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Coast Guard officer accused of planning to kill Democratic leaders, journalists
February 20, 2019 -
A pandemic-related rule change will allow art museums to sell pieces without penalty for 2 years
11:11 a.m. -
Trump campaign pounces on Biden's 'you ain't black' comment
10:47 a.m. -
2 passengers survived fatal Pakistan plane crash that killed 97
10:22 a.m. -
Hertz files for bankruptcy protection after pandemic halts travel
8:38 a.m. -
Trump administration reportedly discussed conducting first nuclear test since 1992
8:06 a.m. -
The FBI will investigate its investigation of Michael Flynn
May 22, 2020 -
Trump still hasn't taken his annual physical and it's starting to get weird
May 22, 2020
Federal prosecutors say that a U.S. Coast Guard lieutenant arrested last week on drug and gun charges wanted to "murder innocent civilians on a scale rarely seen in this country."
Christopher Paul Hasson was arrested on Feb. 15, and investigators discovered 15 firearms and 1,000 rounds of ammunition in his Silver Spring, Maryland, home, court documents say. Prosecutors allege that Hasson was a "domestic terrorist" who held extremist views and described himself in a document found on his computer as a "long time White Nationalist, having been a skinhead 30 plus years ago before my time in the military."
Prosecutors say from January 2017 to January 2019, Hasson read "neo-fascist and neo-Nazi literature" online, and on Jan. 17 he searched "what if trump illegally impeached," "best place in dc to see congress people," and "civil war if trump impeached." On that same day, he compiled a list of "political leaders, media leaders, cultural leaders, and industry leaders" he wanted to target, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), MSNBC's Joe Scarborough, Ari Melber, and Chris Hayes, and CNN's Chris Cuomo, Don Lemon, and Van Jones.
A law enforcement source told NBC News that the Coast Guard flagged Hasson because he was searching extremist websites while using his work computer. Catherine Garcia
One of the most stringent aspects of the code of conduct followed by art museums in the United States is that they're not supposed to sell pieces from their collections to solve financial problems. The one exception, traditionally, is if proceeds go toward enhancing the larger collection. Art, in other words, can pay for more art, but pretty much nothing else. But as is the cases with so many different aspects of society, the coronavirus pandemic is changing that, at least temporarily, CBS This Morning reports.
With museums across the country completely shut down or struggling amid a lack of visitors because of the virus, Brent Benjamin, the president of the Association of Art Museum Directors, said the goal is to allow member organizations a "little more financial flexibility." For the next two years, the museum says it won't punish members that use art sales to pay for "the care of the collection." The institutions themselves will have final say as to what exactly that means.
With doors closed and revenue drying up, museums have been forced to consider breaking the code of conduct that has governed the nation's art museums for generations. @EenaRuffini has more on why some museums might consider selling pieces from their collections to pay the bills. pic.twitter.com/78yeM1Tr1p
— CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) May 23, 2020
So far, Nina del Rio, vice chair at Sotheby's, told CBS she hasn't seen any museums use the rule change to launch a fire sale. On the contrary, she said, museum leaders are making thoughtful decisions about how to best preserve their institutions. Tim O'Donnell
Former Vice President Joe Biden came under fire Friday after he said that African American voters who aren't sure whether they support him or President Trump "ain't black" during an interview with Charlamagne tha God on The Breakfast Club. The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee later apologized, saying he was perhaps "much too cavalier" with his words. It remains to be seen if Biden's apology will be accepted, but the Trump re-election campaign isn't waiting to find out.
Politico reports the campaign, which has been ramping up its efforts to court black voters, is already taking advantage of Biden's comments — they've put together a video montage that will run nationally. Additionally, the campaign will launch an ad targeting Biden's support for the 1994 crime bill, which the spot says resulted in mass incarceration and "destroyed millions of black lives." That will air in swing states.
The Trump campaign is also looking to raise funds with a #YouAintBlack t-shirt and launched a website specifically devoted to Biden's comments. Tim O'Donnell
The death toll from a Pakistan International Airlines flight that crashed during a second landing attempt in Karachi on Friday rose to 97 on Saturday. Two passengers survived the incident, and no fatalities have been reported among people on the ground in the densely populated residential neighborhood where the crash-landing occurred, although eight people were injured, three of whom remain hospitalized. All residents have reportedly been accounted for.
One of the surviving passengers, Mohammad Zubair, said the flight from Lahore was smooth until the descent, when the pilot came on the intercom to say the plane was experiencing engine trouble and the landing could be "troublesome," adding that that was the last thing he remembered before waking up in what The Associated Press called a "scene of chaos."
The Airbus A320's black box, which includes the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder, was found and is under review. PIA's chief executive, Arshad Malik, said the last message received from the pilot indicated the plane was experiencing a technical problem, and a senior aviation official told Reuters it looked like the plane was unable to lower its landing gear on the first landing attempt. Read more at The Associated Press and Reuters. Tim O'Donnell
There's been a lot of talk about the hard-hit airline industry during the coronavirus pandemic, but the decision by the United States' no. 2 car rental firm Hertz to file for bankruptcy protection Friday is just another example of how much the travel industry as a whole is reeling.
Hertz, which was founded in 1918, has struggled since the pandemic severely reduced global travel, and its lenders were unwilling to grant another extension on its auto lease debt payments past Friday's deadline. The Associated Press notes the filing wasn't much of a surprise as the company warned in its first-quarter report that it may not be able to repay or refinance debt or have enough cash to keep operating (though it will continue to do so, along with its subsidiaries, during the process.)
By the end of March, the company accrued more than $24 billion in debt and was unable to generate revenue after travel largely shut down. Around that time, Hertz laid off 12,000 workers, furloughed 4,000, cut vehicle acquisitions by 90 percent, and stopped all nonessential spending, but the moves proved too late. Read more at The Associated Press and Reuters. Tim O'Donnell
The Trump administration has discussed launching the United States' first nuclear weapons test since 1992 as a tactic in negotiations with China and Russia, The Washington Post reports.
One administration official speaking on condition of anonymity said the conversation is still ongoing, while another person familiar with the situation said the White House — after some reportedly serious disagreements — has decided to take other measures in response to threats posed by Moscow and Beijing. The U.S. has accused the other two countries of conducting low-yield nuclear tests and is seeking a trilateral deal to regulate their arsenals; Russia and China have both denied the assertions.
The news is troubling to nonproliferation advocates, who believe that it would actually encourage Moscow, Beijing, and other governments with nuclear arsenals to ramp up their own testing, rather than deter them. Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association said U.S. testing could also "disrupt" negotiations with North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un even further. "It would be an invitation for other nuclear-armed countries to follow suit," said Kimball. "It would be the starting gun to an unprecedented nuclear arms race." Read more at The Washington Post. Tim O'Donnell
Another day, another investigation of an investigation.
The FBI will launch an internal audit of its investigation of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, FBI Director Christopher Wray said Friday. The move comes after the Justice Department dropped its case against Flynn after concluding he was pressured into lying to the FBI, and as documents from that investigation continue to be declassified.
President Trump fired Flynn as his national security adviser after he admitted to lying to Vice President Mike Pence about his discussions with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. Flynn later pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about those conversations, but earlier this year claimed he was pressured into saying he lied. Attorney General William Barr announced earlier this month that the DOJ would move to dismiss Flynn's charges, saying the FBI's investigation into Flynn was "conducted without any legitimate investigative basis."
The DOJ's announcement has only fueled conservatives' criticisms of the intelligence community and the FBI. Senate Judiciary Chair Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) promised to conduct the committee's own investigation into the origins of Flynn investigation, including Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe that led to Flynn's charges. Kathryn Krawczyk
President Trump's aversion to taking his annual physical is starting to get … a little weird. It has now been six months since the president claims to have "started" his routine physical at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, NBC News reports, with Trump saying in early March that he is simply "too busy" to do the second part. But even his process is mysterious, since physicals aren't typically conducted in multiple stages over the course of several months.
There is plenty of reason for the public to feel invested in the president's physical wellbeing right now, too. Earlier this week, Trump said he was taking the prescription drug hydroxycholorquine as an unproven and potentially dangerous prophylactic to ward off the COVID-19 coronavirus. The drug has well-documented risks, including causing dangerous heart arrhythmia even in healthy people. Last November, Trump also made an unscheduled trip to Walter Reed, where the 73-year-old underwent what was later described as an "interim checkup," although one insider told CNN at the time that the visit was "abnormal."
Trump completed his 2019 physical in the month of February and his 2018 physical in January. During his November 2019 two-hour examination at Walter Reed, he began what the White House said were "portions" of his 2020 exam. It has now been six months since that initial check-up took place, and the "more comprehensive" exam assured by his doctor, which would have included the president's labs and exam results, has so far — to public knowledge — not taken place.
“At the appropriate time" Trump has promised he will finish his annual physical. "But I feel very good.” Jeva Lange