Posted on Categories News & Comment

PBC News & Comment: Comey Gives Limited Info on Russia-Trump Investigation

FBI and NSA Directors refute Trump’s tweets about wiretaps, deny British role, and admit counterintelligence, criminal investigations are underway…--the testimony from Comey and Rogers is quite limited, but confirms investigation

--Rogers denies GCHQ involvement in carefully phrased statement

--former CIA officer, now critic, Larry Johnson surfaces as one of the sources for GCHQ claim

--House investigation is paralleled by Senate inquiry, in its early stages

--hearings for SCOTUS pick Neil Gorsuch started today; Dems have plenty of ammo to stop him, and payback for Obama’s stalled pick, but will they prevail?

--in op-ed, Russ Feingold says Gorsuch confirmation would tarnish the court’s legitimacy

--White House hasn’t hired many appointees yet, but Stasi-style minders for Trump are installed in most departments already

--Homeland Security is developing blacklist of police agencies that don’t cooperate with deportations

--over Syrian skies, dogfights between Israeli, Syrian fighter jets

--TrumpCo gives max support to Israel’s effort to bury UN report that called Israeli policies apartheid

--UN took years to admit responsibility for cholera epidemic in Haiti, most nations are refusing to fund program to end the epidemic

--Trump appoints Mr. Kellyanne Conway to major post at “Justice Dept.”

--in rare move, “Justice Dept.” argues against the independence of Consumer Protection office, created by Dodd-Frank law

--stinky conflict at Education Dept. with DeVos advisor who worked at for-profit university that paid $30 million to settle student lending scam

--in bid to pass Obamacare repeal, Trump goes lower, agrees to allow work requirement for Medicaid users

--after only 6 months, Uber president resigns, citing low standards

--Kinks’ founder is knighted on Friday, Sir Ray Davies now.  Here's one of my favorite Kinks tunes

--rock and roll icon Chuck Berry dies at 90, check out "Maybelline"