Top Stories Today – April 16, 2019
Top Stories Today – April 16, 2019
Notre Dame cathedral fire now under control
The Paris Fire Brigade said Tuesday the structure of the famed Notre Dame cathedral, build in the 12th century, has been saved, along with the site’s main works of art, after 400 firefighters spent more than nine hours battling a fire that caused massive damage. Notre Dame is a place where “the soul of Paris resonates.”
The Vatican released a statement expressing shock and sadness and called Notre Dame a “symbol of Christianity in France and in the world.” Hours later, French billionaire Francois-Henri Pinault pledged $113 million to help the reconstruction effort, followed shortly by another French billionaire Bernard Arnault saying his family and company would contribute $226 million. It is not clear what caused the blaze. The medieval Catholic cathedral is one of the most visited historical monuments in Europe. The Voice of America
Russia jails Norwegian for spying on submarines
A Moscow court has sentenced a 63-year-old Norwegian, Frode Berg, to 14 years in a strict-regime labor camp for spying on Russian navy submarines. Berg, arrested in Moscow in 2017, denied the accusation.
He formerly worked as a guard on the Norwegian-Russian border. Berg admitted acting as a courier for Norwegian intelligence, but said he had little knowledge of the mission. A Russian ex-policeman accused of passing him navy files has been jailed. Berg’s lawyer, Ilya Novikov, said his client would not appeal against the verdict but would seek a pardon from President Vladimir Putin. BBC
Sanders and O’Rourke release 10 years of tax returns
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) released 10 years worth of tax returns on Monday evening, showing that after the release of his book Our Revolution: A Future to Believe In, his income rose to more than $1 million in 2016 and 2017. Before that, most of his income came from the salary he receives as a senator.
In 2018, Sanders’ adjusted gross income was $561,293. The returns show “that our family has been fortunate,” Sanders said in a statement. These were the first full tax returns he has released. Later Monday, fellow 2020 Democratic presidential hopeful Beto O’Rourke released 10 years of his tax returns, showing that he and wife Amy earned more than $360,000 in 2017 and slightly smaller amounts in previous years. BuzzFeed News, The Washington Post via The Week
Deutsche Bank is subpoenaed for by US House
Congressional investigators on Monday intensified their pursuit of President Trump’s personal and business financial records by issuing a subpoena to his longtime lender, Deutsche Bank.
The two committees that issued the subpoena, the House’s Intelligence and Financial Services committees, also demanded documents from numerous other financial institutions, including JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Citigroup, related to possible money-laundering by people in Russia and Eastern Europe, according to three people with knowledge of the investigation. The New York Times
Mueller report to release on Thursday
The Justice Department says it plans to release redacted version of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report on Thursday morning. Attorney General William Barr previously said that Mueller did not establish the president’s campaign engaged in a criminal conspiracy with Russia and did not conclude whether he obstructed justice.
Democrats will be especially looking for what evidence Mueller gathered on whether the president obstructed justice, as Barr’s letter noted that although Mueller’s report did not conclude Trump committed a crime, “it also does not exonerate him.” Democrats have prepared a subpoena for the unredacted report. NPR News