There are new developments in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russia’s meddling in the 2016 presidential election. Friday, former White House National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI. According to Jeet Heer, Editor at The New Republic, the plea is a result of Mueller cracking down on President Trump.
“He’s used to dealing with mobsters,” Heer says of Mueller, who headed the FBI for 12 years before being appointed as a special counsel for the Department of Justice earlier this year. “The way you deal with mobsters is you get the goons first, you get the higher ups, the capos, and then you get the godfather.”
Heer believes Flynn’s cooperation means he has flipped against the president, which could eventually lead to the FBI apprehending White House Senior Advisor and President Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Heer says Mueller has managed to ensure that there won’t be any presidential pardons available, as there are ongoing state-level investigations, too.
“There’s a lot of leverage and it's all on Mueller’s side,” Heer said.
Meanwhile on Capitol Hill, Senate Republicans are leading a fierce battle to pass a vote on the GOP tax plan, which is expected to raise the national debt to $1.7 trillion, according to the CBO. Heer says the bill can pass, but it has to be now or never, since the party also had a very poor performance during the 2017 off-year elections.
“Republicans are headed to a tough season, which means they should probably get whatever they can out of the way,” he said.
A woman has taken command of the U.S.S. Constitution for the first time in its 224-year history. Cmdr. Billie J. Farrell on Friday became the 77th commanding officer of the warship that earned the nickname Old Ironsides.
China has flown 39 warplanes toward Taiwan in its largest such sortie of the new year, amid tensions over the island's future.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams plans to convert his first paycheck this week into two cryptocurrencies.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday reversed her position on efforts from rank-and-file members to restrict or ban members of Congress from trading stock in individual companies while in office.
The 40-page paper was widely seen as the first step in doing just that, but the document provides only partial hints as to if the Fed is supportive of a central bank digital currency.
The People's Bank of China (PBOC) announced on Tuesday that 261 million individuals, or about a fifth of the country's population, have now set up digital yuan wallets.
The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose to the highest level in three months as the fast-spreading omicron variant disrupted the job market.
At a Wednesday news conference to mark his first year in office, President Joe Biden is admitting that the pandemic has exhausted and demoralized many Americans.
Starbucks is no longer requiring its U.S. workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19, reversing a policy it announced earlier this month.
The Biden administration will begin making 400 million N95 masks available for free to U.S. residents starting next week.
