Paul Erickson, the American political operative and boyfriend of admitted Russian agent Maria Butina, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in South Dakota on charges of wire fraud and money laundering. The U.S. attorney for the district of South Dakota is handling the prosecution, which is separate from the case that was lodged against Butina in Washington, D.C. Erickson, 56, was arrested on Tuesday and entered a plea of not guilty at an arraignment, according to the court filings. His attorney, Clint Sargent, said in a statement: “Mr. Erickson is anxious to let the criminal justice...…Paul Erickson, the American political operative and boyfriend of admitted Russian agent Maria Butina, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in South Dakota on charges of wire fraud and money laundering. The U.S. attorney for the district of South Dakota is handling the prosecution, which is separate from the case that was lodged against Butina in Washington, D.C. Erickson, 56, was arrested on Tuesday and entered a plea of not guilty at an arraignment, according to the court filings. His attorney, Clint Sargent, said in a statement: “Mr. Erickson is anxious to let the criminal justice...WW…

Attorney General William Barr announced late Friday evening that he had nominated a Trump appointee to replace the Manhattan U.S. Attorney who had investigated and convicted some of President Donald Trump’s closest associates. It was a shocking announcement even to the prosecutor he intended to replace, Geoffrey Berman.“I learned in a press release from the Attorney General tonight that I was ‘stepping down’ as United States Attorney,” Berman said . “I have not resigned, and have no intention of resigning, my position, to which I was appointed by the Judges of the United States...…Attorney General William Barr announced late Friday evening that he had nominated a Trump appointee to replace the Manhattan U.S. Attorney who had investigated and convicted some of President Donald Trump’s closest associates. It was a shocking announcement even to the prosecutor he intended to replace, Geoffrey Berman.“I learned in a press release from the Attorney General tonight that I was ‘stepping down’ as United States Attorney,” Berman said . “I have not resigned, and have no intention of resigning, my position, to which I was appointed by the Judges of the United States...WW…

President Trump lashed out at state governors Monday, saying that those who did not mass arrest protesters “for long periods of time” would end up looking like “a bunch of jerks.” “You have to dominate. If you don’t dominate... you’re wasting your time,” Trump said on a private conference call with governors and national security officials. “They’re going to run over you, you’re going to look like a bunch of jerks.”The president, who is hunkered down in the White House, added during the call that local officials have to put protestors and looters in prison “for long periods of time” in...…President Trump lashed out at state governors Monday, saying that those who did not mass arrest protesters “for long periods of time” would end up looking like “a bunch of jerks.” “You have to dominate. If you don’t dominate... you’re wasting your time,” Trump said on a private conference call with governors and national security officials. “They’re going to run over you, you’re going to look like a bunch of jerks.”The president, who is hunkered down in the White House, added during the call that local officials have to put protestors and looters in prison “for long periods of time” in...WW…

When the nation’s most-respected infectious-disease investigators take the time to as the president during a raging pandemic, it seems only sensible that you’d listen very carefully to what they have to say.But, according to a , the White House decided to block the publication of this 17-page document from a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention team. It lays out exactly what measures restaurants, schools, child-care facilities, and other public places should take if they decide to reopen their doors in the coming weeks.The report, titled “Guidance for Implementing the Opening Up...…When the nation’s most-respected infectious-disease investigators take the time to as the president during a raging pandemic, it seems only sensible that you’d listen very carefully to what they have to say.But, according to a , the White House decided to block the publication of this 17-page document from a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention team. It lays out exactly what measures restaurants, schools, child-care facilities, and other public places should take if they decide to reopen their doors in the coming weeks.The report, titled “Guidance for Implementing the Opening Up...WW…

As Donald Trump and his press secretary sought to downplay the to scapegoat Dr. Anthony Fauci, top allies to the president spent Monday working on ways to discredit the nation’s leading infectious-diseases expert even more.Stephen Moore, a conservative economist who informally economic matters, said on Monday evening that he is working on a new policy memo that would “go after Fauci,” not just for the doctor’s proclamations on the still-raging pandemic, but for his decades of work for the U.S. government prior to the current crisis.“We are working on a memo that shows how many times Dr....…As Donald Trump and his press secretary sought to downplay the to scapegoat Dr. Anthony Fauci, top allies to the president spent Monday working on ways to discredit the nation’s leading infectious-diseases expert even more.Stephen Moore, a conservative economist who informally economic matters, said on Monday evening that he is working on a new policy memo that would “go after Fauci,” not just for the doctor’s proclamations on the still-raging pandemic, but for his decades of work for the U.S. government prior to the current crisis.“We are working on a memo that shows how many times Dr....WW…

As the country enters its second month of a social lockdown and shuttered economy, the White House’s coronavirus response has diverged into two camps: one that defends whatever the president has chosen to or , and another that actively works to ignore and paper over those excesses.The most recent, glaring example of that wild discrepancy came over the weekend, when Trump began encouraging protests against stay-at-home orders overseen by Democratic governors in several states. The president’s messaging took on the language of uprising, calling on these states to be “,” with some of his...…As the country enters its second month of a social lockdown and shuttered economy, the White House’s coronavirus response has diverged into two camps: one that defends whatever the president has chosen to or , and another that actively works to ignore and paper over those excesses.The most recent, glaring example of that wild discrepancy came over the weekend, when Trump began encouraging protests against stay-at-home orders overseen by Democratic governors in several states. The president’s messaging took on the language of uprising, calling on these states to be “,” with some of his...WW…

President Donald Trump and members of his are pushing officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to change how the agency works with states to count coronavirus-related deaths. And they’re pushing for revisions that could lead to far fewer deaths being counted than originally reported, according to five administration officials working on the government’s response to the pandemic.Though he has previously publicly to the accuracy of the COVID-19 death count, the president in recent weeks has privately raised suspicion about the number of fatalities in the United States,...…President Donald Trump and members of his are pushing officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to change how the agency works with states to count coronavirus-related deaths. And they’re pushing for revisions that could lead to far fewer deaths being counted than originally reported, according to five administration officials working on the government’s response to the pandemic.Though he has previously publicly to the accuracy of the COVID-19 death count, the president in recent weeks has privately raised suspicion about the number of fatalities in the United States,...WW…

Two teams of federal officials assembled to fight foreign election interference are being dramatically downsized, according to three current and former Department of Homeland Security officials. And now, those sources say they fear the department won’t prepare adequately for election threats in 2020. “The clear assessment from the intelligence community is that 2020 is going to be the perfect storm,” said a DHS official familiar with the teams. “We know Russia is going to be engaged. Other state actors have seen the success of Russia and realize the value of . So it’s very curious why the...…Two teams of federal officials assembled to fight foreign election interference are being dramatically downsized, according to three current and former Department of Homeland Security officials. And now, those sources say they fear the department won’t prepare adequately for election threats in 2020. “The clear assessment from the intelligence community is that 2020 is going to be the perfect storm,” said a DHS official familiar with the teams. “We know Russia is going to be engaged. Other state actors have seen the success of Russia and realize the value of . So it’s very curious why the...WW…

As the country grapples with the growing number of coronavirus cases and related deaths, President Donald Trump is telling his advisers that he finds the current state of the economy unacceptable and has agitated for yet another controversial course correction.According to two people who have spoken to the president, Trump has demanded officials put together a plan so that the economic fallout of the public-health emergency does not drag on for even “one month longer,” even as his own health professionals warn that the virus’ spread could last far longer than that.At a White House...…As the country grapples with the growing number of coronavirus cases and related deaths, President Donald Trump is telling his advisers that he finds the current state of the economy unacceptable and has agitated for yet another controversial course correction.According to two people who have spoken to the president, Trump has demanded officials put together a plan so that the economic fallout of the public-health emergency does not drag on for even “one month longer,” even as his own health professionals warn that the virus’ spread could last far longer than that.At a White House...WW…

ATTORNEY, GENERALIt’s a controversial move, even within Barr’s own department. A senior law enforcement official called it “a political ploy to make being anti-Trump look like terrorism.”s President Trump continues to try and drum up support for his call for states to “” protesters and beef up police presence against them, Attorney General Bill Barr and a team of senior Justice Department officials have quietly taken the lead on disrupting the and going after the petty criminals who may be using the demonstrations as cover. It’s been a controversial move, even within . One federal...…ATTORNEY, GENERALIt’s a controversial move, even within Barr’s own department. A senior law enforcement official called it “a political ploy to make being anti-Trump look like terrorism.”s President Trump continues to try and drum up support for his call for states to “” protesters and beef up police presence against them, Attorney General Bill Barr and a team of senior Justice Department officials have quietly taken the lead on disrupting the and going after the petty criminals who may be using the demonstrations as cover. It’s been a controversial move, even within . One federal...WW…