things" about the job.

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  Bloomberg on his Democratic rivals: 'Trump will eat 'em up'

  Reuters Videos
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  Mike Bloomberg claimed that 'no one asked' him about his stop & frisk policy until he ran for president — here are 5 times he addressed it over the years

  Business Insider

Reddit has said that Russia likely posted leaked UK trade documents as part of a vast covert influence campaign

Reddit has said that leaked documents on US-UK trade deal discussions were likely posted on the site as part of a Russian influence campaign. The documents were cited by Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the UK's opposition Labour party, as evidence that his opponent in the UK general election, Prime Minister Boris Johnson, was poised to sell out the NHS in trade negotiations with the US. Researchers earlier in the week said that the accounts that posted the documents on Reddit indicated links to a vast Russian influence campaign uncovered on Facebook dubbed Secondary Infektion.

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  Tory minister says 'we should be concerned' about Russian election interference, but report on Russian interference cannot be published before election

  The Independent
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  Leaked trade documents cited by Jeremy Corbyn linked to 'Russian disinformation campaign'

  Evening Standard

Elon Musk cleared of defamation in 'pedo guy' tweet trial

Vernon Unsworth, who participated in the rescue of 12 boys and their soccer coach trapped for weeks in a Thailand cave last year, had sought $190 million in damages for the shame and humiliation caused by the man his lawyer called a “billionaire bully." It took less than an hour for an eight-person jury in Los Angeles federal court to reject Unsworth's claim after a four-day trial. Musk said the verdict restored his faith in humanity as he quickly left the court with his security detail.

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  Jurors from the Elon Musk defamation trial reportedly deliberated for less than a half hour before ruling in his favor: 'It was very clear'

  Business Insider
• 
  Cave diver testifies he felt 'branded a pedophile' by Elon Musk

  Autoblog

Virginia Commission Calls for Repeal of ‘Explicitly Racist’ and ‘Segregationist’ Laws

A Virginia state commission released a report Thursday calling for the official repeal of “deeply troubling” state laws still on the books that contain “explicitly racist language and segregationist policies. The Commission to Examine Racial Inequity in Virginia Law published a lengthy report saying that the outdated laws should not “remain enshrined in law” despite no longer being in effect. The commission believes that such vestiges of Virginia's segregationist past should no longer have official status,” the report states.

• Virginia still has dozens of racist and discriminatory laws on its books, report says

  USA TODAY
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  Panel calls for Virginia to purge dozens of old racist laws

  Associated Press

Two school shootings a day apart: Wisconsin reckons with impact of armed guards

Shootings a day apart at two high schools in Wisconsin have shaken the state and sparked a renewed debate over how to combat violence in American schools. An Oshkosh police department resource officer shot a 16-year-old student Tuesday after the boy stabbed him in the officer's office at Oshkosh West high school. A day earlier, a resource officer at Waukesha South high school helped clear students out of a classroom after a 17-year-old student pointed a pellet gun at another student's head.

GOP Senator Backs Whistle-Blower Testimony: Impeachment Update

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that the House will move ahead with drafting articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump. House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler and top Republican Doug Collins have both mentioned a hearing next week focusing on the impeachment report's evidence and conclusions, but they didn't provide details. Here are the latest developments: GOP Senator Backs Whistle-Blower Testimony (1:53 p.m.

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  'This is about Russia': Trump impeachment inquiry leaves 'roads to Putin' untravelled

  The Independent
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  Here's how Trump could be impeached, removed from office, and still win re-election in 2020

  Business Insider

Bombs Away! The Powerful B-52 Bomber Is Getting Even More Deadly

Key point: The Pentagon may end up flying the B-52 for 100 years. Sixty-seven years after the U.S. Air Force received its last B-52 from Boeing, the flying branch finally has firmed up plans to fit the heavy bomber with new engines. Air Force magazine in its January 2019 issue took a deep dive into the re-engining effort.

Tennessee executes blind death row inmate Lee Hall by electric chair for 1991 murder of girlfriend

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee executed death row inmate Lee Hall in the electric chair Thursday night, marking the fourth time the state has used the method since 2018. Hall, 53, was pronounced dead at 7:26 p.m. CST, according to the Tennessee Department of Correction. Media witnesses described what appeared to be a faint trail of white smoke rising from Hall's head as the lethal current coursed through his body.

• UPDATE 1-Tennessee executes man convicted of 1991 murder of ex-girlfriend

  Reuters
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  Blind man executed in US for killing ex-girlfriend

  AFP

US and UK bust one of the worst cyber banking hacks in a decade, charging Russians in multi-million dollar scheme

The group of Russian hackers allegedly behind one of the worst cyber bank frauds of the last decade was unmasked on Thursday, with its leader indicted in America and the full scale of purported crimes revealed in remarkable detail. The Moscow-based unit was identified as Evil Corp and dubbed “the world's most harmful cyber crime group” as British and American officials revealed the results of an investigation into the group and its activities that has lasted a decade. Maksim Yakubets, 32, was accused of being the group's leader and was indicted over two separate hacking schemes.

• 2 Russians charged in multimillion-dollar malware scheme

  Associated Press
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  U.S. charges two Russian nationals in hacking conspiracy

  Reuters Videos

Tesla changed the release dates for the most and least expensive versions of the Cybertruck by a year

Tesla has changed the production timelines for the most and least expensive trims of its Cybertruck pickup truck. It said production for the three-motor, all-wheel-drive Cybertruck, which starts at $69,900, would begin in 2021, a year earlier than Tesla first announced. The single-motor, rear-wheel-drive Cybertruck, which starts at $39,900, will enter production in late 2022, a year later than its original timeline, Tesla said.

Bloomberg says ending 'nationwide madness' of gun violence drives his presidential bid

Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg said on Thursday he wants to become president to end "the nationwide madness" of U.S. gun violence, calling it evil and saying he would allow its victims to file lawsuits against gun manufacturers.

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  A shortcut on the Bloomberg terminal sent users to the billionaire presidential candidate's website, where a campaign ad autoplayed. It was quickly changed.

  Business Insider
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  Bloomberg on his Democratic rivals: 'Trump will eat 'em up'

  Reuters

'Dark money' ties raise questions for GOP Sen. Ernst of Iowa

An outside group founded by top political aides to Sen. Joni Ernst has worked closely with the Iowa Republican to raise money and boost her reelection prospects, a degree of overlap that potentially violates the law, documents obtained by The Associated Press show. Iowa Values, a political nonprofit that is supposed to be run independently, was co-founded in 2017 by Ernst's longtime consultant, Jon Kohan. It shares a fundraiser, Claire Holloway Avella, with the Ernst campaign.

Belarus crowds rally against closer Russia ties

Roughly 1,000 Belarusians joined an unauthorised demonstration on Saturday against the prospect of a closer union with Russia. Long-time ruler Alexander Lukashenko was meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Russia on Saturday to discuss "key issues in our bilateral relations, including the prospects for deepening integration", according to the Kremlin. Angered by the potential deal, crowds of mostly young Belarusians headed towards the government headquarters in the capital Minsk carrying signs that read "it's not integration, it's an occupation" and "the president is selling our country".

Pelosi on Potential Trump Reelection: ‘Civilization as We Know It Today Is at Stake in this Election’

During a CNN town hall Thursday night, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told an audience that President Trump's reelection would pose an existential threat to civilization, just hours after she announced that the House would move forward with drafting articles of impeachment against Trump. The damage that this administration has done to America — America is a great country, we can sustain — two terms, I don't know,” Pelosi responded to a question from the audience. Civilization as we know it today is at stake in this election.

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  Explainer: How impeachment works and why Trump is unlikely to be removed

  Reuters
• Trump lost battles on 2 fronts this week, embarrassing himself on the global stage while on the brink of impeachment back home

  Business Insider

Should America Fear the Chinese H-20 Stealth Bomber?

Key point: The United States is beginning to lose its footing in East Asia. In October 2018, Chinese media announced that the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) would publicly unveil its new H-20 stealth bomber during a parade celebrating the air arm's seventieth anniversary in 2019. Prior news of the H-20's development had been teased using techniques pioneered by viral marketing campaigns for Hollywood movies.

Brexit Bulletin: Sneak Peek

One of the key characters in Brexit's next season is already cast. With just a week to go until the U.K. votes in a crucial general election, Bloomberg reporters have taken a close look at two of the very biggest — in all senses of the word. As Tim Ross reports today, one of the key concerns for Prime Minister Boris Johnson's handlers and strategists is keeping their man on the straight and narrow during the electoral run-in.

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  Who won the BBC leaders debate? UK election polls say Boris Johnson narrowly beat Jeremy Corbyn

  Evening Standard
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  Michael Gove gives out No 10 phone number and urges people to call Boris Johnson's secretary when quizzed over Andrew Neil interview

  Evening Standard

Trump Administration Authorizes 'Cyanide Bombs' to Kill Predators Again, Months After Backlash

The Trump Administration will reauthorize the use of so-called “cyanide bombs” to poison coyotes, foxes and feral dogs that could threaten private livestock. The decision comes four months after halting their authorization amid public backlash. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced Thursday it would include new safety requirements to protect humans and pets, such as additional signs and increased distances the distance the “cyanide bombs” must be from homes and roads.

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  US re-authorizes 'cyanide bomb' anti-predator devices

  AFP
• EPA rejects ban on poison bombs against cattle predators

  Associated Press

Treasury Sec. Steven Mnuchin is working with the Federal Reserve to curtail another repo rate crisis, report says

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is working with the Federal Reserve to monitor bank reserves and decrease the chances of a rate crisis similar to September's, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. Mnuchin told the House of Representatives on Thursday that he and Fed Chair Jerome Powell have met multiple times to discuss the September lending rate spike and liquidity concerns ahead of year-end reserve obligations. The Fed has been pumping billions of dollars into money markets through market repurchase agreement, or repo, operations and Treasury bill purchases after its overnight lending rate spiked in September.

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  The repo market is ‘broken’ and Fed injections are not a lasting solution, market pros warn

  MarketWatch
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  Repo-market turmoil raises almost existential question about post-crisis Wall Street rules, former Fed official says

  MarketWatch

Thousands of Las Vegas shooting victims will have to split an $800 million settlement. Now, 2 retired judges have to decide which victims deserve the most.

Two retired judges have been given the gut-wrenching task of divvying up a roughly $800 million settlement among thousands of people who were injured or lost loved ones in the 2017 Las Vegas massacre, USA Today reported Friday. Last month, MGM Resorts International, which owned the Mandalay Bay hotel where the shooting occurred, agreed to pay a settlement of up to $800 million to compensate victims and their families. Just over two years ago, the deadliest mass shooting in US history left 58 people dead after a gunman sprayed bullets into a music festival crowd as he stood on the 32nd floor of a Las Vegas hotel.