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Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday

Mar 20, 2017 - Politics & Policy

Everything we learned at today's House hearing on Russia

Dave Lawler, author of World

J Scott Applewhite / AP

The key takeaways from the House Intelligence hearing with FBI Director Comey and NSA Director Rogers:

Comey confirmed the FBI is investigating potential links between the Trump campaign and the Russian government. The investigation started in late July.
FBI has "looked carefully" and found no evidence to support Trump's claim he was bugged by the Obama administration.
Comey said there has been an "unusually active" stream of classified information leaking in recent weeks.
He added that some media reports based on supposed leaks are "dead wrong" but that FBI does not correct them.
No evidence that Russia altered vote tallies through its interference.
US intelligence expects Russian interference in "2020, maybe 2018" elections to undermine US democracy.
Russia hacked both parties, but only the Democratic emails were leaked.

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Rebecca Falconer

19 mins ago - Politics & Policy

UN poll: Most see climate change as global emergency amid pandemic

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg (C) fronts a Fridays For Future protest at the Swedish Parliament in Stockholm in September. Photo: Jonathan Nacksrtrand/AFP via Getty Images

64% of people from around the world say climate change is a global emergency, a United Nations poll published Wednesday finds.

Why it matters: It's biggest global survey on climate change ever conducted, with some 1.2 million participants from 50 countries — including the U.S. where 65% of those surveyed view climate change as an emergency.

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7 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Collins helps contractor before pro-Susan PAC gets donation

Sen. Susan Collins during her reelection campaign. Photo: Scott Eisen/Getty Images

A PAC backing Sen. Susan Collins in her high-stakes reelection campaign received $150,000 from an entity linked to the wife of a defense contractor whose firm Collins helped land a federal contract, new public records show.

Why it matters: The executive, Martin Kao of Honolulu, leaned heavily on his political connections to boost his business, federal prosecutors say in an ongoing criminal case against him. The donation linked to Kao was veiled until last week.

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7 hours ago - Politics & Policy

How cutting GOP corporate cash could backfire

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

Companies pulling back on political donations, particularly to members of Congress who voted against certifying President Biden's election win, could inadvertently push Republicans to embrace their party's rightward fringe.

Why it matters: Scores of corporate PACs have paused, scaled back or entirely abandoned their political giving programs. While designed to distance those companies from events that coincided with this month's deadly siege on the U.S. Capitol, research suggests the moves could actually empower the far-right.

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