Trump says Mueller probe has 'driven a wedge' between US and Russia, says Putin calls it a 'shame'

President Trump said Monday that Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation has "driven a wedge between us and Russia" following his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"Maybe we’ve just knocked down that wedge, but it has driven a wedge and President Putin said that," Trump told Fox News' Sean Hannity in an exclusive interview. "One of the early things he said when we started was, 'It's really a shame, because we could do so much good' ... And they drove a phony wedge, it's a phony witch hunt, rigged deal with guys like [FBI agent] Peter Strzok and [former FBI Director] James Comey and [former FBI Deputy Director Andrew] McCabe ... and you can imagine who else. It's a real shame."
Monday's summit took place three days after a grand jury indicted 12 Russian intelligence operatives on charges related to cyberattacks on Democratic organizations during the 2016 election campaign. At a news conference following the meeting, Putin offered to have Russian prosecutors question the indicted operatives and added that Mueller's team of investigators could be present for questioning, if U.S. officials would "reciprocate."
Trump told Hannity he was "fascinated" by Putin's suggestion, but then appeared to dismiss it, saying that the special counsel's team "probably won't want to go."
"The 13 angry Democrats? You think they're going to want to go? I don't think so," said Trump, using one of his usual phrases to describe Mueller's investigators.
The president added that the Russian leader was "incensed even talking about" the indictments and pointed out that Putin "said there was absolutely no collusion" between the Trump campaign and Russia in 2016.
"I think it's a shame ... we're talking about all of these different things and we get questions on the witch hunt," Trump said. "And I don’t think the people out in the country buy it, but the reporters like to give it a shot. I thought that President Putin was very, very strong."
In an interview with Fox News' Chris Wallace, Putin said he was "not interested" in the Mueller investigation, calling it part of "the internal political games of the United States."
PUTIN DENIES HAVING DIRT ON TRUMP, CALLS MEDDLING CHARGE 'UTTERLY RIDICULOUS'
Trump told Hannity that he and Putin had "a very long meeting, and it was a good meeting."
"It was just the two of us and interpreters," Trump said, "and at the end of this meeting, I think we really came to a lot of good conclusions."
He continued, "I think we’re doing really well with Russia as of today. I thought we were doing horribly before today ... I think we really had a potential problem."
The president said the biggest issue between Russia and the United States has been nuclear proliferation, pointing out how the two countries account for "90 percent" of the world's nuclear weapons "and we've had a phony, witch hunt deal drive us apart."
"I know President Obama said global warming is our biggest problem, and I would say that no, it’s nuclear warming is our biggest problem by a factor of about five million," Trump said. "The nuclear problem ... we have to be very careful."
The president added that Putin told him "he wants to be very helpful with North Korea." However, Trump said: "We’re doing well with North Korea [so] we have time. There’s no rush, it has been going on for many years.
"You know, we got our hostages back, there’s been no testing, there’s been no nuclear explosions … there’s been no rockets going over Japan, no missiles going over Japan [for] nine months and the relationship is very good, you saw the nice letter [Kim Jong Un] wrote," Trump said. "And so, I think a lot of good things are happening. But President Putin is very much into making that all happen."
KIM JONG UN SENDS TRUMP A 'VERY NICE' LETTER, TEASES POSSIBLE SECOND MEETING
Trump also criticized the media coverage of his conduct at last week's NATO summit in Brussels, where he raised concerns about other members of the alliance not honoring their pledges to spend two percent of their gross domestic product (GDP) on the military.
"The media was very unfair," he said. "I raised $44 billion and the secretary general [of NATO] said, 'He raised $44 billion and it was only President Trump,' because I said, 'Otherwise, we're going to have to start thinking about our relationship to NATO.' I also said this: NATO is wonderful, but it helps Europe a lot more than it helps us. And yet we’re paying for 90 percent of it.
"So, I was amazed [that] much of the media said that I was tough – very tough and nasty to foreign leaders and I really wasn’t at all. But I did say, 'You have to pay up,'" Trump added.
The president later returned to the Russia investigation, slamming Strzok over his testimony before House lawmakers last week and calling him a "total phony."
"It's a very dishonest deal and, you know, you have to find out, who did Peter Strzok report to, because it was Comey and it was McCabe, but it was also probably Obama," said Trump. "[Strzok is] a disgrace to our country. He’s a disgrace to the great FBI. A disgrace. And how he’s still being paid is beyond belief."

Harvard-linked research chief apologizes after asking mom with biracial toddler if she lives in 'affordable housing'

Theresa Lund, executive director of the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, said that she’s “terribly sorry” and her comments were “inappropriate and wrong.” She added that “there was no reason for me to ask what type of unit she lives in.”  (Facebook)

A Harvard University-affiliated research center employee dubbed “Sidewalk Sussie” apologized on Monday after being caught on camera asking a neighbor and the woman’s biracial daughter to get away from her home because they were making noise and asked if they lived in “affordable housing.”
Theresa Lund, executive director of the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, told the Boston Globe that she’s “terribly sorry” and her comments were “inappropriate and wrong.” She added that “there was no reason for me to ask what type of unit she lives in.”
The conflict occurred in Cambridge on Saturday after Lund came out of her apartment to berate Alyson Laliberte and her biracial toddler for allegedly making noise by walking on the sidewalk outside the building.
“I’m sitting here because you’re preventing my children from sleeping. Would you like me to do that to your kids?” Lund told Laliberte, according to the video posted her on Facebook.
Laliberte fired back: “Who is even watching your kids right now. Are you? Cause you’re not, you’re here with me and my kid.”
The research center employee then questioned whether Laliberte is poor. “Are you one of the affordable units? Or are you one of the Harvard units?” Lund asked.
On social media, the mother slammed and accused Lund, who’s white, of racism. “It was totally discriminating and racist of her... or maybe it was because my daughter is biracial who knows,” Laliberte wrote.
“I have no idea who this woman is and the fact that she thinks she has some kind of authority over me is crazy!” she added.

Rand Paul sides with Trump on Russia, says critics 'motivated' by dislike of president

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., on Monday expressed his approval of President Donald Trump’s handling of Russia despite the tsunami of criticism the president faced after his press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“It’s gotten so ridiculous that someone has to stand up and say we should try to engage even our adversaries and open up our lines of communication,” Paul told Politico after the controversial press conference.
“We’re going to talk to the president about some small steps in order to try to thaw the relations between our countries,” the senator added, noting that he’s set to travel to Russia early next month to continue the dialogue that Trump started.

"We’re going to talk to the president about some small steps in order to try to thaw the relations between our countries."
- Rand Paul, R-KY.

WATCH: PUTIN SITS DOWN WITH FOX NEWS 
Paul said he hopes to meet with Trump before the trip to “to see if there’s anything he wants us to follow up on.” The trip, in his view, will allow the U.S. to eventually start working with Russia to stop civil war in Syria, denuclearize North Korea and get Russian military out of Ukraine.
When it came to Trump’s remarks following the one-on-one meeting, Rand broke ranks with most Republicans and criticized those slamming the president.

"Republicans that are making the criticism are either the pro-war Republicans like McCain and Graham or the anti-Trump ones like Sasse ... They are motivated by their persistent and consistent dislike of the president."
- Rand Paul, R-KY

“Republicans that are making the criticism are either the pro-war Republicans like (Sen. John) McCain and (Sen. Lindsey) Graham or the anti-Trump ones like (Sen. Ben) Sasse,” he told Politico “They are motivated by their persistent and consistent dislike of the president.”
Trump drew fury from Republicans after saying both Russia and the U.S. are to blame for strained relations and by not standing behind the U.S. intelligence assessments that Russia meddled in the 2016 elections.
Trump said he has great confidence in the intelligence community, but Putin gave a “strong and powerful” denial. He said he doesn't “see any reason why” Russia would be behind election meddling.
“There is no question that Russia interfered in our election and continues attempts to undermine democracy here and around the world," House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said shortly after the press conference in Helsinki, Finland.
SCHOEN: PUTIN ATE TRUMP'S LUNCH 
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., called Trump’s performance “disgraceful” and issued a lengthy statement criticizing the president for kowtowing to the Russian president.
“President Trump proved not only unable, but unwilling to stand up to Putin. He and Putin seemed to be speaking from the same script as the president made a conscious choice to defend a tyrant against the fair questions of a free press, and to grant Putin an uncontested platform to spew propaganda and lies to the world,” McCain in a statement, calling the president’s comments at the press conference “a recent low point in the history of the American Presidency.”
But it’s no surprise that Rand, and a handful of other Republican lawmakers, are embracing Trump’s approach to Russia. Last year, the senator from Kentucky voted against a sanctions bill against Russia.
As a libertarian-leaning Republican, he also long opposed the hawks – like national security adviser John Bolton and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo – in the Trump administration, who in his view, seek confrontation rather than dialogue.
“We have a lot of areas ... we should be talking about,” Paul told Politico about Russia. “We won’t get anywhere on it if we just say we want ... to put more sanctions on them and tomorrow they’ll surrender and do what we want.”

California judge forces LA Times to alter story about detective with alleged ties to Mexican mafia

A federal judge on Saturday directed the Los Angeles Times to amend a story about a California police detective who was accused of working with the Mexican mafia after sealed court documents were accidentally made available online.
The article described a plea agreement between prosecutors and 45-year-old detective John Saro Balian. But the plea deal, which was supposed to be filed under seal, was accidentally made available in a public online database of federal court documents, according to the Times.
Shortly after the article was posted on Saturday morning, Balian’s attorney sought a temporary restraining order, which the judge granted later that afternoon.
“To the extent any article is published prior to issuance of this order, it shall be deleted and removed forthwith,” U.S. District Judge John F. Walter’s wrote in a ruling.
Following the decision, the Times removed any references about the sealed agreement, though pledged to challenge the ruling.

"We believe that once material is in the public record, it is proper and appropriate to publish it if it is newsworthy."
- The Los Angeles Times’ executive editor Norman Pearlstine.

“We believe that once material is in the public record, it is proper and appropriate to publish it if it is newsworthy,” said the Times’ executive editor Norman Pearlstine.
“Typically, courts take into account if information was already published. Where it is no longer secret, the point of the restraining order is mooted,” said Kelli Sager, an attorney representing newspaper. “To order a publication to claw it back doesn’t even serve the interest that may be intended.”
Peter Scheer, former executive director of the First Amendment Coalition, told the outlet that writing about the plea deal was “fair game” as it was put in the public domain.
“A news organization that wishes to write about the content has the right to do so under the 1st Amendment,” he said. “Whether or not a journalist should is a matter of editorial discretion or journalistic ethics. It’s a separate matter. It’s not a legal matter.”
Detective Balian pleaded guilty last week to three counts, including lying to investigators about his ties to organized crime, accepting a bribe and obstructing justice after tipping off a top criminal about a federal raid, the Los Angeles Times reported.
His stint as an allegedly corrupt detective came to an end after the FBI’s Eurasian Organized Crime Task Force identified him as a person of interest after investigating links between the Mexican Mafia and Armenian organized crime.
One informant told the authorities that Balian tipped off a gang member in Los Angeles about an incoming raid. “Tell your boy Bouncer that he’s the No. 1 on the list for tomorrow,” Balian allegedly said, according to the Times.
Balian also allegedly gave the informant locations of marijuana grow and stash houses and told him to “hit them” before the authorities could sweep the locations.
He currently remains on unpaid leave and last Friday a judge denied his request to be released on bond.

Mexican national gets prison time for faking citizenship, stealing $350G in benefits

Andres Avelino Anduaga, a Mexican national, was ordered to pay back $360,908.85 in restitution to the Social Security Administration and other agencies

Andres Avelino Anduaga, a Mexican national who impersonated an American citizen for more than 30 years, was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison for stealing more than $350,000 in government benefits from government agencies, Fox 5 San Diego reported.
He was also reportedly ordered to pay back $360,908.85 in restitution to the Social Security Administration, the California Department of Health Care Services and the county of San Diego.
The report, citing court documents, said in 1980, he used a birth certificate belonging to a U.S. citizen to obtain a California driver’s license and a Social Security card, then used his new false identity to commit a variety of crimes.
“This is one of the longest frauds, and one of the highest-dollar losses, if not the highest, that I’ve ever seen,” Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey D. Hill, told The San Diego Union-Tribune. Hill was assigned to investigate fraud cases. “It’s also the longest custodial sentence (for Social Security fraud) at least since I arrived in 2014.”
Immigration records showed he'd been deported in 1994 and again in 2000.
Fox 5 San Diego, citing prosecutors, reported that through 2016, he pulled in nearly $250,000 in illicit Social Security benefits. As a result, he also got MediCal health benefits that he was not eligible for and caused a loss to the state of California at above $100,000, the report said, citing the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
He reportedly admitted that he was able to travel freely between the U.S. and Mexico using a passport that he obtained via the same stolen identity he used to defraud public assistance programs.

Air Force paid about $10G for toilet seat cover: report

The Air Force last week admitted to paying out about $10,000 apiece to replace three toilet seat covers on a Vietnam-era cargo plan that is still being used, a report said.  (U.S. Air Force)

Now that’s a royal flush.

The Air Force last week admitted to paying out about $10,000 apiece to replace toilet seat covers on a Vietnam-era cargo plan that is still being used, The Washington Post reported.

The toilet seat covers on the C-5 Galaxy is no longer in production so the government needed to purchase customized ones, the report said. The government purchased the covers three times and as recent as last year, the report said.
“We are not now, nor will we in the future buy that aircraft part at that price, because we can now do so more cheaply using 3-D printing,” a spokesman told the paper. “Using this new process allows us to make parts that are no longer in production and is driving major cost savings.”
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, pushed for an investigation into the spending, ABC News reported. The call came after an interview with Will Roper, the assistant secretary of the Airforce for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, and DefenseOne.
Grassely said government waste is not in itself new. During the President George H.W. Bush administration, oversight efforts uncovered soap dishes that cost $117 and pliers that cost nearly $1,000.
Roper told the website in May, "You'll think, 'There's no way it costs that, No, it doesn't, but you're asking a company to produce it and they're [busy] producing something else.”
Military.com reported that Roper was making the case for 3D printing in the Air Force.
The Air Force said it will now rely on 3-D printing that will lower the price tag to $300.

Trump celebrates making NATO 'strong and rich again' after summit just hours before meeting Putin

President Donald Trump on Monday touted his success for making NATO “strong and rich again” at a summit last week just hours before he is set to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Received many calls from leaders of NATO countries thanking me for helping to bring them together and to get them focused on financial obligations, both present & future,” Trump tweeted. “We had a truly great Summit that was inaccurately covered by much of the media. NATO is now strong & rich!”
The tweet came just hours before the president will be attending a highly-anticipated summit with Putin in Helsinki, Finland.
Last week, Trump raised concerns about other NATO countries not meeting the established obligations to spend two percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) on the military.
“What good is NATO if Germany is paying Russia billions of dollars for gas and energy? Why are there only 5 out of 29 countries that have met their commitment? The U.S. is paying for Europe’s protection, then loses billions on Trade. Must pay 2% of GDP IMMEDIATELY, not by 2025,” Trump tweeted Wednesday.
He took a swipe at Germany over its energy project with Russia, a project vehemently opposed by NATO members in Eastern Europe, which say it directly threatens the security of their countries as Russia will able to use its vast energy resources as a way to have leverage over Western Europe.
The harsh criticism prompted NATO leaders to pledge their “unwavering commitment” to boost spending on defense. The U.S. and European allies signed a declaration asserting they are “committed to improving the balance of sharing the costs and responsibilities of alliance membership.”
NATO PLEDGES TO BOOST DEFENSE SPENDING AFTER STERN WORDS FROM TRUMP
The Trump-Putin meeting also comes at a peculiar time for the Russian government. On Friday, the Department of Justice issued indictments charging a dozen Russian intelligence officers with hacking the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign and the Democratic Party during the 2016 election.
It’s yet to be seen whether Trump will attempt to pressure Putin to extradite the indicted intelligence officers to the U.S. to face justice.
In an interview with CBS News on Saturday, Trump said he “hadn’t thought” about asking Putin to extradite the Russian citizens, but later noted that he will “Certainly I'll be asking about it." He also blamed the DNC for "allowing themselves to be hacked."

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