5: Mike Pence Used a Private AOL Account for State Business While Governor of Indiana
An investigation also showed that this personal account was hacked, revealing—among other information—sensitive security information related to terror suspects.
Vice President Mike Pence used a personal email account for official business while governor of Indiana it was claimed Thursday. An investigation by the Indianapolis Star also showed that this personal account was hacked, revealing—among other information—sensitive security information related to terror suspects.
Vice News
4: SESSIONS’S RECUSAL GIVES SENATORS POWERFUL LEVERAGE TO DEMAND RUSSIA SPECIAL PROSECUTOR
NOW THAT Attorney General Jeff Sessions has recused himself from any involvement in investigations by the Justice Department involving potential Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, the authority to make decisions on the issue — including whether the appointment of a special prosecutor is necessary — falls to the deputy attorney general.
This turn of events gives the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee the power to demand a special prosecutor, if they choose to wield it.
There is currently no permanent deputy attorney general, just Acting Attorney General Dana Boente, a former U.S. Attorney who stepped in after Sally Yates, an Obama appointee, was fired. However, Donald Trump’s nominee, U.S. Attorney for Maryland Rod Rosenstein, will undergo confirmation hearings with the Senate Judiciary Committee this month.
And those Judiciary Committee members can now ask Rosenstein to commit to naming a special prosecutor before voting whether to send his nomination to the full Senate.
At least seven of the nine Democrats on the Judiciary Committee, including ranking member Dianne Feinstein of California, have publicly called for a special prosecutor to investigate potential criminal actions by Russian officials and any of Trump’s associates. South Carolina Sen. Lindsay Graham, one of the 11 Republicans on the committee, has said that “if there is something there that the FBI believes is criminal in nature, then for sure you need a special prosecutor.” If the nine Democrats and Graham acted as a block, they would have the power to prevent Rosenstein’s nomination from being voted out of committee.
The Intercept
3: ‘Worst view in the world’: Banksy opens hotel overlooking Bethlehem wall
The Walled Off hotel may sound utilitarian, even bleak. Its owner says it has “the worst view of any hotel in the world”, while its 10 rooms get just 25 minutes of direct sunlight a day.
But, nestled against the controversial barrier wall separating Israel from the Palestinian territories, the West Bank’s answer to the Waldorf offers travellers something more elusive than any luxury destination.
The lodging in Bethlehem is a hotel, museum, protest and gallery all in one, packed with the artworks and angry brilliance of its owner, British street artist Banksy.
The Guardian
2: Iraq says 14,000 people fled western Mosul in one day
A rapidly increasing flow of people is pouring out of western Mosul, fleeing fierce battles between Iraqi security forces and ISIL fighters, as medical workers warned that women and children have been exposed to toxic gas near the city.
Iraq’s interior ministry said on Friday that 14,000 people fled the northern Iraqi city on Thursday alone, the largest wave of internally displaced people (IDPs) since a US-backed operation on west Mosul was launched on February 19.
The total number of IDPs who fled western Mosul since the start of the military push has reached 46,000, the ministry said.
Aljazeera
1: Trump’s Proposed EPA Cuts Threaten Health & Lives of Tens of Millions of Americans
New details have emerged on the Trump administration’s plans to dramatically reduce the power of the Environmental Protection Agency. According to a leaked copy of the EPA’s 2018 budget proposal, the agency’s overall budget would be slashed by 25 percent. “The bottom line, if these cuts go through, we can almost guarantee with certainty that there will be more premature deaths and more sicknesses throughout the country,” says Bill Becker, executive director of the National Association of Clean Air Agencies. “The public should be outraged at that.” This comes as the Trump administration has vowed to roll back Obama-era EPA actions, and the White House continues to grapple with its position on the Paris climate agreement. We are also joined by Wenonah Hauter, executive director of Food & Water Watch.
Democracy Now
