🇺🇸 **Pompeo: 'Ludicrous' to suggest Trump canceled Putin meeting over Cohen news**
*(((CNN)))* - <http://archive.li/Qaeeg>

Buenos Aires (CNN) — US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo asserted that Russian aggression against Ukraine in the Kerch Strait near Crimea was the sole reason for President Donald Trump's cancellation of his G20 meeting with Russia President Vladimir Putin, calling suggestions that it was influenced by developments in the special counsel's probe "ludicrous."

In an exclusive interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer on the sidelines of the global summit, Pompeo said Trump scrapped the anticipated meeting "because the Russians behaved in a way that is deeply inconsistent with international law."
"The President wanted to send a clear, unambiguous message that we find that type of behavior unacceptable, so we canceled the meeting," Pompeo said.

In a maritime clash last weekend, Russian boats seized three Ukrainian ships near Crimea and detained 24 sailors. A court in Russian-controlled Crimea ordered that 12 of those soldiers be detained for two months. Russia's escalation has been met with international condemnation.

Trump's decision to cancel the meeting with Putin came days after the initial clash and was tweeted from aboard Air Force One on Thursday en route to Argentina.

"Based on the fact that the ships and sailors have not been returned to Ukraine from Russia, I have decided it would be best for all parties concerned to cancel my previously scheduled meeting (...) in Argentina with President Vladimir Putin. I look forward to a meaningful Summit again as soon as this situation is resolved!" Trump tweeted en route to the summit.
-----------------------------

🇲🇽 **Tijuana mayor says arrest caravan organizer, vows to stop funding migrants**
*Fox News* - <https://archive.fo/UrLIu>

After declaring the migrant caravan a “humanitarian crisis” this week, Mayor Juan Manuel Gastélum told Fox News that he can no longer continue to fund the municipal effort to shelter them without federal assistance.

“I’m not going to break public services to solve this problem,” the Tijuana mayor said.

Even worse, he could be forced to raise taxes on Tijuana’s 1.7 million residents who have already suffered from Sunday’s clashes.

“In those six hours that the border was closed, we lost approximately 129 million pesos,” he said. “That's not fair. How do you think people from Tijuana feel towards those people who are making problems?”

Meanwhile, conditions for the migrants in the tent city encampment worsened overnight with heavy winds and rain – flooding overcrowded spaces, leaving wet clothes, sleeping bags and litter strewn about an unsanitary and inhumane existence.

Efforts were underway to move some of them to a new location because of reports that more migrants were making their way to Tijuana.

Mayor Gastélum blames the organizers for whom he cannot identify. He said they should be held accountable. He said the leaders of the caravan should face criminal charges.

“Those are the real criminals because they're dealing with the lives of people,” he says.
----------------

🇫🇷 **'This is the start of a revolution': Paris rioters steal police assault rifle, torch dozens of cars and vow to 'stay in the streets until Christmas' as fuel protests continue into the night and spread across France - and even to Holland**
*Daily Mail* - <https://archive.fo/42Q0J>

The centre of Paris was on lockdown tonight after masked protesters stole an assault rifle from police, clashed with riot squads and set fire to cars and Christmas trees on the Champs-Elysees in furious demonstrations against the French government.

Protesters said today's actions were 'the start of a revolution' that would eclipse the mass strikes and occupation of universities and factories in1968 when the country was on the cusp of civil war.

Fires and clouds of tear gas covered the French capital from early morning until late in the evening, in some of the worst violence ever seen in the French capital as more than 5,000 demonstrators brought chaos to Paris for the second week running.

As so-called Yellow Vest fuel price demonstrators marched along the opulent Avenue Foch near the Arc de Triomphe, home to embassies and luxury residences, they were joined by criminal groups included looters.

French President Emmanuel Macron has promised the protesters will be 'held responsible for their acts'.

Macron said today's demonstrations which have left dozens injured and hundreds arrested 'have nothing to do with the peaceful expression of a legitimate anger.' He said 'no cause justifies attacks on police or pillaging stores and burning buildings'.

Macron said he is holding an emergency government meeting Sunday on the protests. He spoke from the G20 summit being held in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

French police confirmed there had been at least 224 arrests today during the protests for a series of offences, ranging from violent disorder to theft. There were 110 serious injuries, including more than 20 police officers.
----------------

🇺🇸🇲🇽🇨🇦 **Trump Set to Terminate Nafta, Creating Deadline for Lawmakers**
*The Wall Street Journal* - <https://archive.fo/mKkJq>

President Trump said Saturday he will soon terminate the North American Free Trade Agreement to pave the way for congressional consideration of the reworked agreement known as the USMCA.

Termination would start a six-month withdrawal period and give lawmakers a deadline to choose between the new deal or nothing, the president told reporters aboard Air Force One. His comments came while flying back from Argentina after the Group of 20 summit and a Saturday dinner with Chinese President Xi Jinpingover trade issues.

While here, Mr. Trump participated in a ceremonial signing of the new deal, called the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, with outgoing Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. At the time, Mr. Trump suggested it wouldn’t face hurdles on Capitol Hill, where ratification is needed.

“That’ll be terminated so Congress will have a choice of the USMCA or pre-Nafta, which worked very well,” Mr. Trump said.
----------------

🇸🇦🇺🇸 **CIA Intercepts Underpin Assessment Saudi Crown Prince Targeted Khashoggi**
*The Wall Street Journal* - <https://archive.fo/ImRle>

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sent at least 11 messages to his closest adviser, who oversaw the team that killed journalist Jamal Khashoggi, in the hours before and after the journalist’s death in October, according to a highly classified CIA assessment.

The Saudi leader also in August 2017 had told associates that if his efforts to persuade Mr. Khashoggi to return to Saudi Arabia weren’t successful, “we could possibly lure him outside Saudi Arabia and make arrangements,” according to the assessment, a communication that it states “seems to foreshadow the Saudi operation launched against Khashoggi.”

Mr. Khashoggi, a critic of the kingdom’s leadership who lived in Virginia and wrote columns for the Washington Post, was killed by Saudi operatives on Oct. 2 shortly after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, where he sought papers needed to marry his Turkish fiancée.

Excerpts of the Central Intelligence Agency’s assessment, which cites electronic intercepts and other clandestine information, were reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.

The CIA last month concluded that Prince Mohammed had likely ordered Mr. Khashoggi’s killing, and President Trump and leaders in Congress were briefed on intelligence gathered by the spy agency. Mr. Trump afterward questioned the CIA’s conclusion about the prince, saying “maybe he did; and maybe he didn’t.”

The previously unreported excerpts reviewed by the Journal state that the CIA has “medium-to-high confidence” that Prince Mohammed “personally targeted” Khashoggi and “probably ordered his death.” It added: “To be clear, we lack direct reporting of the Crown Prince issuing a kill order.”
----------------

🇲🇽 **Tijuana shuts down migrant caravan shelter**
*The Washington Times* - <https://archive.fo/wjW1D>

The city government of Tijuana announced Saturday that it has closed down a migrant shelter at a sports complex close to the U.S. border that once held about 6,000 Central Americans who hope to get into the U.S.

Officials said all the migrants were being moved to a former concert venue much farther from the border. The city said in a statement the sports complex shelter was closed because of “bad sanitary conditions.”

Experts had expressed concerns about unsanitary conditions that had developed at the partly flooded sports complex, where the migrants had been packed into a space adequate for half their numbers. Mud, lice infestations and respiratory infections were rampant.

The remaining migrants were taken by bus to the new shelter about 10 miles from the border crossing at Otay Mesa and 14 miles from San Ysidro, near where people line up to file applications for asylum in the United States.

Tijuana officials had said earlier that nobody would be forced to move to the new facility, a large building and concrete patio known as El Barretal that was used for concerts and other events until about six years ago. But they also warned they would stop offering food and medical services at the Benito Juarez sports complex.

The new shelter is being run by federal authorities.

Also Saturday, in one of his first acts in office, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador signed an agreement with his counterparts from three Central American countries to establish a development plan to stem the flow of migrants seeking asylum in the U.S.

The Foreign Ministry said the plan, which includes a fund to generate jobs in the region, aims to attack the structural causes of migration from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.
----------------

🇮🇷 **Iran navy launches stealth warship in the Gulf**
*Reuters* - <https://archive.fo/ntU7U>

Iran’s navy on Saturday launched a domestically made destroyer, which state media said has radar-evading stealth properties, as tensions rise with arch-enemy, the United States.

In a ceremony carried live on state television, the Sahand destroyer — which can sustain voyages lasting five months without resupply — joined Iran’s regular navy at a base in Bandar Abbas on the Gulf.

The Sahand has a flight deck for helicopters, torpedo launchers, anti-aircraft and anti-ship guns, surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles and electronic warfare capabilities, state television reported.

U.S. President Donald Trump pulled out of an international agreement on Iran’s nuclear program in May and reimposed sanctions on Tehran. He said the deal was flawed because it did not include curbs on Iran’s development of ballistic missiles or its support for proxies in Syria, Yemen, Lebanon and Iraq.

The United States has said its goal is to reduce Iran’s oil exports to zero. Senior Iranian officials have said that if Iran is not allowed to export then no other countries will be allowed to export oil through the Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of the Gulf.

“This vessel is the result of daring and creative design relying on the local technical knowledge of the Iranian Navy... and has been built with stealth capabilities,” Rear-Admiral Alireza Sheikhi, head of the navy shipyards that built the destroyer, told the state news agency IRNA.

Iran launched its first locally made destroyer in 2010 as part of a program to revamp its navy equipment which dates from before the 1979 Islamic revolution and is mostly U.S.-made.

Iran has developed a large domestic arms industry in the face of international sanctions and embargoes that have barred it from importing many weapons.
----------------

🇮🇱 **Israeli PM Netanyahu should be charged with bribery - police**
*BBC* - <https://archive.fo/SHUIu>

Israeli police have recommended indicting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara for alleged fraud and bribery.

They are suspected of awarding regulatory favours to the Bezeq telecom firm in return for positive media coverage of the couple.

Mr Netanyahu rejected the allegations in what is known as Case 4000.

The Israeli attorney-general will now have to decide whether to bring charges in the case.

In February, police recommended indicting Mr Netanyahu in two other corruption investigations.

On Sunday, the Israeli police and the Israel Securities Authorities said there was sufficient evidence for bribery, fraud and breach-of-trust charges to be brought against Mr Netanyahu and his wife.

They are suspected of interfering in regulatory decisions that favoured Bezeq and its majority shareholder Shaul Elovitch.

In return, the couple are alleged to have been given more positive coverage on Walla! news website, owned by Bezeq.

The police also said there was sufficient evidence to indict Mr Elovitch for giving bribes.

Responding to the latest allegations, Mr Netanyahu tweeted: "These recommendations were determined and leaked even before the investigations began.

"I'm sure that in this case the relevant authorities, after examining the issue, will reach the same conclusion: that there was nothing because there is nothing."

Mr Elovitch has so far made no public comments on the issue.
----------------

🇺🇸 🇦🇫 **Key Afghanistan Taliban commander killed in U.S. air strike**
*BBC* - <http://archive.is/g8mAf>

One of the Taliban's most senior commanders has been killed in a US airstrike in Afghanistan. Mullah Abdul Manan Akhund was the Taliban's "governor" and military chief for the southern Helmand province.

He was killed in the Nawzad district of Helmand on Saturday night, provincial officials said. Helmand is where British troops were based for eight years before ground troops were withdrawn in 2014. Large parts of the province are now back under Taliban control.

The Taliban said his death was a "major loss" but it would not deter them in their efforts to take back control of Afghanistan. Afghan interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish told the AFP news agency his death was a major blow to the Taliban and would "lower the moral" of its fighters in southern Afghanistan.

BBC research earlier this year showed Taliban insurgents control more territory in the country than at any time since 2014. It is estimated that about 15 million people - half the population - are living in areas that are either controlled by the Taliban or where its fighters are openly present and regularly mount attacks.

However, there have been intense efforts to persuade the Taliban to begin peace talks to end the fighting. It sent delegates to a meeting in Russia last month to discuss the issue, but has refused to hold direct talks with the Afghan government.
----------------

🇮🇹 **Italy walks out on UN migration meeting saying national borders are no business of the UN**
*Express* - <https://archive.fo/i7arR>

Italian prime minister Giuseppe Conte said decisions over migration were a matter for national governments.

He said: “Italy reserves the right to adhere to this document or not only after the parliament has decided.”

In a statement on behalf of the Italian government he said: "The migration pact is a document that deals with issues and questions our citizens are concerned by.

"For this reason, we think it advisable to task parliament with a debate and the final choice once talks have concluded.”

Mr Conte’s announcement came minutes after anti-immigration interior minister Matteo Salvini had spoken against going to the UN meeting.

Mr Salvini said: “The Italian government won’t go to Marrakech, it won’t sign anything, parliament will.”

The intervention of the right-wing Lega leader sparked the outrage of PD, Italy’s main opposition party, which accused Mr Salvini of walking away from a decision that had been already taken.

Mr Conte had previously spoken in favour of the UN pact and seemed keen to follow through his predecessor Paolo Gentiloni’s promise to sign it.
----------------

🇺🇸🇸🇦 **After CIA briefing, Republicans say 'no question' Saudi crown prince ordered Khashoggi murder**
*ABC News* - <https://archive.is/rjqlb>

Following a briefing by CIA director Gina Haspel Tuesday on the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, leading Republican senators told reporters that there was "zero question" that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the brutal murder.

Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Sen. Bob Corker, a Tennessee Republican, said "I have zero question in my mind that the Crown Prince MBS ordered the killing, monitored the killing, knew exactly what was happening. Planned it in advance. If he was in front of a jury he would be convicted in 30 minutes. Guilty," Corker said.

Corker called the Trump administration's claim that there is no direct evidence of the crown prince's involvement "unacceptable."

South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said, "There's not a smoking gun, there's a smoking saw."

"You have to be willfully blind not to come to the conclusion that this was orchestrated and organized by people under the command of MBS and that he was intricately involved in the demise of Mr. Khashoggi," he said.

He went on: "If the Saudi government is going to be in the hands of this man, I find it very difficult to be able to do business because I think he's crazy, I think he's dangerous, and he has put the relationship at risk."

Graham concluded that he can no longer support arms sales to the kingdom.

Given those comments, it appeared Haspel's briefing would not help the administration win back support for its military aid to the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen.

The fact that the briefing was limited to a small group angered several senators, including Republican allies of President Trump.
----------------

🇺🇸 **Jeffrey Epstein, registered sex offender, settles civil lawsuit and avoids testimony from alleged victims**
*FOX News* - <https://archive.fo/nsx0k>

The numerous young women who say they were sexually abused by wealthy, Clinton-linked financier Jeffrey Epstein no longer appear set to testify after a last-minute settlement was reached in a closely-watched civil lawsuit against the registered sex offender.

The deal was announced Tuesday -- just before jury selection was to begin -- and, for now, it likely means none of the women will be able to speak in court about the alleged abuse they endured at Epstein's hands, according to the Associated Press.

The 65-year-old Epstein, who has counted presidents and kings among his friends, allegedly operated a sex ring at his mansion in Palm Beach, Florida, a residence in New York City, and his private island estate. The latter locale contained Epstein's 72-acre Virgin Islands home -- and the strip of land was dubbed by some as “Orgy Island.”

Court documents obtained by Fox News in 2016 showed former President Bill Clinton took at least 26 trips flying aboard Epstein's private jet -- known as the "Lolita Express" -- and apparently ditched his Secret Service detail on some of the excursions. Authorities who seized trash outside Epstein's home at the time found an invoice for the purchase of the book “SlaveCraft: Roadmaps for Erotic Servitude -- Principles, Skills and Tools," as well as the instructional “Training with Miss Abernathy: A Workbook for Erotic Slaves and Their Owners."

Epstein, dogged by countless allegations of sex with underage girls, pleaded guilty in 2008 to state sex charges, served a year in jail and registered as a sex offender. But in a secret deal with federal prosecutors led by now-Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta, Epstein avoided a possible life term.

The lawsuit that had been set to go forward Tuesday was a tangled affair.
----------------

🇺🇸 **Thomson Reuters to cut 3,200 jobs in next two years**
*Reuters* - <https://archive.fo/wNGZU>

Thomson Reuters Corp (TRI.TO) said on Tuesday that it will cut its workforce by 12 percent in the next two years, axing 3,200 jobs, as part of a plan to streamline the business and reduce costs.

The news and information provider, which completed the sale of a 55-percent stake in its Financial & Risk (F&R) unit to private equity firm Blackstone Group LP (BX.N), announced the cuts during an investor day in Toronto, in which it outlined its future strategy and growth plans.

The company, which is focusing on its legal and tax businesses following the Blackstone deal, declined to say where the job cuts were being made. However, Co-Chief Operating Officer Neil Masterson told investors that staff had already been informed about 90 percent of the planned cuts.

Shares in Thomson Reuters rose as much as 3.7 percent on Tuesday, hitting an all-time high.

“They laid out some good plans for the next couple of years,” said Edward Jones analyst Brittany Weissman. “I think there is still a long road ahead, but it was positive. They explained in more detail the pathway to more organic growth.”

The company aims to grow annual sales by 3.5 percent to 4.5 percent by 2020, excluding the impact of any acquisitions. Chief Executive Officer Jim Smith said it plans to cross-sell more products to existing customers and to attract new customers. The company will also cut the number of products it sells, he said.

“We’re going to simplify the company in every way that we can, working on sales effectiveness and on ways to make it easier both for our customers to do business with us and for our frontline troops to navigate inside the organization,” he said.

As part of the streamlining, the company said it planned to reduce the number of offices around the world by 30 percent to 133 locations by 2020.
----------------

🇷🇺 **Nato accuses Russia of breaking nuclear missile treaty**
*BBC* - <https://archive.fo/jGiIS>

Western military alliance Nato has formally accused Russia of breaching the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, which banned land-based nuclear missiles in Europe.

Following a meeting, Nato foreign ministers issued a statement supporting US accusations of Russian violations.

The US has threatened to withdraw from the treaty because of Russian actions.

Russia denied being in breach of the INF deal, saying it "strictly abides" by its conditions.

The deal banned ground-launched medium-range missiles with a range of 500-5,500km (310-3,400 miles).

"Allies have concluded that Russia has developed and fielded a missile system, the 9M729, which violates the INF Treaty and poses significant risks to Euro-Atlantic security," the Nato foreign ministers' statement reads.

"We strongly support the finding of the United States that Russia is in material breach of its obligations under the INF Treaty.

"We call on Russia to return urgently to full and verifiable compliance. It is now up to Russia to preserve the INF Treaty."

The new medium-range missile that the US - and now Nato - accuse Russian of deploying would enable Russia to launch a nuclear strike at Nato countries at very short notice.

Analysts say Russia sees such weapons as a cheaper alternative to conventional forces.

**Speaking after the Nato statement was issued, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Russia had 60 days to return to compliance with the treaty, after which time the US would suspend its own compliance.**
----------------

🇺🇸 **EXCLUSIVE: The Weekly Standard Expected To Shutter In Coming Weeks**
*The Daily Caller* - <https://archive.fo/AdH0D>

The Weekly Standard is not expected to survive going into 2019 and is preparing to shut down permanently, according to a current staff member and former member of the magazine’s parent company who spoke to The Daily Caller News Foundation.

Rumors had been circulating throughout the media class Tuesday about the fate of The Weekly Standard in the wake of the magazine’s dwindling readership and circulation, despite a rebranding effort as the preeminent right-leaning periodical for conservatives opposed to President Donald Trump.

“I don’t expect it to exist after December 14, 2018,” one editor at the magazine told TheDCNF. “There is no budget for it AT ALL.”

The Weekly Standard was founded in 1995 by Bill Kristol and Fred Barnes. Originally owned by NewsCorp, the magazine was eventually sold in 2009 to billionaire Philip Anschutz. Individuals close to the magazine told TheDCNF that Anschutz was growing frustrated with the direction of the magazine.

A former employee of The Washington Examiner, which is a member of the same parent company as The Weekly Standard, told TheDCNF the office had been hearing murmurings Monday about the magazine’s fate. That employee told TheDCNF there had been talk that some of The Weekly Standard would be folded into The Washington Examiner.

“They’re either closing or they’re folding into a page of the Washington Examiner,” said the former Examiner employee.

Yet a current editor at The Weekly Standard disputed that possibility.

“I don’t think ‘folded’ is the right word. It sounds more like get rid of us entirely,” the editor said.

A spokesperson for Anschutz did not comment.
----------------

🇬🇧 **Nigel Farage QUITS Ukip in protest over new leader Gerard Batten's appointment of Tommy Robinson as adviser on 'Muslim rape gangs'**
*The Daily Mail* - <https://archive.fo/ZdQx0>

Nigel Farage has quit Ukip after 25 years in protest over new leader Gerard Batten's 'obsession with Muslims' and his appointment of Tommy Robinson as an adviser on 'Muslim rape gangs'.

'And so, with a heavy heart, and after all my years of devotion to the party, I am leaving Ukip today,' he wrote in The Telegraph. 'There is a huge space for a Brexit party in British politics, but it won't be filled by Ukip.'

Speaking later on LBC, Mr Farage accused Mr Batten of 'turning a blind eye to extremism' and attempting to turn the party from an 'electoral' force into a 'party of street activism'.

Mr Batten has described Islam as a 'death cult' and called for possible policies including Muslim-only prisons.

Ukip's national executive committee (NEC) met at the weekend to consider his future as leader, but it voted against a motion of no confidence in Mr Batten.

Mr Batten has previously defended his decision to give English Defence League (EDL) co-founder Mr Robinson a role advising him on rape gangs and prison reform, describing him as 'courageous'.

But Mr Farage said Ukip had been successful in the past because it had a policy of 'excluding extremists'. The ex-leader has previously the appointment of Mr Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, would turn Ukip into the BNP.

He wrote in The Telegraph today: 'Under my leadership of Ukip, the party banned former members of the BNP and EDL from joining. Many accusations of racism and extremism were thrown at us, but I strongly maintain they were untrue.

'Under Gerard Batten's leadership, however, the party's direction has changed fundamentally.'
----------------

🇺🇸 ** South Texas border patrol agents arrest 1,900 at southern border over weekend**
*InfoWars* - <http://archive.is/ofKyt>

Border Patrol agents arrested a staggering 1,900 illegal immigrants in South Texas over the weekend. The extremely high number of arrests took place in the Rio Grande Valley, the busiest US sector for illegal crossings. Gang members, child predators among illegals arrested in border crackdown.

Among the illegals arrested throughout the valley, most of whom were from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador, at least one was confirmed to be an MS-13 gang member.

A Customs and Border Protection agent who spoke to local news blamed the spike on human smugglers. “The smugglers don’t care for the individuals they’re crossing, all they care about is the money. They see these as a commodity, not as people,” CBP Agent Marcelino Medina told ValleyCentral.com.

RGV Sector Chief Manuel Padilla, Jr. confirmed that on Saturday alone agents foiled 27 human smuggling attempts, in addition to busting shipments of 2,500 pounds of marijuana.

The journey took a deadly turn for some immigrants, whose bodies and skeletal remains have been located on the banks of the Rio Grande River. This weekend, Border Patrol Agents discovered two skeletal remains and recovered one body in the Rio Grande. This monday, agents found the body of a migrant in a canal in Mission.

For the ones who successfully made the journey, it’s possible they’ll be released into the US and never heard from again.

News of the arrests in Texas comes a week after members of the migrant caravan engaged in violent clashes with Border Patrol agents in San Diego.
----------------

🇺🇸 **U.S. Republican campaign emails hacked months before election**
*Reuters* - <https://archive.fo/GW6U1>

Email accounts for a campaign group supporting Republicans candidates running for the U.S. House of Representatives were hacked before this year’s congressional elections, according to a person familiar with the investigation.

Hackers used National Republican Congressional Committee credentials to access a “small number” of email accounts at the organization, which is also known as the NRCC, said the person, who was not authorized to discuss details of the attack.

NRCC spokesman Ian Prior confirmed the group was the victim of a cyberattack by an unknown party, but disputed that stolen passwords were used.

“Upon learning of the intrusion, the NRCC immediately launched an internal investigation and notified the FBI, which is now investigating the matter,” Prior said.

The NRCC changed the passwords at its web-based email provider and took steps to prevent similar attacks, said the person, who did not name the email provider.

The hackers used techniques that make them difficult to identify and officials have yet to determine whether they were aligned with a foreign government, said a second person familiar with the case.
----------------

🇫🇷 **The Latest: France's Macron scraps fuel tax after protests**
*ABC News* - <https://archive.fo/r7Mub>

French President Emmanuel Macron has scrapped a fuel tax rise amid fears of new violence, after weeks of nationwide protests and the worst rioting in Paris in decades.

An official with the Elysee palace told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the president decided to get rid of the tax.

Philippe told lawmakers that "the tax is now abandoned" in the 2019 budget, and the government is "ready for dialogue." The budget can be adjusted or renegotiated through the course of the year.

Three weeks of protests have left four people dead and were a massive challenge to Macron.
----------------

🇺🇸🇸🇦 **Senate resolution says Saudi crown prince 'complicit' in Khashoggi murder**
*FOX News* - <https://archive.fo/Wt5ak>

A bipartisan group of six senators introduced a nonbinding resolution Wednesday stating that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was "complicit" in the October killing of activist Jamal Khashoggi at the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul.

The resolution says that the Senate believes the crown prince, known informally as "MbS," "was in control of the security forces at the time of Jamal Khashoggi's murder" and "based on evidence and analysis made available to this institution, has a high level of confidence" in his complicity in the Oct. 2 murder.

The resolution was introduced by Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.; Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.; Marco Rubio, R-Fla.; Ed Markey, D-Mass.; Todd Young, R-Ind.; and Chris Coons, D-Del. Graham has been a particularly harsh critic of the Trump administration's handling of the aftermath of Khashoggi's killing.

"I hope to have a definitive statement by the United States Senate that the crown prince of Saudi Arabia has been generally a wrecking ball in terms of behavior and that he was complicit in the murder of Mr. Khashoggi because I think that's the truth," Graham told reporters Wednesday evening. "And I think if the Senate can make that statement, it puts us on a new path to trying to have a relationship with Saudi Arabia that is beneficial and sustainable.

"The current construct is not sustainable," Graham added. "There is no way we're gonna continue to do business with Saudi Arabia as if this never happened."

The measure was introduced one day after CIA Director Gina Haspel briefed a group of key senators about the agency's findings in the Khashoggi matter. Graham, who attended the briefing, told reporters afterward that there was "zero chance" the crown prince wasn't involved in Khashoggi's death.
----------------

🇺🇸🇷🇺🇺🇦 **US makes preparations to sail warship into Black Sea amid Russia-Ukraine tensions**
*CNN* - <https://archive.fo/sHOHE>

The US has begun making the necessary preparations to sail a warship into the Black Sea, a move that comes amid heightened tensions in the region following Russia's seizure of Ukrainian ships and detention of Ukrainian sailors.

The US military has requested that the State Department notify Turkey of its possible plans to sail a warship into the Black Sea, three US officials tell CNN, a move they said is a response to Russia's actions against Ukraine in the Kerch Strait, which connects the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.

For its part, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced Wednesday that its troops in eastern Crimea, which Moscow seized from Ukraine in 2014, conducted a military drill with its Pantsir anti-aircraft missile systems.

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also claimed Wednesday that the Ukrainian government had undertaken "active preparations" for a military offensive in eastern Ukraine, using the recent declaration of martial law in select regions as a cover.

"Substantial offensive components are being transferred to the region, which are being dispersed along the entire contact line," spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Wednesday at a press briefing.

The US is required to notify Turkey about the passage through the straits under the Montreux Convention, a 1936 treaty that governs the passage of military vessels through the Bosporus and the Dardanelles, which connect the Mediterranean to the Black Sea.

Under the rules of the treaty, countries that do not have a coastline on the Black Sea are required to provide Turkey with at least 15 days' notice prior to transiting the straits.
----------------

🇨🇦🇺🇸🇨🇳 **Huawei's CFO arrested in Canada, faces extradition to United States**
*CNN* - <https://archive.fo/lqE1G>

The chief financial officer of Chinese tech giant Huawei has been arrested in Canada. She faces extradition to the United States.

Meng Wanzhou, also known as Sabrina Meng and Cathy Meng, was apprehended in Vancouver on December 1, according to Canadian Justice Department spokesman Ian McLeod. In addition to her role as CFO, Meng serves as deputy chairwoman of Huawei's board. She's the daughter of Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei.

Meng "is sought for extradition by the United States, and a bail hearing has been set for Friday," McLeod said in a statement, which was first reported by The Globe and Mail.

McLeod said the Canadian Justice Department can't share details of the case. Meng was granted a publication ban after a judge agreed to bar both police and prosecutors from releasing information about the case.

A Huawei spokesperson said Meng was detained by Canadian authorities on behalf of the United States when she was transferring flights in Canada. Huawei said she faces unspecified charges in the Eastern District of New York. The Wall Street Journal reported in April that the US Justice Department was investigating whether Huawei violated US sanctions on Iran.

"The company has been provided very little information regarding the charges and is not aware of any wrongdoing by Ms. Meng," the spokesperson said. "The company believes the Canadian and US legal systems will ultimately reach a just conclusion. Huawei complies with all applicable laws and regulations where it operates, including applicable export control and sanction laws and regulations of the UN, US and EU."
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🇺🇸 **Lawmakers Drafting Bill That Would Allow Social Media Checks Before Gun Purchase**
*WCBS 880* - <https://archive.fo/oup1R>

Two New York lawmakers are working to draft a bill that would propose a social media check before a gun purchase.

Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and state Sen. Kevin Palmer’s proposal would allow authorities to review three years of social media history and one year of internet search history of any person seeking to purchase a firearm.

“A three-year review of a social media profile would give an easy profile of a person who is not suitable to hold and possess a fire arm,” Adams explains.

The two are hoping to identify any hate speech on social media profiles, which are often revealed only after someone is arrested in a mass shooting.

“If the police department is reviewing a gang assault, a robbery, some type of shooting, they go and do a social media profile investigation,” Adams said.

There are some logistical concerns as free speech and gun rights complaints are likely to come up. Though, Adams and Palmer say it is doable and needed.
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🇺🇸 **U.S. Indicts 4 in First Panama Papers-Related Charges**
*Fortune* - <https://archive.is/R3d5E>

U.S. prosecutors unsealed Tuesday an indictment against four people affiliated with the Panama City law firm Mossack Fonseca, the first such American charges related to the 2016 Panama Papers leak.

The charges, filed in the Southern District of New York, include defrauding the United States, wire fraud, tax evasion, money laundering, and making false statements to investigators. An accountant, an investment advisor, and a former client of Mossack Fonseca’s are under arrest while a Mossack Fonseca partner, Ramses Owens, remains on the lam, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The American law enforcement action follows a Panama Papers-related raid on Deutsche Bank in Frankfurt, Germany last week. Prosecutors around the U.S. are building other cases, the New York Times reports. Mossack Fonseca shut down in March.

The indictment details tax evasion-related crimes dating to 2000 and implies that at least dozens more Americans were using Mossack Fonseca’s services.
One former client, now dead, helped authorities in their investigation by recording calls with Owens and introducing him to an undercover agent, the indictment reveals.
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