They’re just the first. The White House is taking steps to distance itself from the three indicted men, representing former adviser George Papadopoulos, who pleaded guilty to making false statements to the FBI, as having an “extremely limited” role in Trump’s campaign. President Donald Trump seized on the fact that the charges against campaign manager Paul Manafort and his associate Rick Gates weren’t collusion, but conspiracy and money laundering. Both pleaded not guilty. But Papadopoulos’ plea indicates he’s been cooperating with investigators for months, and insiders expect more indictments are coming.
He rated his interest. President Trump is expected to replace Janet Yellen, the head of the nation’s central bank, with Republican and Federal Reserve Gov. Jerome Powell. Traditionally, presidents continue the tenure of capable Federal Reserve heads from previous administrations. But despite Trump lauding a booming U.S. economy under Yellen’s watch, the president’s used Twitter and Instagram to hype his management change. Powell, who is expected to sail through the confirmation process, agrees broadly with Yellen’s monetary policy and will likely be in favor of slowly raising interest rates.
There are worse refuges. Carles Puigdemont is facing charges of rebellion, sedition and embezzlement from Spanish authorities — which could mean decades in prison. He’s fled to Brussels, and though his lawyers haven’t said if he’ll be seeking asylum, a Belgian immigration official said it wouldn’t be out of the question for the former Catalan leader, removed over the weekend, to do so. Meanwhile, Catalan separatist parties say they’ll be fielding candidates in Dec. 21 regional elections, and the Catalan European Democratic Party says Puigdemont himself will run.
They’re not above the law. Detectives Richard Hall and Edward Martins of the NYPD have pleaded not guilty to charges of raping and kidnapping an 18-year-old. The teenager says they handcuffed her last month after finding small amounts of marijuana and prescription Klonopin in her car, then raped and forced oral sex on her in their police van. A rape kit tested positive for the sperm of both detectives — but their attorneys claim the sex was consensual and have promised to fight the charges.
Know This: President Trump’s attempted ban on transgender soldiers has been blocked by a federal court. Japanese police have arrested a man after finding pieces of nine separate human bodies inside his apartment. And a retired FBI agent has reopened the cold case of who betrayed Anne Frank’s family to the Nazis, sending them to concentration camps.
Remember This Number: 126 million. That’s how many Americans are estimated to have seen Russian-backed Facebook posts. Twitter now estimates 2,752 accounts are linked to Russian operatives, more than 10 times a previous tally. Executives from the two companies are set to testify before Congress this week on Russian misinformation campaigns.
Talk to Us: OZY wants to know how the Trump era has impacted your romantic relationships. We’re conducting a nationwide poll with our partners at SurveyMonkey on Love in the Age of Trump, and we want to hear from readers who are in a relationship that’s divided along political lines. If you’re interested in being featured in future OZY stories, email polls@ozy.com with your tale of Trump-inspired conflict or triumph.
What scares Americans more than ghosts and zombies? According to a recent survey by Chapman University, money problems rate high on the list of things that keep folks up at night.
His reputation may be gone with the wind. Gen. John Kelly drew fire yesterday for saying the American Civil War was the result of “a lack of an ability to compromise” and praising Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. The backlash was immediate: Critics noted that the “compromise” was over slavery, and compared Kelly to President Trump blaming “both sides” for violence at a white nationalist rally. Bernice King, daughter of Martin Luther King Jr., tweeted, “It’s irresponsible and dangerous … to make fighting to maintain slavery sound courageous.”
Something hit the gas. The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere in 2016 jumped to its highest level in 800,000 years, according to the U.N. World Meteorological Organization. Scientists say the surge — 50 percent greater than the last decade’s average annual increase — was caused by a combination of human activity and a strong El Niño event. El Niños and other extreme weather phenomena are likely to happen more often as the planet warms up. Researchers are urging global leaders to step up enforcement of the Paris climatedeal.
They’re none the worse for spyware. During the 2016 Olympics and 2014 World Cup, Brazilian authorities campaigned hard to convince citizens that more surveillance equals more security. But now groups like CryptoRave and Actantes are pushing privacy activism in the country, turning consumers into encryption experts. Tech-savvy Brazilian women host a shared “feminist server,” run hacker collective Pirate Girls to draw women into the digital privacy movement, and throw raves that include “holistic security” workshops. Next step: A coalition of organizations is pushing for laws on personal data protection.
He played his cards all wrong. Netflix officially announced the political drama will not return after its sixth season, currently in production, after Star Trek Discovery actor Anthony Rapp came forward saying Kevin Spacey made a sexual advance on him when he was 14. Netflix, which was expected to end House of Cards soon anyway, says it’s “deeply troubled” by the allegation. Meanwhile, Spacey’s apology to Rapp — and his simultaneous coming out — have unleashed negative reactions from LGBT actors and activists, including Zachary Quinto, who called the move a “calculated manipulation.”
Go get ’em, Tiger. The former world No. 1 will return to pro golf at the Hero World Challenge on Nov. 30. It’s the same Bahamas event where the 41-year-old, now ranked No. 1171, attempted to return last year — and finished close to last. Another back surgery followed in April, and in May, Woods was found unconscious in his car with painkillers and marijuana in his system. He pleaded guilty to reckless driving last week. Some are skeptical of a comeback, but Woods’ agent says he’s “ready to go.”
