OTHER DEVELOPMENTS

OTHER DEVELOPMENTS

The Democratic Party sued Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, Russia, WikiLeaks and Trump’s son and son-in-law Friday, accusing them of an intricate conspiracy to undercut Democrats in the 2016 election by stealing tens of thousands of emails and documents. The lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court seeks unspecified damages and an order to prevent further interference with computer systems of the Democratic National Committee.

The Trump administration is lashing out at China, Iran, Russia and North Korea for being “forces of instability” because of human-rights abuses of their own citizens and others. In its annual global human-rights reports released Friday, the State Department singled out the four countries for egregious rights violations, including restricting the freedoms of speech and assembly and allowing or committing violence against religious, ethnic and other minority groups. It said that countries that undermine the fundamental dignity of people are “morally reprehensible” and harm U.S. interests.

The nation’s six big Wall Street banks posted record, or near record, profits in the first quarter, and they can thank one person in particular: President Donald Trump. While higher interest rates allowed banks to earn more from lending in the first quarter, the main boost to bank came from the billions of dollars they saved in taxes under the tax law Trump signed in December. Combined, the six banks saved at least $3.59 billion last quarter, according to an Associated Press estimate.

The fossil-fuels lobbyist tied to the bargain-priced Capitol Hill condo leased by Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt is taking early retirement as a result of the scandal. J. Steven Hart sent an email to friends and colleagues on Friday announcing he’s leaving Williams & Jensen, the powerhouse Washington lobbying firm where he served as chairman. The Associated Press obtained a copy of the email, which was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

Source: Associated Press