While Americans were celebrating their real favorite pastime, gluttony, the world continued to turn.
On Thanksgiving, this New York Times report suggested former national security adviser Michael Flynn is cooperating with the investigation into Russian interference with the 2016 presidential campaign.
That’s based on the fact that Flynn’s attorneys have stopped discussing the investigation with President Donald Trump’s legal team, meaning Flynn could be negotiating and/or cooperating with prosecutors.
So far, three men have been indicted in connection with the investigation: campaign chairman Paul Manafort, aide Rick Gates and foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos.
Speaking of Russia: The AP reported yesterday that the FBI didn’t alert victims that they had been targeted by the Kremlin hacking group that adorably goes by the name Fancy Bear.
For more than a year, the FBI knew about Fancy Bear’s efforts to gain access to emails, but only two of the 80 hacking targets the AP interviewed said that the agency notified them about the hacking attempts. About a third still had security clearances or worked for the government during the attempted hacks.
AP reporter Raphael Satter told the PBS NewsHour that Fancy Bear’s targeting of the State Department, military and military contractors could imply an interest in military technology and diplomats’ private conversations.
Hey, another legislator has been Weinsteined.
After allegations that he had sexually harassed two employees, Michigan Democrat Rep. John Conyers has resigned from his position as ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee.
The House Ethics Committee is investigating allegations that 88-year-old Conyers, the longest-serving member of the House of Representatives, harassed an employee who received a $27,000 settlement from his office budget two years ago. According to BuzzFeed, affidavits allege Conyers had requested sex acts from female employees and used Congressional resources to fly in women he was presumably having affairs with. A second female employee said that Conyers appeared at a meeting in his underwear and criticized her appearance. He has denied these claims.
Sidenote: The documents that led to BuzzFeed’s initial report were given to the news organization by conspiracy theorist Mike Cernovich, best known for fueling the Pizzagate conspiracy theory during the 2016 presidential election.
Meanwhile, the Republican tax plan could have deeper flaws than its critics have already identified.
The GOP has touted tax reform as an easy win for the party, Vox has cited reports saying that the Senate Republicans’ tax bill will actually increase federal debt to the extent that the debt will thwart any benefits of possible tax cuts. Even with an anticipated short-term boost to the gross domestic product, that could mean government budget cuts and decreased incomes for people who aren’t ultra-wealthy.
Republicans have said the tax plan would create jobs and help the middle class, while Democrats have criticized the bill for kowtowing to corporations because of its massive tax cuts for big businesses. Vox also points out that although the plan offers a tax cut to the middle class, it’s only temporary. The plan makes way for a permanent tax increase for individuals to offset lost revenue due to the corporate tax cut.
Contact Mollie Bryant at 405-990-0988 or bryant@bigiftrue.org. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr.