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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