10 things you need to know today: December 18, 2018

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1. Mueller was the target of Russian disinformation teams
2. Comey says Republicans are paralyzed by 'fear of Fox News' and 'mean tweets'
3. Flynn associates charged with covertly lobbying for Turkey
4. Theresa May says postponed Brexit vote scheduled for January
5. Lame-duck Republicans head home, complicating budget deal
6. Maryland Jesuits name priests accused of sexual abuse
7. Dow struggles to bounce back in worst December in years
8. Trump says farmers hit by tariffs will get new payments
9. CBS says Les Moonves won't get severance after sexual misconduct allegations
10. Judge dismisses suit by survivors of Florida school shooting

published 18 December 2018

1. Mueller was the target of Russian disinformation teams

Special Counsel Robert Mueller became a target of Russian disinformation teams not long after he was appointed in May 2017 to investigate Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential campaign, according to two reports prepared for the Senate Intelligence Committee that were released Monday. One of the posts, on Instagram, accused Mueller of having once worked with "radical Islamic groups." Clemson University researchers found in a separate report that Russians posted false claims about Mueller on several social media platforms, tweeting about him more than 5,000 times. The Russians called the investigation "fake" and said Mueller should be fired. The two reports released Monday showed that Russian disinformation campaigns to help get President Trump elected started earlier and lasted longer than previously thought.

Former FBI Director James Comey on Monday testified before Congress for the second time in a month and accused President Trump of undermining the rule of law and lying about the FBI. Comey, whom Trump fired in May 2017, came out of closed door hearings before two House committees and chided GOP lawmakers for being obsessed with "Hillary Clinton's emails and the Steele dossier ... while the president of the United States is lying about the FBI, attacking the FBI, and attacking the rule of law in this country." Comey said Republicans should speak up but are silenced by their "fear of Fox News" and Trump's "mean tweets." Critics say Comey's attacks show he is biased against Trump and make the FBI look partisan.

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Two former associates of ex-National Security Adviser Michael Flynn — who is due to be sentenced Tuesday for lying to the FBI — were indicted Monday on allegations of conspiracy and illegally acting as agents of foreign governments. The Justice Department said both men, Bijan Kian and Ekim Alptekin, were involved in a "conspiracy to covertly influence U.S. politicians and public opinion" against Fethullah Gulen, a Turkish cleric living in Pennsylvania whose extradition has been requested by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Flynn's lobbying firm, Flynn Intel Group, was used as part of this effort. Documents that have been unsealed as part of this case show that Flynn was working to promote Turkey's agenda while angling for a role in President Trump's administration.

British Prime Minister Theresa May on Monday said that the postponed parliamentary vote on her government's Brexit agreement with the European Union will be held the week of Jan. 14. The one-month delay will put the vote just 10 weeks ahead of the U.K.'s scheduled departure from the trading bloc. May postponed the vote on her unpopular deal because she knew it would have been rejected. She has since sought concessions from European leaders, but they have said they will not renegotiate the terms of the agreement. May survived a no-confidence vote on her government last week, but Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the main opposition Labour Party, raised the possibility of a motion of no-confidence against May personally over the delays, although unlike last week's vote it would not threaten her job.

Some lame-duck House Republicans have left Washington, potentially jeopardizing the effort to strike a budget deal between Congress and President Trump in time to avert a partial government shutdown at the end of this week. GOP lawmakers voted out in the midterms lost their offices to incoming Democrats and are generally "sick and tired of Washington and don't want to show up anymore to vote," The New York Times reported Monday. This has House GOP leaders worried that even if a budget agreement is reached, there may not be enough Republican votes for it to pass. Trump has said he'd be willing to shut down the government if he doesn't get $5 billion to build a border wall, while Democrats won't give up more than $1.6 billion for general security. The government will shut down Friday if an agreement isn't reached.

The Maryland Province Jesuits on Monday released a list of Catholic priests in the order who have been "credibly accused" of sexually abusing children since the 1950s. The clergy members accused of abuse worked in high schools, colleges, churches, and other institutions in eight states and the Washington, D.C., area. One Jesuit priest, Neil P. McLaughlin, is believed to have committed abuse from the 1950s to the 1980s. He was not removed from the ministry until 2007. The revelations by the Jesuits, known for educating young people, come as many Catholic institutions are facing intense pressure to increase transparency regarding sexual abuse allegations.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged by 2.1 percent on Monday, adding to declines that have made December its worst month since 2010. The S&P 500 dropped 2 percent, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite sank by 2.2 percent. December usually sees a "Santa Claus rally" fueled by holiday spending, but this year markets could see their worst December since the Great Depression as they are battered by U.S.-China trade tensions and evidence of a slowdown in China that could hurt global economic growth. Investor concerns were fueled Monday by a looming rate hike by the Federal Reserve and uncertainty following a judge's ruling that the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional. Futures for the three main U.S. stock indexes rose by 0.3 percent or more early Tuesday.

President Trump said in a tweet Monday that he had authorized the Agriculture Department to launch the second and final round of $11 billion in payments to farmers hit by tariffs imposed in retaliation for his levies against goods from other countries. Trump said the money was part of his effort to keep a promise to protect American farmers against "unjustified trade retaliation by foreign nations." The Trump administration announced in July that it would give farmers up to $12 billion to offset losses linked to Trump's trade wars with China and other countries. Producers of almonds, corn, cotton, dairy, hogs, sorghum, soybeans, fresh sweet cherries, and wheat will get a total of about $9.5 billion, with soybean farmers getting the biggest share.

CBS said Monday that ousted former chief executive Leslie Moonves would not receive his $120 million severance because he misled the company about allegations of sexual misconduct he faced and tried to hide evidence in a bid to hold onto his exit package. "We have determined that there are grounds to terminate for cause, including his willful and material misfeasance, violation of company policies, and breach of his employment contract, as well as his willful failure to cooperate fully with the company's investigation," the broadcasting giant's board said in a statement. The decision came after board members reviewed information provided by lawyers hired to investigate the allegations.

A federal judge in South Florida has dismissed a lawsuit filed by 15 students who said they were traumatized by the deadly 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom said the defendants, including Broward County school district, campus monitor Andrew Medina, and school deputy Scot Peterson, had no legal duty to protect students during the shooting rampage. Peterson was the only armed officer at the school when former student Nikolas Cruz went to the campus with an assault-style semi-automatic rifle and killed 17 people. "The claim arises from the actions of [shooter Nikolas] Cruz, a third party, and not a state actor," Bloom wrote in a ruling dated Dec. 12.

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Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.