The legal fight over the 2016 elections expanded further on Friday, as the Democratic National Committee filed a wide-ranging lawsuit against President Donald Trump’s campaign, top aides, one of Mr. Trump’s sons, his son-in-law, the Russian government, and others caught up in the investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 race for the White House. The 66 page lawsuit, filed in the Southern District of New York, where an FBI raid recently took place on the President’s personal lawyer, alleges a broad conspiracy involving Russia, its intelligence service, and members of the Trump inner circle, like former campaign manager Paul Manafort. “No one is above the law,” the lawsuit begins. “In the Trump Campaign, Russia found a willing and active partner in this effort.” DNC lawsuit accuses Trump campaign, Russia of a conspiracy that 'constituted an act of previously unimaginable treachery.' — Steven Portnoy (@stevenportnoy) April 20, 2018 The charges cover everything from racketeering, conspiracy, computer fraud, trespass, and more, claiming the hacking effort was a coordinated effort with the Trump Campaign, designed to damage the bid of Hillary Clinton for the White House. Along with the Russian government and intelligence service known as the GRU, the Democratic lawsuit names Julian Assange and Wikileaks, the Trump Campaign, Donald Trump, Jr., Paul Manafort, Roger Stone, Jared Kushner, and two campaign aides who have already agreed to help the Russia investigation, George Papadopoulos and Richard Gates. The document did not seem to make public any brand new details about how the hacking occurred at the DNC or with members of the Clinton campaign. In the lawsuit, Democrats charge “Russia’s cyberattack on the DNC began only weeks after Trump announced his candidacy for President,” in June 2015. “In April 2016, another set of Russian intelligence agents successfully hacked into the DNC, saying that “massive amounts of data” were taken from DNC servers. The lawsuit makes no mention of the FBI warning to the DNC that it was being hacked, and how that was ignored for weeks by officials at DNC headquarters in Washington. If the lawsuit actually goes forward, it would not only involve evidence being gathered from those being challenged by the Democrats – but some made clear it could open the DNC hacking response to a further review as well in terms of discovery.
Early Friday, under the same train trestle where a fire broke out one year ago, flames shot into the air and sent plumes of smoke over Buckhead. The blaze off Cheshire Bridge Road and Wellbourne Drive did not impact traffic and was quickly contained, according to Channel 2 Action News. A CSX crew is working to change out two concrete spans on the bridge and they expect to have the repair complete by midnight, CSX spokeswoman Laura Phelps said. In the meantime, “we are routing trains around this,” Phelps said. While no one was injured in the fire, the incident concerned Patti Gouvas, who grew up in the area and still lives there. She said she is worried about the neighborhood going up in flames. “I’m extremely frustrated,” she told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. On April 13, 2017 — two weeks after the I-85 fire and bridge collapse — there was a blaze under the same train trestle near Cheshire Bridge Road and Buford Highway. RELATED: Trains moving again after railroad bridge fire CSX bridge inspectors and engineering experts found no structural damage. Authorities have not said how that fire and Friday’s blaze started. In other news:
Matt Harvey found out he's been sent to the New York Mets' bullpen and was furious. But he admits his pitching hasn't been good, and says he's determined to earn his way back into the rotation. 'On a scale of one to 10 being (upset), a 10,' Harvey said before the Mets played Atlanta on Saturday night. 'But my performance hasn't been there and I have to do whatever I have to do to get back into the starting rotation and right now that's go to the bullpen and work on some things . . . figure it out.' A starter his whole career, the 29-year-old Harvey lost his spot after repeated problems on the mound. 'He threw a bullpen today, and he'll be available Tuesday,' first-year Mets manager Mickey Callaway said. 'I don't think he is obviously very happy about it. I wouldn't say he's discouraged. I think he's motivated to go out there and show everybody that he can be a starter again at some point. 'He can help us . . . it's inevitable that he's going to make more starts for us this year. That's how baseball goes. Everybody uses tons of starters; 11 was the average last year for every team,' he said. Since a solid first start, Harvey has struggled, most recently when he allowed six earned runs in the first three innings Thursday night in Atlanta as the Braves beat New York 12-4. That dropped Harvey to 0-2 with a 6.00 ERA. In 26 innings over four starts, he's allowed 26 hits, four home runs and four walks. Harvey lobbied to remain in the rotation after the last of his three innings were scoreless. 'Right now, helping the team, the best thing I can do is go to the bullpen and get myself ready . . . and get back to where I can best help this team as a starter,' he said. 'I have to suck it up and go out there and do everything I can to get things back in gear. 'I don't have to agree with it, but I have to go out there and do the best I can to get things going,' he said. With the return of injured left-handed starter Jason Vargas imminent, the Mets have been considering going to a six-man rotation or moving a current starter to the bullpen. Instead, lefty Zack Wheeler (1-1, 2.77) will remain in the rotation with Noah Syndergaard, Jacob deGrom and Steven Matz. Vargas, recovering from a broken bone on his non-pitching hand, will make a rehabilitation start Monday for Triple-A Las Vegas and then join the rotation. Harvey has allowed a combined 14 runs in his last three starts. He was 5-7 with a 6.70 ERA in 2017. The right-hander was an All-Star in 2013, but missed the 2014 season following Tommy John surgery. He helped the Mets reach the World Series in 2015, missed half of the 2016 season following surgery to correct Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, and he was out more than two months last season with a right shoulder injury. Harvey has started 104 major league games and come out of the bullpen just once, doing it last season.
Dayton Democrat Larry Ealy, who once worked as an exotic dancer, is making a second run for Ohio governor. >> Read more trending news “Why make another run at it? I’ve got some unfinished business,” said Ealy, a 55-year-old father of 10. He said he believes that minorities, particularly African-Americans, have been denied due process and equal rights. 'I believe the Jewish Democratic Party is behind the deprivation and the conspiracy to keep black people deprived of all civil rights,' Ealy said in interview before the 2014 Democratic primary for governor. In that race, Ealy won 17 percent of the vote against former FBI agent and Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald. He decided to make his 2014 run while sitting in a jail cell, he said at the time. Ealy said he hasn’t worked as a male dancer for years. “After your story, now everybody thinks I’m still stripping. Everybody called me about it,” he said. He said he was a stripper in 1988 at Spunky’s Night Club on Germantown Pike in Dayton. Ealy and three others were investigated for alleged irregularities in voter signatures on Ealy’s nominating petitions in 2014. A grand jury examined all four cases but did not return indictments on Ealy or a second man, Keith Belluardo, of Dayton. Two others were indicted. Bruce Black, of Dayton, pleaded guilty to two counts of prohibitions related to petitions, a fifth degree felony, and was sentenced to probation on Oct. 26, 2017, said Greg Flannagan, spokesman for Montgomery County Prosecutor Mathias Heck Jr. Jody Lane, of Dayton, was indicted on the same charges and a warrant for his arrest was issued on June 29, 2017, according to documents on file at the Montgomery County Common Pleas Clerk of Court. Ealy’s son Lance Ealy was sentenced to 124 months in prison in 2015 after being convicted of federal fraud charges. He is serving his sentence in Kentucky.
Actor Verne Troyer from the 'Austin Powers' movie franchise has died. A statement provided by Troyer's spokesperson that was also posted to his Instagram and Facebook accounts says the 49-year-old actor died Saturday. No cause or place of death was given, but the statement discusses depression and suicide, and Troyer had publicly discussed struggling with alcohol addiction. He lived in Los Angeles. Troyer became a celebrity and pop-culture phenomenon after starring alongside Mike Myers as 'Mini-Me,' the clone and sidekick of villain Dr. Evil, in two of the three 'Austin Powers' films. He appeared in 1999's 'Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me' and 2002's 'Austin Powers in Goldmember.' He also had roles in 2001's 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone' and another Mike Myers film, 2008's 'The Love Guru.
Police in Athens said they charged a man who apparently led people to believe he was an Uber driver with raping a University of Georgia student after a second woman came forward with a similar story. Emerson Redd was charged Saturday, police spokesman Epifanio Rodriguez said. The second woman said an incident happened to her about 1:15 a.m. Friday, Rodriguez said. This was about an hour before the incident involving the UGA student. ALSO: UGA student raped by man who passed as Uber driver, police say “The second victim told officers that she had also been picked up by a vehicle she thought was an Uber,” Rodriguez said, and that a male driver “touched her private areas” before she could get out of the car. Rodriguez said the second alleged victim provided police with pictures she took while she was in the car, and the photos were shared throughout the department. An officer recognized the man from a traffic stop she did on his car the night before for having no headlights on. The same officer saw the car in the downtown area early Saturday and conducted another stop. Police said the man matched the description from the photos and was identified as Redd. “Redd agreed to speak to detectives,” Rodriguez said, “and after doing so was charged with rape against the first victim.” In other news:
Moving to avoid a partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, Republican leaders decided to give themselves extra time, opting to move ahead with a three week extension of the budget for the Department of Homeland Security, delaying a budget showdown over President Obama’s executive actions on immigration until March 19.
“We cannot let the President get away with unconstitutional activity,” said Rep. Jody Hice (R-GA), as GOP lawmakers vented their frustration over their effort to block the President’s immigration changes.
“We are going to hold the line to defend the Constitution, and we are going to defend the country with homeland security funding,” said Rep. Steve Russell (R-OK).
Republicans though acknowledged there was no guarantee this would do anything other than extend the current deadlock into mid-March.
“At the end of the day, who knows what’s going to happen,” said Rep. Richard Nugent (R-FL), who told reporters in the basement of the U.S. Capitol that he was pleased with the move of GOP leaders:
Democrats were not happy with the delay; House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD) made that clear on the floor of the House, in an exchange with Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA).
“You coward,” Hoyer could be heard to say off camera after McCarthy had outlined the decision to vote on a three week temporary budget for homeland defense.
Hoyer later apologized.
The reaction of the Obama Administration was negative to the idea of a three week funding extension as well.
“A short-term continuing resolution exacerbates the uncertainty for my workforce and puts us back in the same position, on the brink of a shutdown just days from now,” said Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, who had spent part of his day just off the House floor chatting with lawmakers in both parties.
The funding plan from Republicans would extend money for DHS until the heart of March Madness:
Outside the Capitol, one Democratic strategist who used to work for Senate Democrats saw the delay as a good thing for his party, and not for the GOP:
Hi house R's – its your friend jim again: thanks for extending the DHS debate. Leaves less time for the rest of your harmful agenda
In the end, the GOP has few options. While there is a vocal group of Republican lawmakers who want to force a budget shutdown showdown over the Department of Homeland Security and the President’s immigration actions – there might be a silent majority opposed to that in both the House and Senate.
“I don’t think we can shut down DHS in this environment,” said Rep. Bill Posey (R-FL), who like many other Republicans seemed frustrated with the limited options of his party.
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