Monday, October 30, 2017

Secret Guilty Plea of Ex-Trump Campaign Adviser George Papadopoulos Reveals Russian Ties - NBC News

Secret Guilty Plea of Ex-Trump Campaign Adviser George Papadopoulos Reveals Russian Ties
by TOM WINTER and TRACY CONNOR
A former Trump campaign adviser struck a cooperation agreement with Special Counsel Robert Mueller, secretly pleading guilty three weeks ago to lying to federal agents about his contacts with Kremlin-connected Russians.
Fmr. Trump Adviser Papadopolous Pleads Guilty to Making False Statements to FBI
Fmr. Trump Adviser Papadopolous Pleads Guilty to Making False Statements to FB
George Papadopoulos, who joined the Trump team in spring 2016 as an energy and foreign policy expert, communicated with a "campaign supervisor" during the campaign about his attempts to arrange a meeting with the Russians to discuss U.S.-Russia ties during a Trump presidency, according to court documents.
The supervisor, who was not named in the documents, told him, "Great work."
He relayed to the superviser that during his communications with Russian contacts, the Russians said they had "dirt" on Hillary Clinton and thousands of emails.
Papadopoulos lied to the FBI about the timing and nature of the communications, officials said.
"Through his false statements and omissions, defendant ... impeded the FBI's ongoing investigation into the existence of any links or coordination between individuals associated with the Campaign and the Russian government's efforts to interfere with the 2016 presidential election," prosecutors wrote.
Mueller's bombshell announcement about Papadopoulos came shortly after indictments against former campaign Paul Manafort and Manafort associate Rick Gates were unsealed.


Papadopoulos was arrested in July 2017 and pleaded guilty on Oct. 5. His plea agreement says the government will inform the sentencing judge of his "efforts to cooperate with the Government, on the condition that your client continues to respond and provide information regarding any and all matters as to which the Government deems relevant."

爱因斯坦拒绝崇拜 没有坟墓

爱因斯坦拒绝崇拜
没有坟墓
﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌
今天,各大媒体都报道了多国成功探测到双中子量引力波,从而证实了百年前爱因斯坦广义相对论的预言。对爱因斯坦为人类的科学贡献许多人都记得,但对他拒绝崇拜淡泊名利的优良品格,恐怕知之者不多。
爱因斯坦出生在一个德国贫困的犹太家庭,从小饱受苦难。1921年,他获得诺贝尔物理学奖。一次他应邀到荷兰莱顿大学执教,他对住宿的要求是有牛奶、饼干、水果,再加一把小提琴、一张床、一个写字台和一把椅子即可。后为躲避德国法西斯迫害,爱因斯坦移居美国。普林斯顿大学以当时最高年薪一万六千美元聘请他,他却说:"能否少一点?给我三千美元就够了!“他说,"每件多余的财产,都是人生的绊脚石;唯有简单的生活,才能给我创造的原动力!“为此爱因斯坦不追求中产阶级以拥有小汽车为时尚,坚持徒步从宿舍到研究所的两公里路。在1955年3月他的人生走向终点前,他对好友比利时女王说:"对我一生研究成果过度夸大的崇拜,让我觉得很不舒服,我感觉被逼着把自己想成一个骗子。“在他去世前一天,对他秘书杜卡斯说:"极尽人事去延长生命是缺乏品位的。我的本分已尽,该是离开的时候了。“
爱因斯坦在《我的世界观》一文中写道:"安逸与享乐与我无缘,照亮我前进、并不断给我勇气的,是善、美、真……除此之外,在我看来都是空虚的。“
一个品德高尚,学识卓越的伟人最后立下遗言:不发讣告,不搞葬礼,不建坟墓,不立纪念碑……爱因斯坦这种无比宽广的胸怀是否在告诉后人:一个人的丰满人生应该怎样,活在世上还有比金钱地位权势更为重要的事吗?那些唱惯"人民利益高于一切!”却不择手段地大肆敛财的贪官们在高洁的爱因斯坦面前,真该羞愧难当无地自容了。

How Paul Manafort is connected to the Trump, Russia investigation - Fox News


How Paul Manafort is connected to the Trump, Russia investigation
Report: Paul Manafort to surrender to federal authorities
Sources say the former Trump campaign manager and his former business associate Rick Gates have been instructed to turn themselves in as part of the Russia investigation.
It’s been more than a year since Paul Manafort briefly led President Trump’s quest for the White House and even longer since he worked for a controversial Ukrainian politician.
Manafort and his former business partner Richard Gates, 45, were told to turn themselves into federal authorities Monday morning, the New York Times reported. These are reportedly the first charges filed in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into Russia’s involvement in the 2016 president election.
Mueller and Gates were indicted by a federal grand jury that contains 12 counts: conspiracy against the U.S., conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading [Foreign Agents Registration Act] statements, false statements, and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts, a spokesperson for the Special Counsel's Office told Fox News.
Manafort’s house was raided earlier this summer by FBI investigators, and he was reportedly wiretapped by investigators – before and after the election.
Manafort, 68, has been the subject of a longstanding investigation due to his past dealings in Ukraine several years ago – for which he didn’t file as a foreign agent until June 2017. But Mueller has incorporated that investigation into his own probe into Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election and possible collusion with Trump associates.
Read on for a look at just how connected Manafort is to the Russia investigation and Trump.
What kind of foreign work did Manafort do?
A GOP operative who worked for former Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush, Manafort reportedly began his work with Republican politics in the 1970s.
Eventually, Manafort was hired by controversial former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, a pro-Russia politician who was ousted from power twice. After Yanukovych was eventually elected president in 2010, Manafort reportedly stayed on as an adviser and worked with other projects in Eastern Europe, including the Party of Regions political party.
TRUMP AND THE RUSSIA INVESTIGATION: WHAT TO KNOW
Manafort also worked for Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska. In 2005, Manafort came up with a plan to influence U.S. politics, business dealings and the media in order to “greatly benefit the Putin Government,” according to the Associated Press.
Deripaska, 49, is a close Putin ally and signed a $10 million annual contract with Manafort in 2006. They maintained a business relationship until at least 2009, the Associated Press reported.
Financial records obtained by the New York Times indicated that Manafort was in debt to pro-Russian interests by up to $17 million prior to joining Trump’s campaign.
How was Manafort involved with Trump's campaign?
Manafort joined then-presidential candidate Donald Trump's campaign in March 2016 to help wrangle delegates ahead of the Republican National Convention in Ohio, something he successfully did for former President Gerald Ford.
Kellyanne Conway and Paul Manafort speak during a discussion on security at Trump Tower in August 2016. Manafort served as Trump's campaign chairman; Conway eventually became the campaign manager and is now a White House senior adviser. (Reuters/Carlo Allegri)
Just two months later, Manafort became campaign chairman.
Manafort’s resignation from the campaign was announced on August 19, 2016, after the New York Times reported that he received $12.7 million in undisclosed cash payments from Yanukovych’s pro-Russian party between 2007 and 2012.
MANAFORT FACES NEW MONEY LAUNDERING PROBE
Along with Donald Trump Jr., Trump’s eldest son, Manafort met with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskay in June 2016. She was said to have damaging information on Trump’s campaign rival, Hillary Clinton, which was “part of Russia and its government’s support for Mr. Trump."
Could he help investigators discover if Trump associates colluded with Russia?
Mueller took over the criminal investigation into Manafort’s financial dealings as he looks into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia to win the White House.
Source claims raid was designed to intimidate; chief intelligence correspondent Catherine Herridge reports
New details on FBI raid of Paul Manafort's home
In recent months, Manafort has turned over documents to congressional committees investigating election interference. Judiciary committee leaders have been in talks with Manafort regarding private interviews.
At the end of July 2017, FBI agents executed a search warrant and searched Manafort’s home in Alexandria, Va., seeking information pertaining to his tax and banking records.
A secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act court order authorized the wiretapping of Manafort in 2014. It was discontinued in 2016, but investigators obtained another warrant that lasted until early 2017, CNN reported.
Fox News’ Brooke Singman and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont has fled the country amid rebellion charges - Independent

Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont has fled the country amid rebellion charges
Former Catalan president is wanted on sedition charges
Ousted Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont has left Spain and travelled to Brussels, Spanish government officials have said.
Mr Puigdemont is facing sedition charges from the Spanish government after Catalonia declared independence under his leadership.
The move comes after Belgium's foreign affairs minister Theo Francken said the former president could seek asylum in the country.
The Spanish media reports that the former leader is accompanied by an unspecified number of other members of the Catalan government.
The group are expected to make a joint statement later today.
Spain's prosecutor José Manuel Maza said on Monday morning that rebellion, sedition, and provocation charges would be levelled at the former leaders of the Catalan government, which has been suspended by the Spanish central government in Madrid.
In accordance with Spanish law a judge will not assess the charges.
Spain has refused to recognise the result of an independence referendum held by Catalonia's regional government at the start of the month on the basis that it is illegal under Spanish law.
After the Catalan regional parliament voted to declare independence on Friday, the Spanish government said it would revoke the region's autonomy and rule it directly from Madrid.

More follows…

Manafort surrenders, Gates asked to turn himself in to Mueller, source says - CNN News


Manafort surrenders, Gates asked to turn himself in to Mueller, source says
Jeremy Herb
By Evan Perez and Jeremy Herb, CNN
October 30, 2017
Former Donald Trump presidential campaign manager Paul Manafort looks on during Game Four of the American League Championship Series at Yankee Stadium on October 17, 2017 in the Bronx borough of New York City...
Former FBI Director Robert Mueller has been appointed by the Justice Department as a special counsel to over see an investigation in Russian influence in the 2016 elections. In this photo Mueller testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2011 in Washington, DC.
The man in charge of the Russia investigation
Trump attacks Clinton, as Mueller charges loom
trump puerto rico tough_00000408.jpg
Six times Donald Trump denied collusion
Former Donald Trump presidential campaign manager Paul Manafort looks on during Game Four of the American League Championship Series at Yankee Stadium on October 17, 2017 in the Bronx borough of New York City.
Source: Manafort to turn himself in to Mueller
Watch Paul Manafort turn himself in
Former FBI Director Robert Mueller has been appointed by the Justice Department as a special counsel to over see an investigation in Russian influence in the 2016 elections. In this photo Mueller testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2011 in Washington, DC.
The man in charge of the Russia investigation
US President Donald Trump speaks to the media prior to departing on Marine One from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, October 25, 2017, as he travels to Dallas, Texas. (SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)
Trump attacks Clinton, as Mueller charges loom
trump puerto rico tough_00000408.jpg
Six times Donald Trump denied collusion
Former Donald Trump presidential campaign manager Paul Manafort looks on during Game Four of the American League Championship Series at Yankee Stadium on October 17, 2017 in the Bronx borough of New York City.
Watch Paul Manafort turn himself in
Former FBI Director Robert Mueller has been appointed by the Justice Department as a special counsel to over see an investigation in Russian influence in the 2016 elections. In this photo Mueller testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2011 in Washington, DC.
The man in charge of the Russia investigation
The development signals a dramatic new phase of Mueller's wide-ranging investigation
Manafort is the first person in Trump's orbit charged in connection with the special counsel investigation
Washington (CNN)Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort is turning himself in Monday to Justice Department special counsel Robert Mueller, and former Trump campaign official Rick Gates has been told to turn himself in, according to a source with direct knowledge of the matter.
Gates is a longtime business associate of Manafort, having worked together since the mid-2000s.
Manafort and Gates were indicted under seal on Friday, the source said. The indictments are expected to be unsealed later Monday. The extent of the charges was not immediately known.
The charges against two top officials from President Donald Trump's campaign signals a dramatic new phase of Mueller's wide-ranging investigation into possible collusion between the Russian government and members of Trump's team as well as potential obstruction of justice and financial crimes.
A White House spokesman told CNN the Trump administration "may not have a response at all" regarding the charges.
Manafort, whose work for former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has attracted scrutiny from federal investigators, has previously denied financial wrongdoing regarding his Ukraine-related payments, his bank accounts in offshore tax shelters and his various real-estate transactions over the years. Gates, who has also denied wrongdoing, was Manafort's longtime business associate in his lobbying firm before being tapped as his deputy on the Trump campaign.
They are the first two officials in Trump's orbit charged in connection with the special counsel investigation, which is exploring whether Trump's actions surrounding the firing of former FBI Director James Comey amount to obstruction of justice. Mueller has taken a broad approach to his mandate that includes a focus on the financial dealings of Trump's team.
Manafort's journey to center of Mueller investigation
Manafort's journey to center of Mueller investigation 01:16
Before the indictment, the FBI in July executed a so-called no-knock search warrant with guns drawn at Manafort's home in Alexandria, Virginia, seizing financial and tax documents, including some that had already been provided to congressional investigators.
This story is breaking and will be updated. Donald Trump's former presidential campaign manager, Paul Manafort, has been charged with conspiring to defraud the US in his dealings with Ukraine.CNN's Joe Johns contributed to this report.

Update :- ' A former Trump campaign adviser struck a cooperation agreement with Special Counsel Robert Mueller, secretly pleading guilty three weeks ago to lying to federal agents about his contacts with Kremlin-connected Russians.
 Fmr. Trump Adviser Papadopolous Pleads Guilty to Making False Statements to FBI 2:29
George Papadopoulos, who joined the Trump team in spring 2016 as an energy and foreign policy expert, communicated with a "campaign supervisor" during the campaign about his attempts to arrange a meeting with the Russians to discuss U.S.-Russia ties during a Trump presidency, according to court documents.
The supervisor, who was not named in the documents, told him, "Great work."
He relayed to the superviser that during his communications with Russian contacts, the Russians said they had "dirt" on Hillary Clinton and thousands of emails.
Papadopoulos lied to the FBI about the timing and nature of the communications, officials said.
"Through his false statements and omissions, defendant ... impeded the FBI's ongoing investigation into the existence of any links or coordination between individuals associated with the Campaign and the Russian government's efforts to interfere with the 2016 presidential election," prosecutors wrote.
Mueller's bombshell announcement about Papadopoulos came shortly after indictments against former campaign Paul Manafort and Manafort associate Rick Gates were unsealed.
Papadopoulos was arrested in July 2017 and pleaded guilty on Oct. 5. His plea agreement says the government will inform the sentencing judge of his "efforts to cooperate with the Government, on the condition that your client continues to respond and provide information regarding any and all matters as to which the Government deems relevant." 

Beware Cap-in-Hand Xi - Bloomberg

Beware Cap-in-Hand Xi
By Shuli Ren
There are many things to like about China Life Insurance Co., but helping President Xi Jinping build a new aircraft carrier isn't one of them.Under the guise of state-owned-enterprise reform, China Shipbuilding Industry Co. said on Friday it plans to buy the stakes it doesn't already own in two subsidiaries via a 22 billion yuan ($3.3 billion) share swap. The transaction will bring in bad-debt manager China Cinda Asset Management Co. and China Life as investors, the latter subscribing for 2 billion yuan of stock in shipbuilding units in Dalian and Wuhan.
BLOODY WATERS
China Shipbuilding says recapitalizing the two units will unleash their hidden value, considering their status as "world renowned" marine equipment manufacturers responsible for the nation's aircraft carriers and destroyers. The main selling point here is the operations' military value.But does China Life really know what it's buying into?CHINA SHIPBUILDING SHARE SWAP22 billion yuanChina Shipbuilding doesn't disclose the revenue or profit it earns from the navy because military trade is a state secret. A look at the company's financials, however, shows it can't be that large. Gross profit margins in the second quarter rose just 1.32 percentage points to 9.3 percent. Total revenue fell 38 percent from a year earlier, due to declines in the less-profitable civilian segment -- think businesses such as Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd.China Life's own earnings couldn't look more different. In the nine months through September, net profit almost doubled to 27 billion yuan, buoyed by a recovery in the nation's stock market.
Bull Phase
China Life's investment income surged in the third quarter as the nation's stock market recovered
Life insurers in China are also benefiting from soaring bond yields. It means they don't need to put as much away in cash reserves to cover long-term policy liabilities. In the three months through Sept. 30, China Life tipped 4.6 billion yuan into its reserve bucket versus 13 billion yuan in the first half.
Bounce Back
China 10-year bond yields are at their highest since 2014, a boon for life-insurance companies
Note: China's life insurers use the 750-day moving average of 10-year bond yields to decide how much to set aside in reserves.
This China Shipbuilding deal is simply another case of a state-owned cash cow being enlisted for national service. I said back in August that China Life has a much safer investment portfolio than rival Ping An Insurance Group Co. But what's the point of crafting a safe house when the government can chip away at it?Perhaps that's why China Life in its latest financial filing revealed it's been actively engaged in alternative investment projects. According to Daiwa Capital Markets, the group increased its allocation to long-term fixed income assets during the third quarter, boosting non-standard assets with an average maturity of more than 10 years by 40 billion yuan.If there's one lesson to be learned here it's this: State-owned enterprises should deploy their cash quickly before cap-in-hand Xi comes knocking.

Trump tax overhaul under intensifying fire as Congress readies bill - Reuters



Trump tax overhaul under intensifying fire as Congress readies bill
David Morgan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump’s plan for overhauling the U.S. tax system faced growing opposition from interest groups on Sunday, as Republicans prepare to unveil sweeping legislation that could eliminate some of the most popular tax breaks to help pay for lower taxes.
Republicans who control the U.S. House of Representatives will not reveal their bill until Wednesday. But the National Association of Home Builders, a powerful housing industry trade group, is already vowing to defeat it over a change that could affect the use of home mortgage deductions, while Republican leaders try to head off opposition to possible changes to individual retirement savings and state and local tax payments.
Trump and Republicans have vowed to enact tax reform this year for the first time since 1986. But the plan to deliver up to $6 trillion in tax cuts for businesses and individuals faces challenges even from rank-and-file House Republicans.
House and Senate Republicans are on a fast-track to pass separate tax bills before the Nov. 23 U.S. Thanksgiving holiday, iron out differences in December, send a final version to Trump’s desk before January and ultimately hand the president his first major legislative victory. Analysts say there is a good chance the tax overhaul will be delayed until next year.
The NAHB, which boasts 130,000 member firms employing 9 million workers, says the bill would harm U.S. home prices by marginalizing the value of mortgage interest deductions as an incentive for buying homes. The trade group wants legislation to offer a tax credit equaling 12 percent of mortgage interest and property tax payments but says it was rebuffed by House Republican leaders.
“We’re opposed to the tax bill without the tax credit in there, and we’ll be working very aggressively to see it defeated,” NAHB chief executive Jerry Howard told Reuters.
House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady, the top House Republican on tax policy, suggested in a statement that the NAHB credit could still be included, saying: “I hope members of Congress will examine it closely to determine if they want it included.”
Republicans warned that the Trump tax plan is entering a new and difficult phase as lobbyists ramp up pressure on lawmakers to spare their pet tax breaks.
“When groups start rallying against things and they succeed, everything starts unraveling,” Senator Bob Corker, a leading Republican fiscal hawk, told CBS’ Face the Nation.
ANXIETY IN HIGH-TAX STATES
One of the biggest challenges involves a proposal to eliminate the federal deduction for state and local taxes (SALT), which analysts say would hit upper middle-class families in high income tax states such as New York, New Jersey and California. The states are home to enough House Republicans to stymie legislation.
Brady gave ground over the weekend, saying he would allow a deduction for some local taxes to remain.
“We are restoring an itemized property tax deduction to help taxpayers with local tax burdens,” Brady said in another statement.
But the gesture appeared to do little to turn the tide of opposition to SALT’s elimination.
“I‘m not going to sign onto anything until the full package is fully analyzed by economists,” Representative Peter King of New York told the Fox News program Sunday Morning Futures.
“The fact that we’re getting it at the eleventh hour raises real issues with me,” he added.
A lobby coalition representing state and local governments, realtors and public unions rejected Brady’s statement outright, saying the move would “unfairly penalize taxpayers in states that rely significantly on income taxes.”
House Republicans have also faced opposition from Trump and others after proposing to sharply curtail tax-free contributions to 401(k) programs and move retirement savings to a style of account that allows tax-free withdrawals, rather than the tax-exempt contributions that are popular with 401(k) investors.
House Republicans now say they could permit higher 401(k) contribution limits but continue to talk about tax-free withdrawals. “We will expand the amount that you can invest. But we’ll also give you an option to actually not be taxed later in life,” House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy told Fox News.
The current cap on annual 401(k) tax-free contributions is $18,000.
Corker said congressional tax committees seem to be falling short of their goal to eliminate $4 trillion in tax breaks to prevent the Trump plan from adding to the federal deficit.
“They’re having great difficulty just getting to $3.6 trillion,” said the Tennessee Republican, who has vowed to vote against tax reform if it increases a federal debt load that stands at more than $20 trillion.
Ohio’s Republican governor, John Kasich, told Fox News Sunday that spending on entitlement programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security should also be reviewed as part of the effort to pay for tax cuts.
“It may be separate from the tax bill, but it needs to happen,” Kasich said.
Reporting by David Morgan; additional reporting by Ginger Gibson; Editing by Yara Bayoumy and Mary Milliken