×
FOLLOW THE WEEK ON FACEBOOK
March 8, 2018
Drew Angerer/Getty Images

President Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort is getting a shiny new accessory.

Manafort will be outfitted with a second GPS monitoring bracelet, BuzzFeed News reports, after he pleaded not guilty Thursday to tax and fraud charges in Virginia federal court. The bracelet will join the original tracking device he was assigned last month, after he pleaded not guilty to Washington, D.C.-based charges. The Virginia probation officer told the judge that she wouldn't have access to tracking data from the D.C.-based bracelet, hence the need for a second monitoring device, writes BuzzFeed News reporter Zoe Tillman.

Manafort's plea of not guilty to the 18-count indictment is a part of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian influence in the 2016 presidential election and whether Trump's campaign colluded with Moscow. After his previous not-guilty plea in D.C., Manafort was put on home confinement and GPS monitoring.

Manafort lives in Virginia, and was indicted there in February, over accusations that he concealed his business dealings with Russia-friendly officials in Ukraine, as well as allegations that he hid foreign bank accounts, The Washington Post reports. Summer Meza

3:09 p.m. ET
iStock.

Rejoice, amateur astronomers: On Tuesday, Jupiter will shine like never before.

The fifth planet will be at its most visible from Earth on Tuesday night, Space reported. Its brightness in the night sky means that it will even be visible to the naked eye — although you'll have a better chance of seeing the detailed features of the gas giant if you have a telescope.

Jupiter's brightness is due to a phenomenon called opposition, which occurs when a planet is directly on the opposite side of the sky as the sun when observed from Earth. This means that Jupiter will rise right around the same time as sunset, and set at about sunrise. It's expected to rise at 7:48 p.m. ET, but because of the brightness around twilight, it may not be visible until the sky fully darkens. Jupiter is expected to set at 5:58 a.m. ET on May 9, just a short time after the sunrise.

Because planetary orbits aren't perfect circles, Jupiter's brightest night doesn't mean that it's at its closest to Earth, Space explained. Thursday, May 10, is when Jupiter will reach its closest point, at about 365 million miles away. With the aid of a telescope, you may still be able to catch sight of the planet, as well as its four largest moons, for the next few days.

Read more at Space. Shivani Ishwar

2:49 p.m. ET
Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images

President Trump's patience with Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt is wearing thin.

White House aides are urging Trump to fire EPA chief Scott Pruitt, and the president himself is reaching his breaking point, The New York Times reports.

Trump has backed Pruitt for months despite the 11 federal investigations the EPA chief faces related to his recent ethics scandals. But officials say that he now sees Pruitt's problems as a "bottomless pit," and doesn't want to wait and see where it ends. CNN reports that Trump is starting to believe that Pruitt's scandals are more disruptive than they're worth and has revetted deputy administrator Andrew Wheeler, who would take over if Pruitt was ousted. The White House has denied that Pruitt is on his way out.

But it isn't Pruitt's spending on lavish trips or choice to live in a lobbyist's condo that has Trump worried about his future in the administration. The Atlantic reported last week that Pruitt had tried to spread negative stories about Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke in an effort to distract from the scandals plaguing the EPA, and CNN reports that Trump thought the machinations crossed a line. White House sources told CNN that "the ground has absolutely shifted" in light of Pruitt's reported lack of loyalty, though the EPA denies Pruitt ever tried to smear Zinke. Summer Meza

2:42 p.m. ET

Newly confirmed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is en route to North Korea, President Trump announced Tuesday, where he will seek to begin negotiating a denuclearization deal with North Korean officials.

It is Pompeo's second known trip to North Korea; he met with leader Kim Jong Un secretly in April while he was still serving as CIA director.

Pompeo's visit comes ahead of a highly anticipated summit between Trump and Kim, and amid rapidly thawing tensions on the Korean Peninsula. When asked by a reporter if three Americans being held prisoner in North Korea will be freed, Trump said: "We'll soon be finding out." Jeva Lange

2:31 p.m. ET

Uber already took over the roads, so now, it's taking to the skies.

The ride hailing company unveiled its first flying car prototypes Tuesday at its annual Uber Elevate Summit. The company hopes to achieve liftoff in two to five years, it said.

But don't call your new ride a helicopter. This drone-looking invention is a VTOL, or electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing vehicle. They'll soar above cities and land on rooftops, eradicating stoplight-filled commutes, per Uber's Elevate page.

Eventually, Uber says VTOL transportation will be affordable — perhaps even cheaper than owning a car. It'll cut down on lost time and productivity, and Uber suggests it may also reduce the need for traditional roads and infrastructure.

Catch a glimpse of what the future will look like, if Uber gets its way, below. Kathryn Krawcyzk

2:27 p.m. ET

President Trump announced Tuesday that the U.S. will withdraw from the Iran deal, which suspends punishing economic sanctions on Iran in exchange for Tehran's commitment to curbing its nuclear program. "In theory the so-called Iran deal was supposed to protect the U.S. and our allies from the lunacy of an Iranian nuclear bomb," Trump said, but "in fact, the deal allowed Iran to continue enriching uranium." The administration will reportedly not impose sanctions for up to six months.

Trump also addressed Iranian citizens, telling them: "The future of Iran belongs to its people."

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has hinted that Tehran would respect the accord even if the U.S. doesn't, and CNN's Christiane Amanpour called Trump's decision "possibly the greatest deliberate act of self-harm and self-sabotage in geo-strategic politics in the modern era." Watch Trump's comments below. Jeva Lange

1:35 p.m. ET
iStock.

When Army wife Angela Ricketts received a death threat in February 2015, it looked like it was from the Islamic State.

It turned out to be a Facebook message from Russian hackers.

The Associated Press found evidence that the threats five military wives received from "CyberCaliphate" weren't from jihadists at all. They likely came from the same Russian hackers who interfered in the 2016 presidential election.

Back in 2015, news outlets covered CyberCaliphate as if it were run by ISIS sympathizers. Ricketts, who wrote a memoir about being an infantry wife, was quoted in a CNN piece about it. And up until AP contacted her and many of the other women, they were still convinced the messages came from ISIS.

A digital hit list provided by cyber security company Secureworks shows a different story. A Russian hacker was trying to break into the wives' email accounts around the same time they got the threats, which points to a connection, AP reports.

The same group appears to be responsible for leaking the emails of Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman John Podesta. Read more at The Associated Press. Kathryn Krawczyk

1:08 p.m. ET

United Airlines has been struggling with its image after a number of recent disturbing incidents, so one has to wonder about the timing of the company's decision to remove tomato juice from its beverage menu.

The change, which comes as part of a "streamlining" of services on flights under four hours long, will also zap Sprite Zero, Jim Beam, Courvoisier, and Amaretto from the selections for premium and economy customers, CNBC reports. Tomato juice, on the other hand, is being replaced by the humble Mr. & Mrs. T Bloody Mary Mix in order to appease fans of boozy liquid breakfasts, but it is doing little to satisfy those who prefer the simple pleasure of sipping a sandwich ingredient blended and served over ice.

"We are once again in full apology mode now onboard our flights," one insider explained to CNBC, "although the issue [of the disappearing tomato juice] is a more minor one compared to the forced removal of customers or suffocating dogs."

There is some good news, although it won't do much to win over anyone who would find the difference between tomato juice and Mr. & Mrs. T Bloody Mary Mix offensive: Transcontinental United Airlines flights have added Ghirardelli-branded ice cream toppings for premium customers, now in shard-proof plastic cups. Jeva Lange

See More Speed Reads