Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort provided an individual identified as a Kremlin agent with internal campaign polling data, while Russia's military was executing a political attack on the United States presidential elections of 2016. Read the rest
A long-chewed-on mystery about Michael Cohen's activities in the Trump-Russia conspiracy may now be resolved, thanks to data leaked by Cohen's cellphone. Operational security will get you every time, dumb criminals. Read the rest
Navigating the topic of death with a young child can be a difficult, traumatic experience for parents, especially if the topic is broached by the sudden loss of a loved one. Trying to explain death to a kid because they watched Santa Claus pass away right before their eyes? That's a higher level of awful.
According to The Moscow Times, a group of kindergarteners from Siberia were celebrating the season with a Christmas party, attended by Santa or rather, one of the jolly old fellow's Eastern European iterations, Ded Moroz. A bit of background: Ded Moroz, which translates as Father Frost, was originally celebrated/feared in pre-slavic lore as a wizard or a snow demon, and over the centuries became a central figure in the region's celebrations of the New Year and Christmas.
Anyway, back to the awful.
As part of a school play, Ded Moroz, played by 67-year-old Valery Titenko, danced his way across the stage, until he didn't. Dressed in Ded Moroz's long red, fur-fringed coat, Titenko suffered a heart attack and fell to the ground.
From the Moscow Times:
The group of kids apparently thought that Titenko’s fatal collapse was part of his skit and began giggling. A woman dressed as a clown who was also part of the skit noticed Titenko’s fall and rushed to help him.
Titenko was rushed to the hospital but died before he could get there.
According to The Moscow Times, Titenko was aware of his poor health and had been feeling dreadful earlier in the day. Read the rest
Russian President Vladimir Putin praised Donald Trump’s surprise announcement of U.S. troop withdrawal from Syria, calling it “the right decision.” Nice to know the boss approves! Read the rest
Hacked EU cables released this week warn that Russia may already have nuclear weapons in Crimea. The private diplomatic messages describe annexed area of Ukraine as a ‘hot zone,’ and Donald Trump as a ‘bully.’ Read the rest
After Donald Trump was sworn in as President, Russia's information warfare teams focused on a new target: special counsel Robert Mueller. Read the rest
Maria Butina, 30, stood in a D.C. federal court this morning and told the judge that she “knowingly engaged in conspiracy against the United States.” Then, one hour into the hearing, she stood again and said one word: “Guilty.”
The accused Russian spy acknowledged that she acted "under direction of" a Russian official who has been identified as Alexander Torshin.
She has signed a plea agreement with the U.S. that requires her to cooperate fully with any relevant federal, state, or local investigations. Special Counsel Robert Mueller's office may want to talk with her about a few things. Read the rest
What a wonderful time to be alive. Read the rest
Ret. Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn is asking for no prison time.
A memo from the former Trump national security chief's legal defense team was filed tonight, just before his scheduled sentencing. Read the rest
A U.S. judge today postponed Maria Butina's plea agreement hearing until Thursday. Read the rest
This spells doom for Trump and the NRA. Paul Erickson, hope the sex was fantastic. Read the rest
Special counsel Robert Mueller says Paul Manafort told ‘discernible lies,’ including about contacts with his longtime translator and fixer, Konstantin Kilimnik, an employee who is believed to have Russian intelligence ties. Read the rest
Watch. So chilling.
Find someone who is as happy to see you as Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Crown Prince bin Salman, who high-five each other and dive in for a bro hug, laughing like only two murderers can, at the G20 in Argentina. Read the rest
It's on? After important legal news in the Trump-Russia investigation broke on Thursday, Donald Trump canceled a planned one-on-one meetup with Vladimir Putin at the G20 summit on Saturday in Buenos Aires. Today, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov tells Russian news agency RIA the two leaders will meet for a brief, impromptu get-together. Read the rest
Robert Mueller’s investigation into Donald Trump’s plans to build a Trump Tower Moscow has led the Special Counsel to question the role Ivanka and Don Jr played in trying to secure a Russian real estate deal, reports Hunter Walker at Yahoo News. Read the rest
The 2016 plans for Trump Tower Moscow 2016 included giving Russian President Vladimir Putin a $50 million penthouse.
Donald Trump’s failed 2016 scheme to open a Trump Tower in Moscow is at the center of a charge unveiled Thursday against the president's former personal attorney Michael Cohen.
In court this morning, Cohen pleaded guilty to making false statements to Congress in 2017. He said negotiations over a Moscow Trump Tower project ended in January 2016. We now know that these talks, which included Trump himself, went on until June 2016. That's just one month before the RNC convention nominated Trump as the Republican presidential candidate. Read the rest
