U.S. Security Bloc to Keep China in ‘Proper Place,’ Pompeo Says

(Bloomberg) -- Terms of Trade is a daily newsletter that untangles a world embroiled in trade wars. Sign up here. U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo has said efforts to revive the Indo-Pacific security grouping known as the Quad will help the Washington contain China’s rise.“We’ve reconvened ‘the Quad’ -- the security talks between Japan, Australia, India and the United States that had been dormant for nine years,” Pompeo said in a speech to the conservative Heritage Foundation research group on Tuesday. “This will prove very important in the efforts ahead, ensuring that China retains only its proper place in the world.”His remarks came in a speech where he also said U.S. President Donald Trump “has changed the global conversation on China” and that Beijing “is a strategic competitor at best that uses coercion and corruption as its tools of statecraft.”The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue involving four democracies is seen as a counter to China’s growing influence in Asia as it spends billions on infrastructure, builds artificial structures in the South China Sea and expands its military power. However, some of the group’s members -- particularly India -- have occasionally tried to downplay the significance of the group to avoid angering Beijing or alienating countries in Southeast Asia.Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has mocked the idea of a unified Indo-Pacific strategy as a “headline-grabbing idea” that will dissipate “like the sea foam in the Pacific or Indian Ocean.”“The four countries’ official position is that it targets no one,” Wang said in March. “I hope they mean what they say and their action will match their rhetoric. Nowadays, stoking a new Cold War is out of sync with the times and inciting bloc confrontation will find no market.”In late September, the talks were upgraded from officials to the ministerial level, with Pompeo meeting the four foreign ministers of the Quad nations, including Australia’s Marise Payne, Japan’s Toshimitsu Motegi and India’s Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.To contact the reporter on this story: Iain Marlow in Hong Kong at imarlow1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Brendan Scott at bscott66@bloomberg.net, Daniel Ten Kate, Chris KayFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2oah2BE

Lion Air families told 737 MAX design flaws linked to deadly crash

Mechanical and design issues contributed to the crash of a Lion Air 737 MAX jet last October, Indonesian investigators told victims' families in a briefing on Wednesday ahead of the release of a final report.

from Reuters: World News https://ift.tt/2MCAgt9

Chile's Codelco resumes operations after union calls for end to strike

Chile's Codelco, the world's top copper miner, said it had resumed normal operations after its unionized workers struck a deal with government officials late Wednesday to end a day-long walk-off amid a week of raucous protests throughout Chile.

from Reuters: World News https://ift.tt/2W91PNE

Trump's plan to leave some US troops in Syria to guard its oil is now doomed, thanks to Putin

"The implementation of this memorandum will strongly interfere with these plans," a Russian official said. "We will work to nullify them."

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2NbrMZb

The World’s Most Beautifully Designed Ocean-Fed Pools

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2paajIj

Why Did Republicans Storm the Capitol? They’re Running Out of Options

By BY THE EDITORIAL BOARD from NYT Opinion https://ift.tt/2MFp9Qb

The Trump Impeachment Inquiry: What Happened Today

By BY NOAH WEILAND from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/2W9zJBX

Trump’s 'lynching' tweet draws outrage — and some Republican support

President Trump's comparison of the House Democrats’ ongoing impeachment inquiry to “a lynching” was promptly condemned by many critics. But three prominent GOP senators came to his defense.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2pM0WhS

Hong Kong murder suspect whose case sparked political crisis released from prison

Chan Tong-kai, the murder suspect whose case sparked a political crisis in Hong Kong, has been released after serving 18 months in prison. Mr Chan, a Hong Kong resident, is suspected of murdering his girlfriend, Poon Hui-wing, while on holiday in Taiwan last year. By the time Ms Poon’s body had been discovered hidden among park bushes, Mr Chan was back in Hong Kong, where he later confessed to the crime. He could not be easily extradited to face trial in Taiwan, despite requests from the island’s authorities, because no formal extradition agreement exists. Instead, Mr Chan, 20, was charged in Hong Kong with the lesser crime of money laundering, which landed him in prison. As his case unfolded, the Hong Kong government launched a new proposal in February that would explicitly permit extradition to other jurisdictions, and crucially, allow foreign and Chinese nationals – even those transiting through the city – to be sent to mainland China for trial. Chan Tong-kai, left, talks to the media as he is released from prison in Hong Kong Credit: AP City leaders said the extradition bill would plug a legal loophole highlighted by Mr Chan’s case. But the proposal immediately triggered backlash amongst activists, lawyers, and the business community, over concerns that exposure to China’s murky legal system would weaken Hong Kong’s longstanding autonomy. On Wednesday, Hong Kong authorities formally withdrew the bill. But after months of mass protests, activists have said it is far too little, too late. Violence is escalating, and protesters are demanding Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam to resign and for an independent inquiry into police handling of the protests. Hong Kong protests | Read more Ms Lam has thus far stood her ground, and China’s ruling Communist Party has thrown its weight behind her publicly. But as the crisis drags on, it appears Beijing may be starting to lose faith in her ability to handle the situation. The Chinese government is mulling plans to replace Ms Lam with an interim chief executive next year to sit out the remainder of her term, which will end in 2022, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday, citing anonymous sources.    China's foreign ministry in Beijing, however, dismissed the report as mere rumours. “I want to say sorry to Poon Hiu-wing’s family,” Mr Chan told reporters Wednesday morning upon release. “I am willing to surrender myself to Taiwan and to face trial and serve the jail sentence there.” Authorities in Hong Kong and Taiwan, however, have yet to agree on how Mr Chan will travel to Taiwan. The Telegraph has learned that a group of informal mediators attempted Tuesday night to secure an 11th-hour compromise for escorting Mr Chan from Hong Kong to face trial in Taiwan, though Ms Lam’s office did not respond to the proposal.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2pNn2ks

Colorado mother accused of murdering daughter she said was terminally ill

A Colorado mother who authorities said solicited donations, charitable services, and government aid for her purportedly terminally ill daughter who died in 2017 has been indicted on murder charges in the girl's death, court documents showed on Monday. Kelly Renee Turner, 41, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of her seven-year-old daughter, Olivia Gant, and with forgery, theft, child abuse and bilking Medicaid out of nearly $538,000, according to the indictment handed down in Douglas County District Court. Colorado's Office of the Public Defender, which represents Turner, has a policy not to comment on its cases outside of court.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2P7FoXP

39 Bodies Including One Teenager Found in Back of Semitrailer in Britain

Peter Nicholls/ReutersPolice in South-East England have launched a murder investigation involving a 25-year-old man from Northern Ireland after 39 dead bodies, including one that appears to be a teenager, were found in the trailer of a semi truck in an industrial park. Authorities were called to the Waterglade Industrial Park in Essex early Wednesday morning where the gruesome discovery was made. All 39 people were pronounced dead on the scene. It is yet unclear how the victims died, how long they had been dead when they were discovered, or if they died at the same time. Seventy Dead Migrants Found in Chicken TruckWednesday, British immigration services had joined the investigation, which is presumed to be a case of people smuggling, though British authorities said they could not officially confirm details until the identities of the victims are known. Each year thousands of migrants die attempting to cross into Europe. Many sink to the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea without a trace. Others die on land and mountain routes. The International Organization for Migration estimates that 4,503 people are known to have died worldwide in 2018, with the highest number perishing in the Mediterranean Sea. Human smugglers and traffickers are by contrast rarely caught and punished. There are around two dozen people in jail in Italy related to trafficking crimes, but the masterminds are generally in countries of origin and difficult to hold accountable. Authorities working to determine the nationalities of the victims in Essex have warned that the process is complicated because of lack of documents in the victims’ possession. Chief Superintendent Andrew Mariner said in a statement that the process could be lengthy. “This is a tragic incident where a large number of people have lost their lives,” he said. “Our enquiries are ongoing to establish what has happened.” Mariner originally said the semitrailer started its journey in Bulgaria. Later Wednesday, the police corrected that statement and now say they believe it starts its deadly journey in Zeebrugge, Belgium. Police have also suggested that two different trucks pulled the semitrailer at different times though it is not clear when the 39 people. Records show that it entered the U.K. in Holyhead, Wales, on Saturday, Oct. 19, which is one of the busiest ferry ports in the area with primary service to Ireland. Authorities called such a route into the U.K. “unusual.”Seamus Leheny, the head of Northern Ireland Freight Transport Association told the BBC that increased security and checks in places like Dover and Calais have made smugglers and traffickers rethink traditional routes. “It might be an easier way to get in by going from Cherbourgh or Roscoff, over to Rosslare, then up the road to Dublin,” he said of the presumed route via Ireland.Historically, migrants and refugees coming into Europe from Syria by way of Turkey have used long established smuggling routes through the so-called Balkan route, while migrants coming from sub-Saharan Africa tend to try to cross the Mediterranean Sea. In 2014, 71 migrants and refugees were found dead in the back of a chicken truck in Austria. In June 2000, 58 dead Chinese migrants were discovered in a truck at the busy port of Dover, U.K. The Dutch driver was convicted of multiple homicides after that incident. Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2oZ24Px

Rats and Mold in Kushner-Managed Apartments, Maryland Claims

(Bloomberg) -- An apartment management firm run by Jared Kushner’s family was sued by Maryland’s attorney general, who claims the company engaged in numerous “illegal and harmful” practices.Westminster Management lied about the quality of rental units and the level of maintenance the company would provide, routinely failing to address hazardous conditions in the properties, including infestations by rodents and other vermin, water leaks and mold growth, Attorney General Brian Frosh said in a statement.“We’re charging that Westminster and the rental property owners in this case took advantage of consumers, primarily low- and middle-income families, collecting fees and other unlawful costs from them and often failing to make the repairs needed to maintain suitable environments for their tenants,” Frosh said.Westminster Management is a unit of Kushner Cos., a family-run, New York-based business that owns, manages and develops properties and was built on working-class apartment complexes in New Jersey and Maryland. Some of the properties in the suit are owned by other companies but managed by Westminster.Kushner Cos. was run by Jared Kushner before he joined the administration of President Donald Trump, his father-in-law. Charles Kushner, Jared Kushner’s father, has said his family firm has been unfairly targeted since his son became a key adviser to the president. In July, Trump attacked the Baltimore district of Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings, describing it as a “disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess.” Cummings died last week.The suit, an administrative proceeding by the attorney general’s Consumer Protection Unit, comes about a month after Laurent Morali, president of Kushner Cos., said Westminster had rejected an offer from Frosh to settle a long-running probe into how its tenants were treated, according to the Associated Press.“We refuse to be extorted by an ambitious attorney general who clearly cares more about scoring political points than fighting real crime and improving the lives of the people of Maryland,” Morali said. “We look forward to defending ourselves against these bogus allegations.”A statement of charges in the suit describes “rodents living and dying in walls and kitchen appliances” and cockroaches that have “crawled into consumers’ food.” Various plumbing problems cause “water-logged carpeting; holes in walls and ceilings; sagging, buckling and collapsing ceilings; and the stench of mildew and sewage,” according to the filing.Kushner Cos. has also battled Steven Fulop, the mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey, where the company wants to build a mixed-use tower. Fulop “has expressly acknowledged to several people on the phone and in meetings that Kushner Companies is being unfairly and blatantly discriminated against by Jersey City simply because its former CEO works in the Trump administration,” a spokeswoman told Bloomberg last year.In New York, the company was targeted last year for failing to disclose rent-regulated tenants when applying for construction permits in Queens. The disclosure is required to protect such tenants from being forced out of their homes. In a statement at the time, the company said the filings were prepared by a third party.(Updates with details of allegations and with Kushner Cos.’ view that it has been unfairly targeted)\--With assistance from Andrew Harris.To contact the reporters on this story: Chris Dolmetsch in Federal Court in Manhattan at cdolmetsch@bloomberg.net;Caleb Melby in New York at cmelby@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: David Glovin at dglovin@bloomberg.net, Peter JeffreyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2pI0vp9

Trump news: President abruptly drops sanctions on Turkey, as Republicans storm impeachment hearings

Donald Trump continues to froth over the impeachment inquiry on Twitter as Laura Cooper, deputy assistant US secretary of defence for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia, becomes the latest senior official to appear before the House panel on Capitol Hill to testify about the conduct of diplomatic relations with Ukraine.On Tuesday, Bill Taylor, acting US ambassador to Ukraine, told the inquiry he was informed military aid to the country was “dependent” on president Volodymyr Zelensky agreeing to publicly announce a corruption probe into Donald Trump’s 2020 rival Joe Biden, confirming the existence of the suspected quid pro quo at the heart of the Democratic-led investigation.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3619671

UPDATE 3-China plans to replace Hong Kong leader Lam with 'interim' chief executive -FT

China is drawing up a plan to replace Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam with an "interim" chief executive, the Financial Times reported, citing people briefed on the deliberations, which would bring to a close Lam's rule after months of often-violent pro-democracy protests. Lam has become a lightning rod for protests over fears that Beijing is tightening its grip, limiting the freedoms enjoyed under the "one country, two systems" principle enshrined when colonial ruler Britain handed Hong Kong back to China in 1997. Sources told the FT that officials in China want the situation in Hong Kong to stabilise before making a final decision, as they do not want to be seen to be giving in to violence.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/32Ep6JY

Sen. Lindsey Graham and a Fox News contributor threw a Hail Mary to keep US troops in Syria

The duo attempted to persuade Trump to keep a contingency force in Syria to help defend oil fields from Iranian interests, NBC News reported.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2MCrsTT

South Carolina police find remains of 5-year-old girl missing since August in landfill

The Sumter Police Department on Tuesday announced the remains of Nevaeh Lashy Adams were found after a search that began in August.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2BwxGP7

Biden extends polling lead over 2020 Democrat rivals to widest margin in six months

Joe Biden is leading by his widest-set margin among Democratic presidential contenders since his campaign's launch in April, according to a new poll from CNN.More than 35 per cent of Democrat and Democrat-leaning voters support the former vice president, compared to other frontrunners Elizabeth Warren, who polled at 19 per cent, and Bernie Sanders, who was on 16 per cent.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2palVLo

Boris Loses Control as Parliament Rejects Brexit Exit Plan

REUTERSLONDON—Boris Johnson’s “do or die” pledge to take Britain out of the European Union by Oct. 31 was quashed by Parliament on Tuesday night, handing the initiative to the EU to effectively trigger a British election.Johnson threatened to call for a general election if British lawmakers refused to allow him to rush through his deal and the EU proposed a new extension of three months or more. Under a law passed in Westminster last month, Johnson is not allowed to negotiate to shorten whatever extension the EU chooses. Rather than seek to compromise with opponents who want proper time to scrutinize the Brexit deal, Johnson responded to the 322 to 308 vote defeat on fast-tracking it by halting the passage of his deal altogether while Britain waits to see what extension the EU will grant. “We will pause this legislation,” he said, a phrase that sounded innocuous but could well kick-start an epic new election showdown between the forces of Remain and Leave. A snap vote could take place before Christmas. It remains to be seen if Johnson is as good as his word—and there have been plenty of reasons to cast doubt on it in the past—as there was no specific mention of the election he had threatened earlier in the day in the aftermath of his defeat. Under Britain’s fixed-term parliament act, a two-thirds majority is usually required to call an election so both the government and the opposition would have to agree. Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, did not need a second invitation, however. Soon after Johnson said he was pausing the agreement, Tusk tweeted that he was talking to leaders in Brussels about issuing a written extension, which is likely to delay the Brexit deadline until January 31.If that were confirmed, British politicians would be under heavy pressure to agree to hold an election and seek a fresh mandate from the voters before proceeding with any Brexit deal.Johnson had earlier won a vote on his deal—the first time his government has won a single significant vote in the Commons. That was a major step towards securing Brexit, as Parliament has always refused to back any formal arrangement that would result in leaving the EU.The next phase of the legislation’s progress is where things become more difficult, however, as lawmakers are able to amend the bill in order to clarify sections or—as No. 10 fears—introduce so-called wrecking amendments that would collapse the bill entirely.Just last week, Johnson had secured a compromise deal that many thought was impossible in Brussels, but that came at a serious cost. The EU had sworn they would not re-open the Withdrawal Agreement that had been negotiated with Theresa May, but then Johnson did what he said he would never do and he caved on one of his key red lines. He signed up to a version of the deal that May had rejected, which would effectively create a customs border in the Irish Sea between Northern Ireland and the mainland. That concession led to a breakthrough in Europe but it meant the Democratic Unionist Party, which had been propping up the Conservative government, fled from the deal. It was lawmakers who made the most aggressive speeches attacking the prime minister during a contentious debate in the House of Commons. Sammy Wilson of the DUP said he felt they had been betrayed by the Conservatives. “I nearly choked when the prime minister said it,” he said on Tuesday.Wilson and his nine DUP colleagues voted against Johnson’s expedited deal. Wilson was particularly aggravated that Johnson had been unfamiliar with the precise details of the deal he had agreed that would govern Northern Ireland’s relationship with the rest of Britain. There were doubts about exactly how familiar Johnson was with the customs rules that he was attempting to rush through Parliament.Jill Rutter, an independent former civil servant who worked at the Treasury and No. 10, said: “I don’t think Johnson understands what he has agreed for Northern Ireland…”With the Europeans jumping on his “pause” to bind Britain into another extension, Johnson may have also misunderstood that he was putting his job on the line. Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2o90BWl

Newt Gingrich and Whoopi Goldberg go at it on 'The View' over Trump's 'lynching' comments

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Whoopi Goldberg go toe to toe over Trump’s “lynching” comments on Twitter.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2P6rwx4

Autoworkers from closed plants fight new GM contract

If they can close our plant, they can close yours, too. About 2,000 employees who once worked at GM transmission plants near Baltimore and Detroit and a small-car assembly plant in Lordstown, Ohio, will repeat that message this week as 49,000 union members vote on the new four-year deal.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2ocHvi4

Bernie Weighed in on the 'Outrageous' Hillary-Tulsi Spat. You Won't Believe Which Side He Took.

“She’s the favorite of the Russians,” Clinton had said.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/366Oday

Google claims 'quantum supremacy'; others say hold on a qubit

Google said on Wednesday it had achieved a breakthrough in computer research, by solving a complex problem in minutes with a so-called quantum computer that would take today's most powerful supercomputer thousands of years to crack. Official confirmation of the breakthrough in quantum computing came in a paper https://ift.tt/2obkV9z published in science journal Nature, after weeks of controversy following the leak of a draft, over whether Google's claim of "quantum supremacy" was valid.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/32GwsN4

Indicted Giuliani Henchman Lev Parnas Raises Executive Privilege in Federal Court

REUTERSLev Parnas, a Soviet-born business associate with ties to Rudy Giuliani, President Trump’s personal lawyer, raised the issue of executive privilege during a court proceeding Wednesday, arguing it could apply to some of the evidence gathered in his campaign-finance case in New York.The issue was raised during an arraignment for Parnas and Igor Furman, who pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to charges in a four-count indictment that accused them of funneling money through straw donors into U.S. elections in an effort to gain influence. Prosecutors also allege the pair petitioned U.S. politicians, including a congressman, to have the ambassador to Ukraine removed from her post. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebekah Donaleski, offered a glimpse into the “voluminous” evidence that prosecutors have recovered so far on the two men who have become figures in the Trump impeachment proceedings, through “dozens of search warrants,” property searches, and subpoenas. The information includes emails and social media accounts and financial records from more than 50 bank accounts.Rudy Giuliani’s Ukraine Henchmen Arrested Over Trump Group DonationDuring the hearing, Parnas’ attorney, Edward MacMahon, told the judge that his client was told to invoke executive privilege in a letter that was submitted on Parnas’ behalf by John Dowd, a former lawyer for the president, to a congressional committee conducting the impeachment inquiry.Asked by Judge Paul Oetken if Parnas has worked for the president, MacMahon said no, but that “he worked for Mr. Giuliani.” MacMahon said that his concern stems from Parnas having used Giuliani as his lawyer for both personal and business dealings and that Giuliani also works for the Trump.“There are issues that we need to be very sensitive to,” MacMahon said, not going into detail what those issues are. He continued, adding that he doesn’t “know who is looking at all this evidence. If information gets out that we determine it is all privileged, we’ve got a problem,” MacMahon said in court.“I can’t invoke [executive privilege], only the President of the United States and the government can,” MacMahon said, telling the judge that he doesn’t know how to proceed if the issue arises. “I just wanted to raise the issue with you.”Prosecutors, seemingly shocked by the executive privilege claim, told the judge that while “this is the first time that we’ve heard of this...we’re happy to have a conversation.” Donaleski, added that the government has already set up a “filter team” a separate team of prosecutors within their investigation, who ensure that possibly sensitive information does not get exposed. The judge instructed the two sides to discuss the issues over the coming weeks. Parnas and Fruman are scheduled to return to court on Dec. 2. Flanked by his wife and attorneys, Parnas spoke briefly to the scrum of reporters outside the courthouse saying that he is looking forward to defending himself “vigorously in court.” “Many false things have been said about me and my family in the press and media recently,” he said, before adding that he is “certain that in time the truth will be revealed, and I will be vindicated. In the end, I put my faith in God. Thank you.”His defense attorney, Joseph Bondy, reiterated the sentiment, saying that his team “looks forward to defending Mr. Parnas in the court based upon the evidence and not a smear campaign that’s been driven by self-serving and misleading leaks apparently from the highest levels of our government.”Prosecutors are also looking into Giuliani’s business dealings as part of their investigation, sources have told The Daily Beast and other news organizations.Parnas and Fruman were arrested two weeks ago at Washington’s Dulles airport as they were preparing to board a flight to Frankfurt, Germany, holding one-way tickets. When prosecutors learned that the two were leaving the country, they moved quickly to secure the indictments, which were issued a day before the two were apprehended.The two have both been released on $1 million bail and are relegated to house arrest while they await trial. Their movements have been restricted to New York, where the trial is scheduled to take place and the Miami area where they both live.The case is the first criminal prosecution related to an apparent Trumpworld pressure campaign to coerce Ukrainian officials into digging up dirt on Trump’s political opponents for the 2020 re-election campaign, particularly former Vice President Joe Biden, an effort which is at the center of an impeachment inquiry underway by the U.S. House of Representatives.Parnas and Fruman are charged in four-count indictment with making illegal straw donations, including a $325,000 contribution to the group America First Action, which was first reported by The Daily Beast.That donation actually came from an entirely different, undisclosed company owned by Parnas. It is illegal to donate to federal political candidates in the name of another person or entity.During an arraignment for David Correia and Andrey Kukushkin, two businessmen charged with conspiring with Parnas and Fruman to use straw donors to make illegal campaign contributions, prosecutors offered a broad brushstroke of “fairly voluminous” amounts of evidence they have gathered in the case from 10 search warrants and more than 50 bank accounts.Parnas and Fruman are accused in the indictment in a separate scheme of helping Giuliani to dig up dirt on the president’s political opponents in Ukraine.Prosecutors say that scheme involved having the former ambassador to Ukraine recalled. Giuliani believed the ambassador, Marie Yovanovitch, was standing in the way of investigations he and Trump wanted to see launched into Joe and Hunter Biden’s work in the country.The campaign-finance allegations against Parnas and Fruman are inextricably linked with that effort. Prosecutors say their extensive political contributions, beginning in early 2018, were designed to curry favor with American policymakers in an effort to advance Parnas’ and Fruman’s political and business endeavors.Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2JgBg3T