Friday's world stories

Cozy Bear hackers may be impersonating State Department
Cozy Bear, hackers who the U.S. and other governments believe to be Russian intelligence, appears to be impersonating the State Department in a new hacking campaign that's been observed attacking several sectors. FireEye, a cybersecurity company, first made the announcement on Twitter.
The big picture: It's nothing new for Cozy Bear to impersonate government officials, or anyone else who could lure people into downloading a file. That doesn't make it less aggressive — or less dangerous — for them to use the State Department to accomplish their goal.

Justice Department accidentally reveals Julian Assange indictment
The Justice Department has prepped an indictment against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, according to documents from an unsealed court filing, the New York Times reports.
Why it matters: The disclosure was unintentional, prosecutors say, and was inadvertently revealed in an unrelated case. But while the specifics of the charges against Assange remain unclear, they could significantly advance special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, given WikiLeaks published thousands of emails from Democrats hacked by Russian intelligence. The nature of the indictment could also change future procedures for those who publish government secrets.

Theresa May fights for her Brexit deal, and her political future
British Prime Minister Theresa May has set a clear line in the face of letters of no confidence and denunciations from her own party: she won’t relinquish her post unless it's taken from her.
Driving the news: May must stare down a rebellion in her party just to secure the opportunity to present a deal that has every chance of failure in Parliament. If she fails, no one really knows what comes next.
Theresa May vows to "see this through" on Brexit deal
British Prime Minister Theresa May vowed to "see this through" when asked how she would handle a potential vote of no confidence over her proposed Brexit deal during a Downing Street press conference on Thursday.
The backdrop: She told reporters that she believes "with every fiber of [her] being" that her Brexit deal is the best course for the U.K. to leave the EU, despite a difficult day that saw the resignation of two of her Cabinet members and a possible challenge to her leadership of the Conservative Party from members who favor a "hard Brexit."

Theresa May’s premiership faces reckoning over Brexit deal
British Prime Minister Theresa May lost two of her Cabinet ministers Thursday morning — crucially, Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab — as well as a host of junior ministers and could face more resignations by day's end after her proposed Brexit deal was met with backlash from members of her Conservative Party.
The state of play: May took questions for nearly three hours during a hostile back-and-forth in the House of Commons this morning, as members of Parliament demanded answers about her negotiated deal. But Jacob Rees-Mogg, the chair of the arch-Brexiteer European Research Group, submitted his letter of no confidence to force a vote on May's future as party leader, which would be triggered if 48 Conservative MPs submit such documents.

Trump renews attacks on Mueller investigation after midterms
President Trump renewed his attacks on the credibility of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation in a series of Thursday morning tweets, using his oft-repeated refrain of "WITCH HUNT."
The inner workings of the Mueller investigation are a total mess. They have found no collusion and have gone absolutely nuts. They are screaming and shouting at people, horribly threatening them to come up with the answers they want. They are a disgrace to our Nation and don’t care how many lives the ruin. These are Angry People, including the highly conflicted Bob Mueller, who worked for Obama for 8 years. They won’t even look at all of the bad acts and crimes on the other side. A TOTAL WITCH HUNT LIKE NO OTHER IN AMERICAN HISTORY!
Why it matters: Mueller's office has not issued any new indictments since July 13, when 12 Russian military intelligence officers were charged with conspiring to interfere in the 2016 presidential election. Now that the midterms are over, Mueller is again expected to begin filing indictments, according to CBS News. Roger Stone associate and former Infowars contributor Jerome Corsi said Monday he expects to be indicted by Mueller for perjury.
Dominic Raab resigns as Theresa May's Brexit Secretary
Dominic Raab, British Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit Secretary, resigned Thursday — the morning after May's Cabinet approved a draft agreement for Brexit.
Why it matters: Raab is the second Brexit secretary that May has lost over her plans for the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union, and his departure is almost certain to kick off even more Cabinet resignations. While it's been forecasted for months, it seems likely that now is the time that Brexiteers in May's Conservative Party may finally make a move against her premiership.





