Mar 10, 2017

FBI still investigating Trump server link to Russian bank

Shane Savitsky

Dmitri Lovetsky / AP

CNN reports that the FBI's counterintelligence team is still investigating the "odd" possible server connection between the Trump Organization and Russian-owned Alfa Bank but noted that the government has not obtained a FISA warrant on the Trump server.

  • What happened? The Alfa Bank server repeatedly looked up the DNS address for the Trump server, which CNN compares to "looking up someone's phone number" and notes that it "indicates an intention to communicate."
  • A wrinkle: Alfa Bank made up 80% of the DNS lookups to the Trump server, but another 19% came from Spectrum Health, a company owned by the husband of Betsy DeVos.
  • What's the explanation? Well, no one seems to know. It could have been spam emails gone wrong or a case of technological mistaken identity. Alfa Bank denied any connections to Trump, and Spectrum Health said it had not been contacted by the FBI or any government agency.
  • Summing it up: A cybersecurity expert on the communications between Trump, Alfa Bank, and Spectrum Health told CNN, "There is some sort of connection I can't explain, and only they are doing it. It could be completely innocent."

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Top Trump ally sounds 2020 election alarm over coronavirus response

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  6. States latest: FEMA has asked governors to decide if they want testing sites to be under state or federal control.
  7. World latest: Lockdowns have led to a decline in murders in some of the world's most violent countries — Boris Johnson is moved out of the ICU but remains in hospital with coronavirus.
  8. In Congress: Senate in stalemate over additional funding for small business relief program.
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Driving the news: The decision comes after federal appeals court ruled 2-1 on Tuesday in favor of an executive order by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott that prohibits abortions during the coronavirus outbreak.

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