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

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

May 16, 2018 - World

Senate releases transcripts from Trump Tower meeting probe

Alayna Treene, author of Sneak Peek

Donald Trump Jr. (R) walks to a closed door meeting with Senate Intelligence Committee. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images

The Senate Judiciary Committee released 1,800 pages of interview transcripts from Donald Trump Jr.'s testimony about a controversial meeting at Trump Tower in June 2016 with a Russian lawyer who has since admitted to working with the Kremlin.

Why it matters: The meeting has become a focal point of Robert Mueller's investigation.

Key findings from the transcripts:

Trump Jr. said he didn't know if his father was involved in drafting the statement about the meeting: "I never spoke to my father about it." He said the president "may have commented through Hope Hicks."
He said Hicks asked him if he wanted to talk to the president about the statement, but "I chose not to because I didn't want to bring him into something that he had nothing to do with."
He said his email to Rob Goldstone — "I love it" — was "simply a colloquial way of saying that I appreciated Rob's gesture."
Trump Jr. said he was "skeptical" of the meeting all along, and "my skepticism was justified" because "the meeting provided no meaningful information."

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Rebecca Falconer

57 mins ago - Energy & Environment

Air quality alerts issued as California fires threaten more sequoias

The Windy Fire blazes through the Long Meadow Grove of giant sequoia trees near the Trail of 100 Giants in Sequoia National Forest, near California Hot Springs, on Tuesday. Photo: David McNew/Getty Images

Two wildfires were threatening California's sequoia trees over overnight, hours after authorities issued fresh evacuation orders and warnings, along with air quality alerts on Wednesday.

The big picture: Officials in the Bay Area and the San Joaquin Valley issued air quality alerts as smoke from the Windy and KNP Complex fires resulted in hazy, "ash-filled" skies from Fresno to Tulare, the Los Angeles Times notes.

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Rebecca Falconer

3 hours ago - Health

Asymptomatic Florida students exposed to COVID no longer have to quarantine

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis during a September news conference in Viera, Fla. Photo: Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) announced Wednesday an emergency order allowing parents to decide whether their children should quarantine or stay in school if they're exposed to COVID-19, provided they're asymptomatic.

Why it matters: People infected with COVID-19 can spread the coronavirus starting from two days before they display symptoms, according to the CDC. Quarantine helps prevent the virus' spread.

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5 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Federal judge: Florida ban on sanctuary cities racially motivated

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

A federal judge on Tuesday struck down parts of a Florida law aimed at banning local governments from establishing sanctuary city policies, arguing in part that the law is racially motivated and that it has the support of hate groups.

Why it matters: In a 110-page ruling issued Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom said the law — signed and championed by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) — violates the Constitution's Equal Protection Clause because it was adopted with discriminatory motives.

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