What We Know: Indictments, hearings in Russia probe

Special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election jumped forward this week with a 12-count indictment against two former campaign advisers to President Donald Trump and a guilty plea from another adviser. Several congressional committees are also investigating the meddling, and whether there is any link to Trump's campaign.

Chrissy Teigen flashes cleavage and legs in low-cut gown

'This is real collusion and dishonesty': Trump calls for Justice Dept to investigate claims Hillary took over the DNC months before she ran as even Elizabeth Warren admits the entire system was rigged Twitter silences Trump! President's account is DEACTIVATED for 11 minutes by a rogue employee on their last day - sending social media wild I'd LOVE to order a full investigation of Hillary Clinton says Trump - but I can't because I'm 'not supposed to be involved with the Justice Department' and I'm VERY frustrated Jared Kushner hands over documents to Mueller as prosecutor probes role he played in firing of FBI boss James Comey Trump blasts Hillary Clinton for defending 'dirty dossier' funding as he says opposition research file Democrats for was 'totally fake' and 'like a novel' 'He is a pedophile': Kevin Spacey, then 24, had sex with teen, 14, and later tried to rape him claims victim - ... (more)

Pressure On Sessions Rises As Democrats Call For Him To Clarify Testimony On Russia

Senate Democrats have called on Jeff Sessions to clarify just how much he knew about attempts by the Russian government to influence the 2016 presidential election, following revelations that the attorney general was previously in a meeting with former Trump campaign aide-turned special counsel cooperator George Papadopoulos. Sen. Al Franken demanded that Sessions clarify his past statements and Sen. Patrick Leahy has asked the attorney general to once again appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee following the indictments this week of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his longtime associate Rick Gates as part of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation.

Franken: Sessions ‘seems to have problems telling the truth’

Minnesota Democratic Sen. Al Franken responded to the latest developments in the special counsel investigation by saying that Attorney General Jeff Sessions "seems to have problems telling the truth." Franken's comments on CNN's "Erin Burnett OutFront" came after unsealed court documents showed former Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos had told the campaign about a potential meeting opportunity between Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, and news emerged that Sessions vetoed the idea.

Cuban Minister rejects US sonic attack claims

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla said today that the United States has provided no evidence for its claims that US diplomats in Havana have come under deliberate sonic attack, and raised the question of whether the Trump administration is using the diplomats' injuries to unwind recent progress in creating closer ties. "There is no evidence, there is no evidence whatsoever, of the occurrence of the alleged incidents or the cause or origin of these ailments reported by US diplomats," Rodriguez Parrilla said today in Washington.

The Trump campaign’s cocktail of stupid

Much is being made of Donald Trump, back when he was a Republican presidential candidate under pressure to show that he had a foreign policy team, referring to George Papadopoulos as "an oil and energy consultant, excellent guy," according to a recording produced by The Washington Post. What has not been reported much from that recording -- which was made during an interview Trump had with the Post's editorial board -- was what Trump said just before he uttered the guy's name: "Do you have that list, so I'll be a little more accurate with it?" Trump asks an aide, responding to a question about his foreign policy advisers.

Jeff Sessions’ meeting with George Papadopoulos draws Democrats’ scrutiny

Washington: Senate Democrats have demanded an explanation from Attorney General Jeff Sessions over why he did not disclose a March 2016 gathering with then-candidate Donald Trump and members of his campaign team at which an adviser offered to set up a meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Sessions' participation in the gathering was detailed in court documents released Monday by special counsel Robert Mueller III.

Tillerson to make first trip to Myanmar amid Rohingya crisis and proposed sanctions by senators

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson as he delivers remarks Wednesday from the briefing room of the State Department in Washington. Tillerson will go to Myanmar next week, the State Department said, becoming the most senior U.S. official to visit since the start of the Rohingya crisis.

Putin-backing ‘London professor’ in Trump case often traveled to Russia, little known in U.K.

In this handout photo taken in 2016 and released on Tuesday by the Valdai Club foundation, Joseph Mifsud, a politics professor, attends the Valdai Discussion Club Conference following the results of the closed-door Iran-Russia discussion in Moscow. Mifsud is suspected of being a key link between the Russian government and the Donald Trump campaign, but Mifsud, identified solely as 'the London professor' in court documents, has kept a low profile in London academic circles.

Trump nominates Fed’s Powell to lead U.S. central bank

President Donald Trump on Thursday tapped Fed Governor Jerome Powell to become head of the U.S. central bank, promoting a soft-spoken centrist to replace Janet Yellen when her term expires in February 2018. U.S. President Donald Trump looks on as Jerome Powell, his nominee to become chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve, speaks at the White House in Washington, U.S., November 2, 2017.

Democratic lawmakers sue over Trump Administration secrecy

The Trump International Hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington. Democratic members of the House Oversight committee have filed suit over the Trump Administration's refusal to turn over information about the Trump family's lease of the Trump Hotel in Washington.

Bob Mercer, a prominent Trump backer, leaving hedge fund

Republican mega-donor Robert Mercer, a billionaire with close ties to President Donald Trump, is stepping down from his position as chief executive officer of the New York investment firm Renaissance Technologies. The 71-year-old Mercer is also selling his personal stake in the pro-Trump website Breitbart News to his daughters.

GOP tax plan would slash corporate rate, help wealthiest

House Republicans on Thursday unveiled a tax cut plan that would slash the corporate rate and lower the personal taxes of most Americans but also limit a cherished deduction for homeowners, as President Donald Trump and the GOP seek to deliver on the first tax revamp in three decades. The proposal would add $1.5 trillion to the nation's debt over the next decade as Republicans largely abandoned fiscal discipline in a plan that could secure a legislative achievement for Trump and score a political win ahead of next year's midterm elections.

Poll: Nearly Half Of Americans Think Trump Is A Criminal

Nearly half of Americans believe that President Donald Trump committed a crime "in connection with possible Russian attempts to influence the election," according to a poll released Thursday. The Washington Post/ABC poll also found that 58 percent of Americans approve of how Special Counsel Robert Mueller is conducting his probe into alleged Russian election interference.

The Kickoff To Obama’s Foundation Just As Weird, Culty As You’d Guess

The Obama Foundation Summit offered Democrats a chance to escape the realty of Donald Trump's presidency but doing yoga and writing down their hopes for the country in sidewalk chalk. The summit, held in Chicago Wednesday to commemorate the launch of the Obama Foundation, attracted prominent Democratic politicians, fundraisers and celebrities, some of whom told Politico the event was "therapeutic" and represented a "sanity bubble."

The AP: Trump to announce Jerome Powell as next Fed chairman

In this Sunday, Oct. 15, 2017, file photo, U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen speaks during the G30 International Banking Seminar, at Inter-American Development Bank headquarters in Washington. On Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2017, the Federal Reserve releases its latest monetary policy statement after a two-day meeting.