Jan 25, 2019

1. Roger Stone arrested after indictment by Mueller investigation

Former Trump campaign adviser Roger Stone was arrested in Fort Lauderdale, Florida early Friday morning, following an indictment in D.C. charging he had communicated with the Trump campaign about hacked emails possessed by WikiLeaks, according to Special Counsel Robert Mueller's office.

The details: Stone has said himself he expected to be indicted by Mueller. He is facing seven counts, including obstruction of an official proceeding, making false statements and witness tampering. He will make an appearance at 11 a.m. Friday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Lurana Snow at the federal courthouse in Fort Lauderdale.

Why it matters: Former CIA director John Brennan said on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" that the indictment shows "an extensive effort to influence the election" that "may have gone to the very top of the Trump campaign."

The question now, Brennan said, is whether that crossed "the threshold from collusion to criminal conspiracy."

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Rebecca Falconer

14 mins ago - World

China announces retaliatory sanctions on Rubio, Cruz and other U.S. officials

Photos: Graeme Jennings/Pool/Getty Images; Al Drago/Pool/Getty Images

China's Foreign Ministry announced Monday that it's imposing sanctions on Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) along with nine other Americans, including Freedom House president Michael Abramowitz and Human Rights Watch Executive director Kenneth Roth, per Bloomberg.

Why it matters: It's a direct response to similar actions by the U.S. that included the Trump administration placing sanctions on officials Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam last Friday over Beijing's encroachment of the Asian financial hub's s autonomy. China announced last month it would ban Rubio and Cruz from entering the country over their criticisms of human rights abuses against Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang.

Editor's note: This is a developing news story. Please check back for updates.

Zachary Basu

Updated 32 mins ago - World

Police and protesters clash in Belarus after "Europe's last dictator" claims election win

Protesters and riot police clash in Minsk, Belarus, on Sunday during a demonstration against President Alexander Lukashenko's claim of a landslide victory. Photo: Misha Friedman/Getty Images)

Riot police clashed with protesters in Belarus overnight after a government exit poll predicted Sunday President Aleksander Lukashenko, an authoritarian who has ruled the Eastern European country since 1994, had overwhelmingly defeated a pro-democracy opposition candidate.

Why it matters: It's a precarious moment for the former Soviet republic, where decades of repression and a complete disregard for the coronavirus pandemic threaten to topple "Europe's last dictator." Rights groups said at least one protester was killed and dozens more wounded in a "police crackdown," per AP.

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Fadel Allassan

Updated 2 hours ago - World

2 Lebanese ministers and 9 lawmakers resign days after deadly explosion

Anti-government protesters in Beirut. Photo: STR/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Lebanon’s information and environment ministers resigned Sunday in the wake of massive protests over the deadly blast in Beirut's port last week, per AP.

Why it matters: In her resignation letter, Information Minister Manal Abdel-Samad called change "elusive" and apologized for not delivering more to the country, which had been devastated by a financial crisis and the coronavirus pandemic even before the blast destroyed much of the capital city.