Russian-Influence Concerns Roiled '08 McCain Campaign
Circa News
No, this isn't a Tom Clancy novel, but intrigue is in ample supply. Senator John McCain, a noted Trump critic within the GOP, recently fretted that the Russia uproar was approaching "Watergate size and scale." But a decade ago the Arizonan was the one whose presidential campaign was suspected of ties to Russia. The biggest difference? McCain definitely met -- twice -- with a Russian banned from the U.S, but there is no such evidence to date for Trump. New Trump Appointee Made $430,000 Lobbying for Saudi Arabia
Center for Public Integrity
President Trump's pick for the Commission on White House Fellowships, Republican lobbyist Richard Hohlt, is a registered foreign agent. What does it say about foreign influence in government if a member of a part-time commission has earned hundreds of thousands of dollars lobbying for Saudi Arabia? German Intelligence Also Snooped on White House
Der Spiegel
"Spying among friends, that isn't done," said Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany after learning the NSA had tapped her mobile phone. For faux outrage, the line now rivals being "shocked, shocked'' over gambling in Rick's Café Américain. Latest evidence: records showing German intelligence was pretty busy in the U.S., even in the Merkel era. From 1998 to 2006, Germany snooped on American companies, universities, private citizens, and of course, the government. Realpolitik, from the land of Realpolitik. Kim Jong Un's Personal Piggy Bank
CNN
Multiple Mercedes, ski resorts, multi-million-dollar yachts and more: North Korea's Supreme Leader, Kim Jong Un, runs up a hefty tab to enjoy the little things in life. Despite sanctions crippling his nation, he's able to pay for his indulgences through a network of illicit sources of cash managed by Pyongyang's secretive Office 39. Defining characteristic of the operation: It's highly adaptable to whatever pressure it faces. Reinventing the Toilet: The Age of the Smart Throne
Mosaic
Toilet technology hasn't changed much since the introduction of the low-flow toilet -- and really, was that progress? -- but one company's vision for the loo is resulting in a whole new john: waterless, off-the-grid and able to power your phone (indirectly, after waste is converted to energy). Because this commode can go where flush toilets can't, it's effective both in developing Madagascar and at UK music festivals. |
