Hamilton’s Got Nothing on #Russiagate

Ali Sonko, the 62-year-old now former dishwasher at the world-famous Copenhagen restaurant  Noma, has been named a co-owner. The 2-Michelin-star establishment has been named world restaurant of the year four times by Restaurant magazine. “Ali is the heart and soul of Noma,” chef Rene Redzepi said of the former Gambian farmer, who has worked at the restaurant since it opened 14 years ago.  

Did Mother Russia Call the Shots for the Trump Campaign?: How much influence Russia’s Vladimir Putin had on the 2016 US presidential election is the story that won’t seem to go away. Every single tweet, speech, and personnel move by Trump has been evaluated under a dark cloud of suspicion concerning just how much is Putin pulling the strings in Washington. The news for the Trump administration on this matter has gone from bad to worse.

First off, the House Intelligence committee agreed to initiate an investigation into contacts between the Trump campaign and Moscow. The House panel has vowed to leave no stone unturned concerning how much Russia sought to influence the 2016 presidential campaign. Currently, the FBI and both the House and Senate intelligence committees are conducting investigations into Russia’s involvement in the election. But it should be noted that the House and Senate committees will rely heavily on the intelligence collected by the FBI and other intelligence agencies.

Yesterday’s revelations that during the campaign Attorney General Jeff Sessions met twice with the Russian Ambassador is creating even greater suspicion that something sinister is afoot. During his January confirmation hearing, Sessions did not mention either of his meetings with the Russian Ambassador and said he was unaware of any contact between Trump aides and Moscow. The Russian Ambassador with whom Sessions met is the same person that Mike Flynn, Trump’s former national security adviser, met with to discuss US sanctions before Trump took office. As Attorney General, Sessions is in charge of the FBI.

During the last days of the Obama administration, there was a concerted effort by White House officials to spread information about possible Russian efforts to undermine the election. The goal of this dissemination was to preserve and document what investigators had uncovered and also to warn US allies of a possible Russian attempt to influence other elections.

Sex Abuse Survivor Resigns from Vatican Commission: Marie Collins, the sole abuse survivor that remained on a Vatican commission to address the clergy sexual abuse crisis resigned on Wednesday, citing “shameful” lack of cooperation from some in the Vatican’s bureaucracy. She specifically cited resistance from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which blocked implementation of many of the commission’s recommendations, including setting up a tribunal to identify bishops who failed to protect children.

Collins, an Irish woman who suffered abuse by a priest during a hospital stay when she was 13-years-old, was appalled that senior clerics continued to put “other concerns” before the safety of children and vulnerable adults. In a statement to the National Catholic Reporter, Collins said the “last straw” was the discovery that the Vatican did not follow up on one of the simplest recommendations of the commission: to respond to every single letter written to them by an abuse survivor. Outraged by this negligence, Collins stated, “I find it impossible to listen to public statements about the deep concern in the church for the care of those whose lives have been blighted by abuse, yet to watch privately as a congregation in the Vatican refuses to even acknowledge their letters.” With Collins’ departure, there are no abuse survivors left on the commission.  

Flint Water Subsidies End: Roughly three years ago, Flint became a symbol of the US’ crumbling infrastructure and the transformation of America from a global powerhouse to a country that struggled to deliver potable water to all of its citizens. Fast forward to today and Flint’s water levels have been tested to be within federal limits, prompting the state of Michigan to announce it will no longer subsidize the people of Flint’s water usage. Michigan has spent more than $40 million dollars to help offset the costs of water for Flint’s community.

Francois Fillon Still in French Presidential Race: Francois Fillon, the Conservative candidate in the French presidential election, refused calls to bow out of the race after a formal investigation was opened regarding payments his wife received as Fillon’s parliamentary assistant. Three other candidates are still in the running: the far-right’s Marine Le Pen, liberal Emmanuel Macron, and socialist Benoit Hamon. The first round of voting takes place on April 23, with the final two candidates battling it out for the final vote on May 7.

Will She or Won’t She Run for President?: Years ago people teased Oprah Winfrey about running for president and she declined, citing her lack of experience. Now, noting that our current president has no formal political or military experience, Oprah seems to be toying with the idea again. Nevertheless, earlier this year she told Stephen Colbert that a presidential run was “not my thing.” Still, we might keep our eye out in 2020–these days, you never know what could happen.  

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More Reads:

• The Economist demoted the US from a full democracy to a flawed one and says Norway is the best democracy. Here’s why (NBC)
• According to Gallup, here’s what Americans have viewed as the most important problem facing the country from 1935 to present day (NYT)
• Aeon compares Utopias to start-ups
• Computers are better than humans at chess, Jeopardy, and poker. What elsewill they beat us at?
• The Trump administration wants to beef up the US military. The Atlantic reports on deconstruction and demoralization at the State Department