Trump Call Transcripts Leaked, Sessions Threatens Sanctuary City Grant Funds, Grand Jury in Russia Probe: P.M. Links
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PETE MAROVICH/UPI/Newscom The full transcripts of telephone calls between President Donald Trump and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull have been leaked to the Washington Post and published. They show Trump trying to get Peña Nieto to stop saying Mexico won't pay for the wall because it's hurting him politically and complaining to Turnbull about a deal between America and Australia to consider taking some refugees off Australia's hands. Trump does not seem to understand in the call that he does not actually have to let any of them in, just promise to vet them for consideration. He also clearly doesn't understand what a trade deficit means (that we're sending money to other countries in exchange for goods), but that's a fairly established flaw at this point.
- Sources say a grand jury has been empaneled by special counsel Robert Mueller to investigate allegations that Russia attempted to meddle with in the 2016 elections.
- Attorney General Jeff Sessions is offering to "help" a handful of high-crime cities by threatening to deny them access to a new federal law enforcement grant program if they don't help enforce immigration laws by giving the feds access to their jails and 48 hours notice before releasing any prisoners immigration officials want to deport. The four cities he's targeting are Baltimore, Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Stockton and San Bernardino in California.
- The woman who successfully convinced her boyfriend via texting to kill himself when they were both teens has been sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison for involuntary manslaughter.
- Sources say West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice will be announcing tonight at a Trump rally that he's switching parties from Democrat to Republican.
- Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg has hired former Hillary Clinton pollster Joel Benenson, fueling more speculation about Zuckerberg's political ambitions.
- Health insurer Aetna is pulling out of the Obamacare exchanges by 2018.
- The Senate has approved "right to try" legislation that allow people with life-threatening illnesses easier access to experimental medications that haven't received full Food and Drug Administration approval yet.
- Bitcoin has split into two virtual currencies with the introduction of "Bitcoin cash."
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