Given the Russian government's successful efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election -- as well as the chaos that has resulted from the aftermath of that interference -- former special counsel Robert Mueller believes they're going to do it again next year.
When asked about Russia's efforts to interfere in U.S. elections by hacking into candidates' campaigns and stealing their private correspondences, Mueller said he feared that he believed similar attempts would be made during the 2020 election.
"I hope this is not the new normal, but I fear it is," Mueller said.
Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT) followed up by asking Mueller if he also feared that future U.S. candidates would meet with foreign agents during their campaigns without any fear of legal repercussions -- and Mueller replied that he did.
Mueller then confirmed that he believed Russia was already working to interfere in future U.S. elections.
Watch the video below.
The two sisters of accused University of Idaho murder suspect Bryan Kohberger have reportedly lost their jobs, due to their connection to him, Jezebel reported on Wednesday.
"Since Kohberger was arrested and charged with the gruesome stabbings of university students Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, and Ethan Chapin, his sisters Melissa and Amanda — a school counselor and actress, respectively — lost their employment because of their their relationship to him," reported Audra Heinrichs. "NewsNation also reports that while the Kohberger family stand by their son and brother, they have not visited him since he’s been detained without bail at a jail in Moscow, Idaho. In January, they issued a statement of support: 'We will love and support our son and brother.'"
"Interestingly, Kerri Rawsom, the daughter of the Dennis Rader (otherwise known as the B.T.K. killer) weighed in about Kohberger’s family paying the price for his alleged crimes, telling News Nation: 'It’s important to remember that Kohberger’s family, as far as we know at this point, are crime victims, so you have to come from that place to begin with,'" the report continued. "Basically, it’s absurd that anyone’s family members — especially those of whom the public has no understanding of their relationship to an alleged criminal — should be held accountable for a relative’s crimes."
Kohberger, a teaching assistant at Washington State University studying criminology, was identified by DNA evidence recovered at the scene of the killings, which stunned the college town of Moscow — which had not seen a murder in years — as well as unnerving the whole nation in the initial weeks that police couldn't locate a suspect.
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He was arrested after traveling across the country to his family home in Pennsylvania, where cops saw him intensively scrubbing out his car and allegedly trying to dispose of evidence.
Investigators have not yet determined a motive, although a report earlier this year indicated he sent a direct Instagram message to one of the murdered women weeks before the crime took place.
The North Dakota State Senate this week rejected legislation to provide free school lunches to students from low-income households.
"By a 23-24 vote, the Republican-dominated Senate failed House Bill 1491 on Monday, March 27," INFORUM reported. "The proposal sponsored by Representative LaurieBeth Hager, D-Fargo, would have dedicated $6 million over the next two school years to cover K-12 students' lunch costs if their family income is less than double the federal poverty level. The House approved the bill last month."
During the debate before the measure failed, State Senator Mike Wobbema (R -24th District) coldly explained his opposition to ensuring that kids are fed.
"We talk about personal responsibility as one of the major, um, principles that the Republican Party stands on. Um, yes, I can understand kids going hungry, but is that really the problem of the school district? Is that the problem of the state of North Dakota?" Wobbema asked rhetorically.
He answered his own question.
"It's really the problem of parents being negligent with their kids if their kids are choosing to eat in the first place, which is entirely the problem that could be existing," Wobbema said. "I don't believe that it is our responsibility to carry on a program in excess of what the federal government already does. Where does it stop?"
Fox News appears to have knowingly spread falsehoods about the 2020 election, according to an internal email revealed Wednesday during a summary judgement hearing in Dominion Voting System’s $1.6 defamation lawsuit against the cable news network.
Dominion alleges Fox knowingly spread the false claims of election fraud in an effort to boost ratings.
According to court documents obtained by The Associated Press, Fox News “sold a false story of election fraud in order to serve its own commercial purposes, severely injuring Dominion in the process.”
The email revealed in a slide during a summary judgement hearing appears to support Dominion’s assertion. MSNBC’s Katie S. Phang tweeted the slide showing an internal email from Fox News Information Specialist Leonard Balducci to Fox News producers dated Nov. 13, 2020.
IN OTHER NEWS: CNN’s Van Jones bursts out laughing over Trump’s latest ‘witch hunt’ rant
Balducci in the email fact checks Trump’s claims that “Dominion deleted 2.7 million Trump votes nationwide. Data analysis finds 221,000 Pennsylvania votes switched from President Trump to Biden. 941,000 Trump votes deleted. States using dominion voting systems switched 435,000 votes from Trump to Biden.”
But Trump’s claim flunked Balducci’s fact-check, according to the email, sent under the subject line “BRAINROOM: Background: Dominion Voting Systems & Criticism / Accusations – Fact Checks”
The facts, according to Balducci, were that “There’s no evidence of widespread fraud in the 2020 election, or of major problems with Dominion’s systems. Election officials from both political parties have stated publicly that the election went well and international observers confirmed there were no serious irregularities.”
\u201cNEW: Some of the slides used at the Summary Judgment hearing in the Dominion Voting v. Fox News case were made public today and Hoo boy, some are a doozy!\n\nHere's an email dated 11/13/2020 from Fox Brainroom "Information Specialist" Leonard Balducci:\u201d— Katie S. Phang (@Katie S. Phang) 1680112712
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