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.
NewsReutersThree dead, one missing in devastating floods across U.S. Midwest
At least one person was missing on Monday after devastating floods across the U.S. Midwest that killed three others and inflicted hundreds of millions of dollars in damage in what Nebraska's governor called a disaster of historic proportions. As floodwaters began to recede in much of the area inundated by the aftermath of a storm dubbed a "bomb cyclone," Nebraska officials were taking in the damage in a state where 64 of the 93 counties have declared emergencies. "This is clearly the most widespread disaster we have had in our state's history," in terms of sheer size, Governor Pete Ricketts told reporters on an afternoon briefing call.
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.
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.
- 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.
- WorldBloomberg
Novartis Probe Finds No Trace of Payoffs to Greek Officials
Novartis AG said its own internal investigation found no evidence of bribery to Greek state officials as an upcoming election puts the Swiss drugmaker back in the spotlight. Greece is investigating reports of payoffs by Novartis in a high-profile case that implicates two of the country's former prime ministers and a European Union commissioner. The U.S. is investigating similar allegations.
- 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.
PoliticsYahoo NewsTrump is 'looking into' Facebook 'bias' as aide melts down over suspension
President Trump threatened an investigation into Facebook over perceived bias after a White House staffer was temporarily banned from posting comments on the site. Trump's social media director, Dan Scavino, complained Monday that Facebook had banned him from posting comments. “Dear Facebook,” wrote Scavino, posting a screengrab of the blocking notice he received, “AMAZING.
- 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.
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.
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.
- 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.
- 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
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.
WorldAssociated PressPutin visits Crimea to mark 5th anniversary of annexation
President Vladimir Putin led thousands to chant "Russia!" on a visit Monday to Crimea marking the fifth anniversary of the Black Sea peninsula's annexation from Ukraine, as NATO and the European Union once again strongly condemned the land grab by Russia. Speaking at an outdoor concert in Crimea's regional capital of Simferopol, the Russian leader hailed Crimea's residents, likening them to the Red Army soldiers of World War II.
- NewsThe Telegraph
Outrage over Pope's decision to reject resignation of archbishop convicted of protecting predator priest
Catholic campaigners condemned as “shocking” a decision by Pope Francis not to accept the resignation of a French archbishop who was given a suspended prison sentence this month for failing to report the sexual abuse of boy scouts by a known predatory priest. Tuesday's surprise decision came just a month after the Vatican convened an unprecedented conference of cardinals in which it pledged to get tough on priests who abuse children and the bishops who cover up for them. French cardinal Philippe Barbarin travelled to Rome on Monday and offered his resignation to Pope Francis.
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.
PoliticsYahoo NewsRomney calls out Trump's attacks on 'heroic' McCain
McCain's daughter Meghan McCain, a co-host on “The View,” blasted the president over his comments. He spends his weekend obsessing over great men because — he knows it and I know it and all of you know it — he will never be a great man. My father was his kryptonite in life and he is his kryptonite in death,” McCain said Monday on “The View,” adding, “Your life is spent on your weekends not with your family, not with your friends, but obsessing, obsessing over great men you could never live up to.
- BusinessCar and Driver
See Photos of the 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLC300 Coupe
2020 Mercedes-Benz GLC300 Coupe Gallery From Car and Driver
WorldReutersU.N. rights boss decries Venezuela crackdown; says sanctions may worsen crisis
The country was plunged into a political crisis in January when Juan Guaido, head of the opposition-controlled congress, invoked the constitution to assume an interim presidency, arguing Nicolas Maduro's 2018 re-election was not legitimate. Bachelet told the U.N. Human Rights Council that she had information, without elaborating, that the National Police's Special Actions Force (FAES) had executed 37 people in January in Caracas in illegal house raids in poor areas supporting the opposition. "... my office documented numerous human rights violations and abuses by security forces and pro-government armed groups, including excessive use of force, killings, arbitrary detentions, torture and ill-treatment in detention, and threats and intimidation," she said.
NewsAssociated PressColleges weigh fate of students with tainted applications
In the wake of a massive college bribery scheme, the schools caught in the middle have been left facing a thorny question: What to do about the students who may have been admitted through fraud? The University of Southern California announced late Monday it had placed holds on an undisclosed number of students, meaning they can't register for classes or obtain transcripts until their cases are reviewed. At Yale, the president declined to comment on specific cases but said it's a "longstanding policy is to rescind the admission of students who falsified their Yale College applications." Stanford similarly noted that students could be "disenrolled" or have offers of admission rescinded.
WorldAFP'Generation Nazarbayev' jokes, hopes after Kazakh leader resigns
People under 30 in Kazakhstan have only known one leader -- Nursultan Nazarbayev, who announced his resignation this week after shepherding the country from the Soviet era. His stage-managed departure -- he will keep key posts and significant political influence -- has left Kazakh millennials wondering what will come next. "The word 'Nazarbayev' means something like the word 'parent'," said 18-year-old film student Madi Makanov, who lives in the country's largest city Almaty.
